Midstate Security - Experts & Thought Leaders

Allied Universal®, a security and facility services company in North America, with headquarters in Santa Ana, California and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, announces the acquisition of Midstate Security – a fully integrated electronic security and monitoring systems company based in Wyoming, Michigan. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. “The addition of Midstate is the first of many steps we are taking to build-out our technology services business following our platform acquisition of Securadyne Systems earlier this year,” said Steve Jones, CEO of Allied Universal. “This acquisition is an important part of our broader strategy to leverage technology across our entire business footprint.” Innovative security solutions Allied Universal aligns perfectly with Midstate’s mission and overall customer service philosophy" Midstate Security, with revenues exceeding $20 million and 89 employees, is known for providing innovative security solutions and world-class customer service throughout Michigan and the Midwest. Founded in 1980, the company designs, installs, services and maintains security systems for a wide variety of customers.  It also provides an array of remote services from its UL listed central station in Wyoming, Michigan. “Allied Universal aligns perfectly with Midstate’s mission and overall customer service philosophy,” said David Nemmers, CEO of Midstate Security. “I am extremely proud of our employees and what we have built, and I am excited about the future growth potential offered by Allied Universal for them and our customers.” Electronic access control Midstate Security will expand the company’s Allied Universal® Technology Services division, which provides electronic access control, video surveillance, fire/life safety, alarm monitoring, emergency communications, hosted /managed services and a variety of Global Security Operating Center (GSOC-as-a-Service) offerings.  “Midstate’s ability to expand our geographic reach into the Midwest, as well as their enterprise-class delivery capabilities are both strategically important additions to our business,” said Carey Boethel, president of Dallas-based Allied Universal® Technology Services. “We are excited to be partnering with such a great team as we continue to grow and expand across the US.” Midstate Security was represented by Barry Epstein of Vertex Capital Corp. and the law firm Rhoades McKee PC in the transaction.

 Installation to combine 87 dome cameras with high capacity NVRsA modern new 250-bed jail will replace the currently overcrowded 98-bed facility next year in Midland County, Michigan, and digital video surveillance technology from Panasonic System Solutions Company will boost security at the $25 million, 103,000-square foot facility.Midstate Security, LLC of Grandville, MI, has been awarded the contract to install the Panasonic System Solutions digital video surveillance system. The jail project was designed by Bob Bayers at Tower, Pinkster & Titus Associates Inc., Kalamazoo, MI for the Midland County Sheriff, Jerry Nielsen.The surveillance system will include 87 Panasonic i-Pro network cameras, many of which are ruggedized megapixel day/night fixed dome IP cameras that feature a 1280x960 megapixel image sensor with dual streaming MPEG-4/JPEG digital output at up to 30 images per second and Power over Ethernet (PoE). Other Panasonic i-Pro cameras to be installed include an assortment of vandal-proof network day/night fixed dome cameras and weather-resistant network day/night pan-tilt-zoom dome cameras with Super Dynamic III (SDIII) technology which provides exceptional images in difficult lighting situations.The Panasonic i-Pro cameras will provide images to two network video recorders (NVRs), each with nine removable 1 terabyte (TB) hard disk drives, providing a total of 18TB of expandable storage. Displaying the images will be fourteen Panasonic 42-inch plasma displays, and operators will use 13 universal system controllers with joysticks for PTZ operation and a numeric keypad for direct access to cameras. Panasonic's i-Pro Management Software will control the system. Using Panasonic's state of the art IP Matrix solution, which is based on the WJ-GXD400 HD decoder and WJ-MPU955A CPU, allows for Matrix-like controls which provide the same feel as an analog system with the flexibility of an IP-based solution.The Midland County Jail is scheduled to open in September 2009.

