Sciens Building Solutions

Life Safety Systems Not Only Protect Buildings; They Save Lives

Central Florida is filled with commercial buildings, high-rise residential towers, and prestigious colleges and universities. We have all enjoyed an afternoon of shopping at one of our premier malls; a fun-filled day at a world-class theme park with the family; the excitement of watching a shuttle launch into the sky from nearby Kennedy Space Center. But did you ever wonder how those structures – and the people occupying them – stay safe? Imagine a fire breaks out, people need to evacuate, and the fire department needs alerted as soon as possible. Picture a premise that is not secure and requires immediate protection. What if a fire needs to be extinguished to protect high value assets? Enter Sciens Building Solutions.

From the smallest elementary school to the tallest skyscraper, Sciens designs comprehensive integrated systems to keep facilities safe and secure. The company was founded in San Francisco in 2016 with the mission of serving business and protecting lives. Its invest and grow approach means that Sciens seeks quality companies to comprise its national presence, a method that has enabled it to become one of the largest independent life safety companies in the country.

Sciens’ Florida presence is what kick-started the company with its first acquisition of WSA Systems in Boca Raton. Now located in Pompano Beach, WSA had a great reputation of designing, installing, and providing maintenance service for fire detection and clean agent fire suppression systems in a variety of commercial, institutional, and government facilities – all of which aligned with the Sciens vision. Sciens businesses offer all of the above, as well as addressable fire alarm and voice systems, smoke control, building integration, emergency communication systems, and a full suite of security solutions, including CCTV, access control, and operations control centers. They perform critical life-saving work for world-famous Silicon Valley tech companies, military bases for several branches, the exciting motorsports industry, and bustling airports – two of which include Daytona Beach International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International.

Shortly after WSA came additional Florida locations in Jacksonville, Miami, and St. Petersburg. Sciens acquired Mt. Dora-based SmartWatch Security & Sound in 2019 and Longwood’s LV Solutions in

2022, its sixth and thirteenth additions, respectively. The two local companies were successful in their own right –providing highly sophisticated security systems to some of our area’s premier entertainment complexes and hotels, as well integrated systems for several other high profile commercial clients. These two locations recently merged and moved into a 20,000 SF office near downtown Orlando.

With now eight Florida locations and nearly 1,200 employees nationwide – 70 of which are based in Orlando – Sciens has proven to be a trusted provider of all things fire and life safety in the Sunshine State. The company is up to 21 locations across the country, including California, New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey, with a current focus on even more growth to take the important work they do to other parts of the country. While this strategy obviously focuses on adding companies that also have an emphasis on life safety, there’s an equally important common thread they’re in search of: similar values and culture. Sciens believes in an employee-first philosophy, so it’s imperative that the companies they add to their portfolio have the same mindset.

Once a company has become part of the Sciens portfolio, the goal is to allow them to continue business as usual for the most part. There is no massive change, no significant cost-cutting, and no process overhaul. The idea is to find ways to invest in things like resources, programs, and ideas that will accelerate growth and take the business to the next level.

Sciens is also proud of the fact that much of their leadership team has decades of combined industry experience, something that is attractive to owners thinking about joining the Sciens portfolio of companies. Having knowledge of the business certainly helps build trust and rapport, and owners feel comfortable that the Sciens team has the expertise to help grow their business in the best way possible. Majority of previous owners stay active in the business but get to relax a little bit more, while Sciens takes on some of the heavy lifting, and shift their focus back to the passion that fueled them to start their company in the first place.

The company is also committed to supporting the fire-life safety industry by helping organizations develop new codes required to keep buildings and their occupants safe. Sciens is active with organizations such as American Fire Sprinkler Association (AFSA), California Automatic Fire Alarm Association (CAFA), and the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), along with other associations spearheading the highest fire safety standards possible.

As Sciens grows, so does their commitment to enabling employees to do the same. There is significant encouragement for people to grow their life safety careers within the company and so promoting from within is a standard practice.

Looking to kickstart your career in this exciting life-saving industry? Check our our job openings at: sciensbuildingsolutions.com/careers

Interested in growing your company with Sciens? Contact: Troy Conners, Vice President of Business Development tconners@sciensbuildingsolutions.com 248.466.1899