Vanguard Specialties
Key Resources
The Ansul Roots
The Ansul Company has a history dating to 1912. It was in 1939, however, when they expanded their chemical company to include dry chemical fire protection equipment—and thus, their entry into fire protection. In 1940 they began a fire training school to teach employees how to use a fire extinguisher.
Almost a decade later, the school began to train customers—and over the next 40 years the school trained over 40,000 firefighters nationwide. In the mid-1950’s the Ansul Company used an internal sales force to sell fire protection equipment. Rapid growth lead to the creation of Ansul distributors, and one of the very first was Vanguard—then known as Vanguard Fire & Supply.
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Vanguard Fire & Security Systems, Inc. was founded in 1957 when the Ansul Company created a distributorship business model to expand their fire protection reach. Bill Richter, a former Ansul salesperson, launched Vanguard to service the needs of his previous Ansul customer base, and began to add more fire protection services over time.
Vanguard has grown over the years through the acquisition of other companies and through adding professional staff with expertise in many areas—expanding the company services offering to include fire extinguishers, restaurant systems, special hazards, sprinkler systems, CCTV, door access, security, staff safety training, and much more. Acquisitions included Fire Fighter Sales and Service in 1964, Kalamazoo Fire Equipment in 1970, Miller Fire Equipment in 1978, and Millbrook Electronics in 1980.
In the late 1980’s and the early 1990’s Vanguard growth included entry into new areas by adding staff expertise and product lines that included security systems, fire alarms, and sprinkler systems. Current President and Owner, Darrell Thomas, has a history with Vanguard that dates to 1968, and has included everything from installations, to service work, to sales, and eventual ownership of the company in 1990. In recent years Darrell has focused his duties primarily on the Strategic Planning and Long-Term Growth strategies for the company.
The history of Vanguard would not be complete without mentioning the most valued contribution to Vanguard growth—our Customers. Of the thousands of Vanguard customers, many have been experiencing the Vanguard commitment to service and integrity for decades and we have them to thank for our long and prosperous history.  Today, with over 100 employees, and a fleet of over 50 Vanguard vehicles, the company operates from five strategic offices and is a full-service provider of fire protection and security systems. The company provides system design services, equipment sales, installation, inspection, and servicing of fire protection and security systems for a wide variety of industrial, commercial, and petroleum customers nationwide.
Looking forward, Vanguard is eager for the next 50 years, and the exciting opportunities they will bring. For your convenience we have prepared an Adobe PDF
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