Atlas Security Service buys Sentry Security Systems

by Melissa Wilson

SBJ Staff

Atlas Security Service Inc., 435 S. Kimbrough, acquired Sentry Security Systems Inc., formerly of 1907-C S. Stewart, after Sentry owner Bill White decided to retire, Atlas president Jim Wade said.

"We had been talking on and off for a couple of years and decided last summer to go ahead with it," Wade said.

Sentry, which had been in business since 1975, had five employees when it sold to Atlas Sept. 30, 1998, for an undisclosed price. Atlas, which reported 30 employees in early 1998, kept two of Sentry's technicians.

"We wanted to increase our size, and from a competitor's standpoint, eliminate some of the competition," Wade said.

Wade initially contacted White about buying Sentry's assets when he decided to expand Atlas a few years ago. With Sentry's 500 customers, Atlas now has more than 5,000 customers in the southwest Missouri region.

Wade said other than continuing to look for more local security companies to acquire, Atlas does not plan any changes as a result of the Sentry purchase.

Atlas Security offers cellular backup, closed-circuit television, card access, burglar and fire alarms and local 24-hour UL monitoring, central vacuum systems, intercoms and driveway sensors.