Safeguard acquires EPS

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—Safeguard Security CEO John Jennings announced Aug. 27 that he'd acquired Electronic Protection Systems of Prescott, Ariz.

The deal adds 1,000 residential and commercial accounts, two new employees and density to the superregional's footprint north of Phoenix.

“Bob Clark [former owner of EPS] has built a nice business over the years,” Jennings said. “This was a nice opportunity to expand into the Prescott market.”

Clark will stay on as general manager, as will one technician. The office in Prescott, which is 85 miles north of Scottsdale, will remain open.

Jennings plans to introduce new products, not previously offered by EPS, to Prescott customers including commercial fire and Honeywell's Total Connect product. Introduced by Honeywell three years ago, Total Connect allows business- and homeowners to keep close tabs on their home or business via cell phone, PDA or computer. It enables them to remotely arm and disarm alarm systems, receive alerts and view video clips.

“Total Connect really started to gain some traction with our entire footprint earlier this summer,” he said. The company's been talking about Total Connect for a while, Jennings said, and that talk has paid off recently as his residential and commercial customers are beginning to understand its capabilities. “They can get it for an extra $10 a month; they spend that much at Starbucks in three days,” he said.

Expect to see Safeguard introduce some new offerings, including managed access, this fall. The Safeguard headquarters here is currently a laboratory for testing a number of solutions. “We've got 30 cameras and DVRs set up in our office … we're having kind of a camera shoot-out here,” he said. Jennings plans to come up with three different levels of solutions “a good, better and best” to fit the needs and budgets of his commercial customers.