At 2014’s halfway mark, we’re on track to have one of our best years yet, and some recent acquisitions are setting up the second half of the year to be even bigger than the first.
In 2013, we undertook a plan to keep the business focused closer to our Indianapolis home, and so we sold our two Florida branches and began looking for acquisitions that would extend our reach within the Midwest. In late 2013 and early 2014, we began the acquisitions with Fire Alarm System Testing in Goshen, Indiana, and Auto Tech Systems in Akron, Ohio. And as of June 1, four additional acquisitions have been completed:
- Advanced Fire & Safety—Owensboro, KY
Operating as a satellite office for our Evansville, Indiana, branch, this fire services operation brings a lot of opportunity for us to integrate our additional services and expand our reach. Previous owners Charlie and Sheila Payne are staying on in a consulting role as we move forward. - B&J Fire—Marion, Ohio
Intended to serve as a satellite office for our Mansfield, Ohio, branch, this business previously focused primarily on fire extinguisher services but offered restaurant and industrial systems. It now makes the full Koorsen suite of services available, and previous owners Lisa & Rodney Myers have joined Koorsen, as has the rest of their team. - Fire Control Equipment, Inc.—Nashville, TN
The portables, restaurant suppression, industrial suppression, and engineered suppression services of this operation are being rolled into our existing Nashville branch, and previous owner Wayne Martin has joined our team, as well. - Maple City Fire Protection—Goshen, IN
This acquisition establishes a new Koorsen branch that represents a nice fit among our current locations in the area and brings a large fire extinguisher and restaurant sprinkler business into the fold. We’ll be adding the full range of Koorsen services, and previous owner Steve Fortier will remain in a consulting role.
“Each of these acquisitions reflects our dedication to finding business with a good reputation and a particular area of expertise, which leaves us a lot of opportunity for growth,” said Koorsen’s Executive Vice President Jeff Wyatt. “We expect these four acquisitions to bring in a combined $2 million revenue this year.” Although that may not seem like a lot for the nearly $90 million business, it represents the start of what will be a very exciting few years of growth for the 68-year-old, family-owned company.
So much growth means we’ve been doing a lot of hiring so far in 2014—nearly 60 new employees hired, including the 12 we brought on through acquisitions. And at present we’re working to fill another 29 positions in various branches.
Meanwhile, we’re implementing new technology, including a new CRM system to improve sales and customer service, the FieldOne mobile service management solution that will support our technicians, and a few other back-end systems-all to ensure superior service and improve the customer experience.
“It’s a lot to manage at one time, but we’re excited about it, and everything’s coming together really well,” Wyatt said. “Growth and change happen much easier when you have the right people in place, and we have incredible people.”
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Koorsen Fire & Security was founded in 1946 and is a third-generation, family owned business. Over the years, Koorsen has become one of the largest and most respected fire and security companies in the United States with over 20 locations and nearly 700 associates. Koorsen Fire & Security is well-known for having the best training in the industry, and is insured and certified to design, install, program, service and repair virtually all fire and security products for any size business. Contact us to schedule your free on-site hazard analysis.