Santa Ana-based security firm Universal Protection Service acquired San Diego-based Heritage Security Services on undisclosed terms.
Universal Protection is the security arm of Universal Services of America Inc., which also has a building-maintenance division. Universal Services of America was founded in 1965 as a janitorial company. Its janitorial business was sold in 1989.
Universal Services was ranked No. 60 on last year’s Business Journal list of fastest-growing private companies in Orange County.
The company had about $329.9 million in revenue for the year ended June 30, up about 46% over two years. It has more than 1,700 local workers and 11,000 companywide.
Heritage Security—which has five Southern California offices, including one in Orange—offers services to construction sites, government facilities, universities and retail centers. The company started work at John Wayne Airport in February, with 16 security officers assigned to monitor vehicle gates. Guards use Heritage’s patented CyCop, a management tool that taps into GPS-enabled smart phones and provides electronic tracking and voice recognition.
“This acquisition … further enhances our technology capabilities,” said Steve Jones, co-chief executive and chief operating officer of Universal Services of America.
—Jane Yu
