Fire protection consultancy Summit Companies acquires five Michigan firms
Fire protection services and consulting firm Summit Companies has acquired five fire protection businesses in Michigan, having entered the state earlier this year. Summit has enacted a breakneck acquisition pace since coming under the ownership of private equity firm CI Capital last year.
Founded in 1999 and based in St. Paul, Minnesota, Summit Companies provides a full range of services related to fire safety, including inspection, monitoring, installation and repair, as well as advisory support. Its consulting capabilities include regulatory and compliance advisory across industries, as well as design and engineering support for sprinkler systems, smoke management, alarms, means of egress, and construction, among other areas. Summit services over 35,000 commercial, industrial, government, healthcare, and multi-family residential facilities annually.
The Midwest fire and life safety (FLS) specialist is majority-owned by New York-based CI Capital, which bought a majority stake from PE firm Prospect Partners in September 2017. CI purchased the company as part of a ‘buy and build’ strategy seeking to consolidate the fragmented fire and life safety sector. To that end, Summit has completed over 18 add-on acquisitions in little over a year – and now has locations in Arizona, Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan.
Summit expanded into Michigan in July 2018 with the addition of the Michigan branch offices of Indiana-based Koorsen Fire & Security in Mount Pleasant and Traverse City. The company has now added another five fire safety businesses in the Mitten State: Clark Fire & Safety (Owosso, MI); Mid-Michigan Fire & Safety Supply (Greenville, MI); VanEx Fire Systems (Luna Pier, MI); Fire Extinguisher Services (Battle Creek, MI); and Flametamer Fire Protection (Paw Paw, MI).
"The expansion throughout Michigan reflects the execution of Summit's national growth strategy and our company's focus on acquiring strong legacy businesses with successful operating histories," stated Summit CEO, Jeff Evrard. "We are thrilled to gain the many combined years of professional experience and expertise of these businesses, and to offer their customers a broader range of fire and life safety products and services."
The strategic acquisitions expand Summit’s Michigan presence to the southern, eastern, and western regions of the state – enabling a broader service offering with wider geographical coverage to service local communities.
"Having now completed 18 add-on acquisitions under CI Capital's ownership, Jeff and the Summit management team have expanded the company's geographic coverage and strengthened its service offerings and revenue mix," said Timothy Hall, Managing Director of CI Capital Partners.
More acquisitions are likely to come for the private equity-backed company as it looks to further consolidate the fire and life safety sector. "We look forward to continuing to support Summit's growth," added Hall.
