Cook Boardman Acquires Advantech

The Cook & Boardman Group LLC (C&B), a specialty distributor of commercial door entry solutions and systems integration services has announced the acquisition of Dover, DE-based Advantech Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1990 by Eric Schaeffer and three partners, Advantech is a full-service security integration company serving a wide range of educational, governmental, commercial and healthcare customers in southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and the Washington D.C. metro area. The company specializes in large facility security, fire and life safety systems, access control, video surveillance, intrusion protection, emergency communication and identity management solutions.

Under terms of the agreement, the company will continue to operate under the Advantech name as a division of A3 Communications, which was acquired by Cook & Boardman in April 2019, and is one of the nation’s fastest growing systems integration companies. Advantech CEO Dave Sweeney will continue to lead the organization after the acquisition.

“Advantech is highly regarded for their technical expertise and excellent customer service and we are thrilled to have them join our organization,” said Brian Thomas, president of A3 Communications. “Our companies’ common values and similar cultures will allow us to accelerate our growth in this critical market.”

“We are excited to welcome Advantech to the Cook & Boardman family of companies,” said Darrin Anderson, CEO of C&B, “and we look forward to providing their employees with additional resources and expanded opportunities. The combination of Advantech and A3 will strengthen our customer value proposition by arming us with a complete systems integration solution throughout our extensive network of branches in the Mid-Atlantic region.”

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