Tag: Barry Epstein

ESTACADA, Ore.—Central Station Monitoring (CSM), a full-service intrusion and fire alarm central station based here, recently acquired Alarm Central based in Beaverton, nearly doubling the number of accounts being monitored at its central station.“It is exciting to almost double in size with this deal, and the additional revenues will give us the opportunity of expanding overall at some point,” Robbin Cleveland, general manager, Central Station Monitoring (CSM), told Security Systems...

YARMOUTH, Maine—Over the last few years, Security Systems News has covered hundreds of mergers and acquisitions, and it seems M&A in the security industry is still as hot as ever. In this month's News Poll we asked our readers for their thoughts about M&A in our industry.When comparing 2019 to 2018, more than half (54 percent) said M&A activity was about the same, with 31 percent saying they felt like there was more activity this year, and 15 percent saying there was less activity this year.“The...

PLAINVIEW, N.Y.—General Security, a full-service security company based here, recently acquired New York Merchants Protective Co., based out of New York City, adding 3,500 accounts.“We were interested in doing a little more business in Manhattan and [the acquisition] certainly did that. It opened up a new group of customers to us,” Peter Allen, general manager for General Security, told Security Systems News. The acqusition closed Nov. 3, 2016, he said.“We divested of our...

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—The financial environment for selling a security company is good and stable right now, according to Barry Epstein, president of Vertex Capital.According to Epstein, there's “More money chasing the sellers than there are sellers out there. Why? Private equity.” He does not foresee private equity groups withdrawing interest in the near future.Epstein presented “Timing Your Exit: An Update on Multiples and the Multiple Threats to Your Account Base” at...

DAVENPORT, Iowa—Super-regional Per Mar Security Services has acquired 2,000 accounts with its purchase of Northern Safety and Security of Bemidji, Minn.Ninety percent of those accounts are residential, Brian Duffy, president of Per Mar's security services electronic division, told Security Systems News.Per Mar, a family-owned company started by Duffy's grandparents in 1953, will fully take over those accounts and service them, he said. The company has a UL-certified central alarm station based...

Every January, Security Systems News asks security finance experts to share their opinions on deals done, valuations sought and won, and prospects for buyers and sellers in the coming year. This year, the following experts participated in a virtual roundtable discussion: Jennifer Holloway, managing director, Security Industry Group, at The PrivateBank and Trust Company, a Chicago-based commercial bank and wealth management institution with a national specialty lending group dedicated solely to the...

As I encounter new theories and projections about PERS valuations, I continue to find a refreshing lack of consensus among the experts. That's not to say there aren't areas of agreement. There are. Those watching the market often cite similar determinants of valuation, such as attrition rates, cash flow and the costs of creating new accounts. But experts seldom invest the same metrics with equal importance.    For example, Barry Epstein, president of Dallas-based Vertex Capital, believes reducing...

The projected expansion of the PERS market will be fueled by several realities playing in its favor. First and foremost, the demographics, highlighted by an aging baby boomer population, are compatible with growth in the PERS space. Similarly, PERS devices make seniors better equipped to remain in their homes and possibly reap considerable cost savings. The market is relatively resilient. The technology is simple. One of the biggest barriers to entry may be tapping into the right marketing channel,...

WESTMINSTER, Colo.—Thinking about selling your systems integration company this year? What kind of price can you expect for your business? More than one session during the annual PSA-TEC conference, held here May 14-18, took a hard look at how integrators should assess their organic growth and set realistic expectations for sales prices.On the question of growth, Bill Bozeman, CEO of PSA Security, noted that international events absolutely can affect progress for a systems integration business.He...