Acquisition Time for SDM 100 Ranked Firms

By Laura Stepanek, Contributing writer

We’re in the final quarter of 2007, a time when the number of acquisitions usually increases as the year’s end approaches.

Yesterday, SDM received the news that two of the largest alarm companies operating in the United States completed significant acquisitions – New York Merchants Protective Co., ranked No. 37 on the SDM 100, and ADS Security, ranked No. 23 on the SDM 100.

New York Merchants Protective Co., Freeport, N.Y., announced the acquisition and merger of accounts from District Central Station Alarm Corp., based in Mount Vernon, N.Y. As the result of the merger, NYMPC will take over all of District's commercial and residential accounts, including the recent addition of 30 New York Community Bank locations. NYMPC will also take over District’s residential accounts, which include the homes of the commercial subscribers.

Established in 1975, District Central Station Alarm provides its services to high-security locations, including banks and licensed check cashers, both of which require UL “AA” central station alarm systems, as mandated by insurance companies.

With this acquisition, NYMPC will now service nearly two-thirds of all licensed check cashers in the state of New York, gaining a 65 percent share of the market.

ADS Security L.P., Nashville, Tenn., acquired Advanced Detection Systems Inc., based in Melbourne, Fla., said Mel Mahler, ADS Security’s president and CEO. With the acquisition, ADS Security establishes an office in Florida for the first time and will now have operations in five southeastern states.

Alice Walden, former owner of Advanced Detection Systems, joined ADS Security as general manager of the Melbourne office.

Terms of the acquisition were not announced.

ADS Security, established in 1989, has offices in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee that serve more than 60,000 commercial, institutional and residential customers. In 2006, ADS Security purchased accounts from Westco Security Systems in Ft. Walton Beach, Fla., giving ADS Security its first Florida accounts. The Melbourne acquisition gives ADS Security its first Florida office and adds 2,400 accounts to ADS Security’s total account base.

Advanced Detection Systems Inc. was established in 1985 and serves residential, commercial and institutional clients along Florida’s Space Coast and inland to Orlando. The company employs 30 people.

Laura Stepanek is a SDM contributing writer. Laura was the Editor of SDM from 2001-2020 and first joined the publication in 1984. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Barat College of DePaul University.