Pye-Barker is proud to announce the acquisition of KPI Holdings, Inc. (Keystone Fire Protection Co.), a fully integrated fire and life safety company headquartered in North Wales, Pennsylvania. With this acquisition, Pye-Barker Fire continues its strategic plan of growing its national footprint.
For over 60 years, Keystone Fire Protection Co. has been a trusted provider of fire protection equipment and life safety services in commercial and industrial settings. Founded in 1956 by John H. Lawlor with the purchase of Walter Kidde Sales & Service Company, the company took off with the advent of dry chemical fire extinguisher systems in the 1960’s. Their quick adoption of this new technology allowed them to secure a contract to protect all of the Howard Johnson restaurants on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
This willingness to embrace the latest innovations in fire protection continued to propel their business forward into success. In the early 70’s, Keystone became one of the first fire equipment distributors to carry DuPont’s new Halon 1301 agent. This coincided with the introduction of computers into regular business life and became the focus of Keystone’s business for the next 16 years.
In 1986, John M. Lawlor, current owner and CEO of Keystone Fire, took over the family business from his father. Pulling from his background in electrical engineering, he began drafting fire suppression systems. The company then expanded into the fire alarm services the following year, becoming one of Notifier’s premier distributors.
In 2000 the company expanded its services again when it acquired Atlas Fire Sprinkler Company in Gloucester, New Jersey. They followed this with the acquisition of Stong Fire Protection in 2012. With these new assets behind their fire sprinkler division, Keystone was now capable of taking on larger fire sprinkler projects.
Today, Keystone Fire is a full-service fire and life safety company with a regionally recognized brand of excellence. In a desire to continue Keystone’s reputation for growth and innovation, John and his wife Lisa knew it was time to bring on a competitive partner. And so, after careful consideration, they chose to become part of the Pye-Barker Fire family.
“Much of our growth in the last 10 years has been through strategic acquisitions, which has strengthened our market share and complemented our product and service offerings,” Lawlor said.
“But the competition to acquire good companies has become fierce, and we were looking to pair with a financially strong partner who shared our same values and visions for growth. We could not have found a better partner than Pye-Barker Fire.”
“Keystone Fire is an exciting acquisition for Pye-Barker Fire, as it allows us to enter into a new market,” said Bart Proctor, CEO of Pye-Barker Fire. “This further advances our strategic vision of being a fully integrated and self-performing national provider of fire and life safety services. The Keystone Fire name is synonymous with excellence, and we are thrilled to have them join the family.”
Pye-Barker is beyond proud to enter this new Northern region through this strong family company. We extend a warm welcome to Keystone Fire and all the companies under the KPI Holdings banner. Our future looks even brighter together!
Read the original press release here.
Pye-Barker is a proud collection of family fire protection companies and has provided many owners with a satisfying exit strategy that provided peace of mind for themselves and their staff. If you would like to learn more about what a future with Pye-Barker would look like for your business, please visit www.pyebarkerfire.com/acquisitions to fill out a confidential form. You can also contact our VP of Business Development, Chuck Reimel, directly at 910-612-6252. We look forward to hearing from you!