Security Sales & Integration March 2023 - 46

EXCLUSIVE!
Executive Interview
Sciens' Theory
for Success
book to grow in every location we are currently
in. That gives us a the luxury of being able to
be choosy as far as acquiring companies that fit
from both a financial and cultural perspective.
Heath: One of the most gratifying things of
what we're building is the impact on people's
lives and on their businesses. These companies
are their babies, and what happens after acquisition
is really important. For me and for us, it's all
about values, culture and integrity. The majority
of our owners still come to work every day. They
could be living on an island somewhere but opt
to continue working. That is probably the best
litmus test to reflect what we're doing with the
companies after we acquire them.
We're looking for companies in markets
It makes sense
for us to continue
to build those
markets we're
either already in
or that are
adjacent to our
divisions.
- Troy Conners,
VP of Business
Development
where we want to be. We're looking for companies
that do what we do, and we're looking
for companies that have the right culture. We
don't have any egos, we're just a bunch of folks
who grew up in this industry. That kind of
nuts-and-bolts approach resonates with these
independent companies.
In general, do you see industry consolidation
accelerating? If yes, does that
make it more competitive for you to find
the best candidates to acquire?
Heath: My first job in the industry 30 years ago
was designing fire systems on the floor of my
apartment. Back then, consolidation wasn't occurring
in the industry and now it seems to have
accelerated. Even if I look back to 2015, really
when we started Sciens, it took a year before we
acquired our first company. There wasn't this active
consolidation. It seems private equity woke
up to the opportunities in the space, and they
all watch each other, and one jumped in and
others jumped in. Now there are several companies
very much engaged in acquisitions. We
continue to be very well-positioned. There's still
hundreds of companies out there that may not
have a succession plan or want to monetize their
sweat equity and are looking for a partner.
There's quite a ways to go, but consolidation
is going to continue, and owners will more carefully
consider who their partner is going to be.
It's a small industry, everybody knows everybody
and folks talk about what the experience
has been when ABC company acquired them.
Scott Rheaume: For us, it goes back to having
prior sellers heavily engaged with the business
and wanting to be part of it as the model going
forward. In every market I've been part of,
in every division, it's about building upon that
legacy. How do we take the best parts of it and
then with the backing of Sciens and Carlyle,
how do we make it better? How do we bring
in additional support systems so they have the
right ERPs and the tools and the trucks to go
service our customers? That's a differentiator.
In terms of footprint, what is the
strategic vision for where you'd like to
see that go? Are you looking to cover
every corner of the U.S.? Where else?
Conners: We have 20 locatons right now. We're
in a little bit of a U-shape from California, and
then into Texas, and Florida, and then up to the
Northeast. It makes sense for us to continue to
build those markets we're either already in or
that are adjacent to our divisions. But if we find
the right company with the right culture and it
fits our business model and it's in a major market,
we want to be there. NFL cities generally
have market potential for us.
Heath: It's about having a presence in the major
metros around the U.S., and, ultimately, I could
envision us going international. I grew up in
London and I was in the industry in England for
a short period of time before moving to America.
I am very familiar with the codes and standards
there, and I was also responsible for UL markets
around the world when I was running the Siemens
fire business. But we want to stay focused
and disciplined for the foreseeable future in the
U.S. before stretching everyone too thin.
Maribel Ortiz welcomes visitors to Sciens in
Orlando, Fla., one of the company's 20 locations.
46
Security Sales & Integration MARCH 2023
Sciens seems focused on every
imaginable commercial vertical market,
but which ones are core?
Rheaume: We have four real important ones.
Based on the complexity of the customer and
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Security Sales & Integration March 2023

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