Two of the most familiar names in the physical security market – Pelco and Panasonic – underwent ownership changes during 2019. Consolidation continued on multiple other fronts. Security service companies, video companies and access control companies were all among the entities involved in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity during the last 12 months. In short, the industry landscape continues to transform in response to a changing market. Here's a look at the Top 10 M&A stories in 2019: 1. Pelco Acquired by Private Equity Firm Transom Capital Pelco Inc. was acquired in May by Transom Capital Group, a private equity firm, from Schneider Electric. Since the acquisition, Transom Capital has been working with Pelco’s management and employees to define and direct the next chapter of the iconic company. Pelco maintains its headquarters in Fresno, Calif., and has a presence in Fort Collins, Colo., near Denver, and a sales office in the New York area, not to mention many global employees who work remotely. 2. Panasonic Spins Off Security Business Electronics giant Panasonic sold off 80% of its video surveillance business to a private equity firm but is retaining 20%, and the new company will continue to use the well-known Panasonic brand. The move is aimed at reinvigorating a business challenged by competition from Chinese companies and lower video prices. Polaris Capital Group Co. acquired 80% of the outstanding shares of the new security systems business. 3. Qognify Acquires OnSSI and SeeTec 2019 began with the acquisition of IP video management software (VMS) company On-Net Surveillance Systems (OnSSI), including SeeTec in Europe. Backed by the global investment firm Battery Ventures, Qognify completed the acquisition in the final days of 2018. With Qognify, OnSSI and SeeTec operating under one umbrella, the company provides VMS, video analytics, PSIM and critical incident management for mid-market and enterprise organizations. 4. Busy Year for Acquisitions at Allied Universal Security services company Allied Universal had an active year in acquisitions, beginning in April with the acquisition of integration company Securadyne Systems in Dallas. There was an additional acquisition announced in each of the next four months: Point 2 Point Global Security, Dallas, in May; security services company Cypress Private Security in June, services company Shetler Security Services in July , and Midstate Security in August. Allied Universal announced two more acquisitions in November – low-voltage integrator Advent Systems Inc. in Chicago and Vinson Guard Service in Louisiana. Also in November, Allied announced a transformational merger with SOS Security. In December, Allied Universal acquired APG Security, South Amboy, N.J. 5. Motorola Continues Video Push with VaaS Acquisition Following its acquisition of Avigilon in 2018, Motorola Solutions continued to build its presence in the security market in 2019 with the acquisition of VaaS International Holdings, Inc. (VaaS), a data and image analytics company. Motorola Solutions paid $445 million in a combination of cash and equity for the company, which includes fixed and mobile license plate reader cameras driven by machine learning and artificial intelligence. 6. ACRE Acquires Access Control Companies Open Options and RS2 Open Options is an open architecture access control company headquartered in Addison, Texas; and RS2 is an open systems access control provider in Munster, Ind. ACRE, global provider of security systems, wrapped up acquisition of both firms in 2019, after announcing the Open Options deal in the waning days of 2018 and following it up with the RS2 announcement in the spring. ACRE’s portfolio now consists of Vanderbilt, Open Options, RS2 and ComNet. 7. Assa Abloy Expands Capabilities with LifeSafety Power Lock and access control giant ASSA ABLOY acquired LifeSafety Power in September, providing a complement to the access control portfolio. The plan is to incorporate LifeSafety Power’s knowledge of power supply and consumption throughout the ASSA ABLOY access control line. LifeSafety Power was established in 2009 and has some 65 employees. The main office is located in Libertyville, Illinois. 8. Distributor Anixter Going Private and Selling to CD&R Anixter International Inc., a distributor of network and security solutions, electrical and electronic solutions and utility power solutions, entered into a definitive agreement with an affiliate of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) to be acquired in an all cash transaction valued at approximately $3.8 billion. The transaction will result in Anixter becoming a private company and is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2020. Under the terms of the merger agreement, CD&R-managed funds will acquire all the outstanding shares of Anixter common stock for $81.00 per share in cash. (It has been reported that a new bidder has also emerged, although Anixter is resisting – stay tuned.) 9. Alarm.com Expands Commercial Offering with OpenEye Acquisition Alarm.com has announced a majority-stake acquisition of OpenEye, a provider of cloud-managed video surveillance solutions for the commercial market. OpenEye is optimized for enterprise-level commercial customers requiring expansive video recording capabilities, in addition to remote viewing, administration and diagnostic reporting. Combined with the Alarm.com for Business offering, service providers partnered with Alarm.com now have solutions to accommodate commercial accounts of any size. 10. ADT Makes Multiple Acquisitions, Sells Canadian Operation Another North American security giant, ADT Inc., also had a busy year in mergers and acquisitions. In February, ADT acquired LifeShield, a pioneer in advanced wireless home security systems. In June ADT continued expanding capabilities and geographic reach via Red Hawk Fire & Security, ADT Commercial with the asset purchase agreement of Security Corporation, a commercial security integrator headquartered in Detroit, Mich. In November, ADT Commercial purchased Critical Systems, which specializes in enterprise-class fire alarm, fire suppression, life safety and integrated building security solutions for high-rise properties, healthcare campuses and data, manufacturing and distribution facilities in Atlanta.  In October, ADT announced an agreement to sell its Canadian operations to TELUS Corp.