Stanley buys Sonitrol of the Tri-State

NAPERVILLE, Ill.—In its first buy of a Sonitrol franchise following a landmark agreement with franchisees, Stanley Convergent Security Solutions has acquired Sonitrol of the Tri-State, a Sonitrol dealer since 2002, located in Leesburg, Va. While Stanley VP of strategic initiatives and business development Felix Gonzales acknowledged the company is not one of the larger franchises, “we're happy to have the acquisition,” he said. “Our desire is to be a strong franchisor and be there for companies if they want to exit the business.”

The purchase includes mostly commercial accounts including retail, restaurant, healthcare and communications customers being serviced throughout northern Virginia and Maryland. Sonitrol of the Tri-State customers will now be serviced by the existing Stanley CSS office located in Lorton, VA.

Gonzales said the new rules of engagement Stanley ironed out with franchisees have not really changed its approach to acquisitions, but he said, “without a doubt, it's now a positive relationship with the franchises ... We've had some good conversations with our franchise directors and a number of discussions on process improvement.”

Further, he said Stanley is delivering new and improved Sonitrol products that the franchises are embracing. Early this year, the company released SONIP, a new monitoring software package. “It's something they can invest in now and for the future,” Gonzales said, “and we've been pleased with the number of franchises who've gone and upgraded.” There are also two new control panels, the recently released iBase and the Flexibase, scheduled for an ASIS release.

“We've had a fair amount of conversations with the franchises and the Sonitrol National Dealers Association,” Gonzales said, “in regard to our working relationship. We're pleased with the relationship, but especially so with the new agreements in place.”