Toronto, Ontario – FirstOnSite announced today that it has acquired Rosco Enterprises of Dorval, Quebec, the largest emergency response and restoration business in Quebec.
The acquisition is part of FirstOnSite’s strategy of building Canada’s leading national provider of disaster restoration services. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed.
Since early 2007 FirstOnSite has also acquired operations across Ontario and in British Columbia, Manitoba and Nova Scotia. Including the newly acquired Rosco operations, FirstOnSite has more than $140 million in annual revenue and more than 700 direct employees in 24 cities and towns across Canada. FirstOnSite anticipates additional acquisitions as it continues to grow nationwide.
“Considering that Quebec is Canada’s largest province by area and second largest by population, the acquisition of Rosco is especially important for our national growth strategy,” said Lyle Kerr, FirstOnSite’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Rosco also improves our ability to serve all of our customers as a one-stop shop because Rosco adds a special expertise in freeze dry document restoration, in which water-damaged documents, books and other valuable paper products are restored as closely as possible to their original state.”
Added Barry Ross, Rosco’s President, “By joining with FirstOnSite, Rosco now has the support of Canada’s strongest, and only national, emergency response and restoration business. Our new ability to share resources and best practices with our colleagues across Canada, combined with our longstanding commitment to quality, service and the highest business standards, will be of great benefit to our customers as we move forward.”
The current Rosco management team will continue to manage the day-to-day disaster restoration business in Quebec and will drive both organic and acquisition growth in the province and in parts of eastern Ontario. In addition, the current Rosco management team will become significant shareholders of FirstOnSite and an integral part of the new FirstOnSite national management team.
On July 18, 2007 FirstOnSite announced the acquisition of Timmins-based Airkem Disaster Kleenup, a leading emergency response and restoration company serving northern Ontario. On August 2, 2007, FirstOnSite announced the acquisition of Première Restoration Services of Winnipeg, Manitoba and K.B. Clarke Disaster Kleenup of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
FirstOnSite is a full service restoration provider with expertise in water losses, wind damage, fire and smoke damage, sewer backup, hurricane and tornado restorations, odour control, contents handling, drying, electronic repairs, mould remediation, asbestos remediation, petroleum spills, infection control and general contracting. FirstOnSite is majority-owned by TorQuest Partners Inc. of Toronto and is the largest member of Disaster Kleenup Canada, the leading network of independently-owned restoration contractors in Canada.