The merger paves the way for the recent acquisition of Washington Alarm

YARMOUTH, Maine — Washington Alarm has been serving commercial and residential customers in the Pacific Northwest for more than eight decades. A recent acquisition not only strengthens its service capabilities in Washington state, but also reunites the company with a familiar face.

July 3, Washington Alarm, a third-generation provider of fire alarm and security systems, service and monitoring solutions, announced the acquisition of Klepps, a provider of fire alarm, access control and CCTV monitoring solutions.

Shannon Woodman, CEO of Washington Alarm, noted that the acquisition is expected to increase annual revenue by 30% compared to the previous year.

“It’s a great fire alarm company, and that’s the bulk of what we do,” she said. “We do a lot of commercial fire alarms, so it’s a good fit for our company. I know they had at least seven other companies bidding on this acquisition. Natalia and Daniel (Clep) chose Washington Alarm because of their history with Washington Alarm and they knew their employees would be taken care of. That was their biggest concern.”

Born in Romania, Clep founded Klepps in 2004 in Bellevue, Washington, with his wife Natalia.

The history of both companies dates back to the late 1990s, when Clep worked as a technician for Washington Alarm founder Jack Woodman. While working there, Clep was accepted to a prestigious programming school, and the company encouraged him to take advantage of the opportunity to attend.

“It was a great opportunity for him, and my dad and the plant manager said we love you, but you have to take advantage of this opportunity because this is a great opportunity for you and you have to go for it,” Woodman said. “Even though we didn’t want him to go, we knew it was the right decision for him.”

Woodman said she was “extremely fortunate” that Klepps was part of the Washington Alarm family, and also that the Cleps family had completed their journey full circle.

“They want to make sure everything works out,” Woodman said. “It’s a nice partnership to have, even though they don’t really work for us, but they’re there and they’re willing to make sure everything works out for both parties and all the clients. They’re just very committed to making sure everything is done right.”