CertaSite includes five Midwest companies; led by industry veteran
(Kalamazoo, MI.) CertaSite announced today that it has acquired Approved Protection Systems, an established fire protection and life safety company that is based in Kalamazoo.
CertaSite is a new commercial fire protection and life safety company that provides the highest levels of customer service, responsiveness, building safety and code compliance to customers across the country. The company goes beyond compliance, focusing on partnerships and professionalism while providing customers a simplified and dependable solution to managing all of the fire protection and life safety systems found in commercial buildings.
CertaSite is led by CEO Jeff Wyatt, who has more than 30 years of experience in the fire protection and life safety industry. He most recently served as President of Koorsen Fire & Security, one of the largest privately-owned life safety companies in the industry. He started his career in the profession as an installation technician, and is a veteran of the United States Navy. Wyatt was recruited to lead CertaSite by The Riverside Company, a global private equity firm that is CertaSite’s primary investor.
Approved Protection Systems was founded in 1929. With operations in Kalamazoo and Holland Michigan, its strong reputation will allow it to grow under CertaSite within its current customer base and expand in new markets. Approved Protection System’s 34 employees retained their jobs in the acquisition.
Approved Protection Systems is assuming the CertaSite name and brand as part of the acquisition.
“CertaSite and Riverside are the perfect partners to build on the solid foundation that was laid by generations of our loyal employees and customers,” said Approved Protection Systems owner John Lewandowski. “With CertaSite, we have a rare opportunity to marry our customer driven approach with a technology-based platform that is professional, rooted in best practices, and provides significant value for customers.”
In addition to Approved Protection Systems, CertaSite already has acquired four fire protection and life safety companies, and is actively engaged in bringing new businesses to the CertaSite family. These companies are: Company One Suppression (Illinois and Iowa); County Fire Protection (Ohio and Pennsylvania); Field’s Fire Protection (Michigan); and Spears Fire & Safety (Michigan). Headquartered in Indianapolis, CertaSite is currently serving customers in the Midwest, with plans to strategically grow in new markets.
“We are grateful to John Lewandowski and the Approved Protection Systems family for their continued partnership throughout this process,” said Jeff Wyatt, CEO of CertaSite, “We are committed to preserve the legacy that these dedicated professionals built, and recognize and respect their strong local presence in giving back to the community. We look forward to building on that foundation by offering employees development and career advancement, and expanded services and support to customers. We are proud to be a part of what these men and women have spent a lifetime building.”
About CertaSite
CertaSite is a commercial fire protection and life safety company founded in 2018. We take a new approach to fire and life safety, going beyond compliance to give our clients an unmatched level of customer service and tech-based control over their fire and life safety systems. Our team of experts serves more than 13,000 customers in more than 12 markets. CertaSite is headquartered in Indianapolis.
