ALMOST A CENTURY OF EXPERIENCE!

New York Merchants Protective was founded in 1910 by Hyman Glass. His career began at sixteen, when he was hired to work as a bouncer in one of the many saloons gracing the Lower East Side of New York City at that time. As his reputation grew, other merchants requested that he watch over their businesses as he walked to and from his job each night, an idea that gradually expanded to become a professional night patrol. As his business blossomed, Glass hired men to cover other areas, ultimately serving most of Manhattan.

By 1920, the company had expanded to include the installation and maintenance of burglar alarm systems, and the business evolved into a certified central station office with four locations within the garment and fur districts. In the early days, phone lines were run across tenement roof tops. Legends of cut wires and other types of sabotage have been immortalized by old timers in the industry!

By the mid 1920s, New York Merchants Protective ran one of the largest private detective agencies in New York City from the second floor of what is now the R.H. Macy building. When depression struck in 1929, Glass had to move quickly to stop his company from going the way of so many others, making a deal with the Holmes Protection Company. Glass sold the central portion of his alarm business to Holmes in exchange for their night patrol customers, while retaining local alarm customers.

In the 1930’s, things took a dramatic turn when members of Murder Inc. threatened Glass in an effort to take over his territories with their own brand of protection. A contract was actually issued on Glass’s life! Fortunately, he held on to it—and his business.

The night patrol was straightforward. Each business paid a monthly fee for a patrolman to visit their location each evening. Many stores didn’t have protective gates, and patrolmen frequently reported broken windows, lights left on, keys left in doors and even burglaries in progress.

After the Second World War, burglars—and burglaries—grew more sophisticated, and alarm systems became, of necessity, ubiquitous. Break-ins through walls and ceilings defied detection by patrols. By the 1960’s, night patrols had been phased out and New York Merchants Protective became solely an alarm company. Limited products were available, but New York Merchants Protective was noted for the development and manufacture of alarm and test equipment. New York Merchants Protective was one of the first manufacturers to introduce rechargeable power supply to the security industry.

In the 1950’s, Allen, Irwin and Larry Glass took over the family business. Hyman died in the late 1950’s, and his wife, Sarah, continued his directorship. With no prior business experience, she made a seamless transition from homemaker to businesswoman as her sons eased into roles in outside sales, collection and purchasing as well as service and installation. New York Merchants Protective reentered the central station business, and the company entered a period of rapid growth.

In response to the increase in crime in the 1980s, new, more sophisticated types of protection were invented and incorporated by New York Merchants Protective to provide the best possible protection and service. At the same time, it was realized that it would be necessary for the company to develop an alliance with an even more diversified and technically advanced company.

In December, 1988, New York Merchants Protective and Way-Mar Central Station Alarms became one. Way-Mar, a UL listed central station company, enjoyed a reputation for quality service, innovation, and customer satisfaction—qualities long a trademark of New York Merchants Protective.

Starting in 1989 New York Merchants Protective embarked on an expansion plan base on the acquisitions of several smaller companies in the electronic security industry. These acquisitions would be geared to bring greater size, depth and talent to the company and would ultimately allow New York Merchants Protective to gain dominance in the electronic security industry.

1989

January - Vanguard Alarm Response formed to service the growing demand for armed security response to alarm conditions at subscriber locations.

September – Thunderbolt Security Services Co, Queens, NY is acquired and merged into Vanguard Alarm Response division.

1998

July – Security Associates Inc., Plainview, NY is acquired. The company brings a large portfolio of accounts all under the AT&T brand.

2000

June – Afarrow Burglar Alarm Inc. – Wholesale monitoring division, Bronx, NY is acquired. The acquisition adds greater depth NYMP existing wholesale monitoring division.

December – Axess Security, Queens, NY is acquired.

2001

October -  R & C Alarms, Queens, NY is acquired.

December – Melro Electronic Devices, Inc., Valley Stream, NY divests a large portion of its subscriber portfolio to NYMP.

2002

January – Professional Security Systems Inc., Valley Stream, NY is acquired.

March – World Wide Security Systems, American Security Technologies, Inc., Garden City, NY sells a large portion of its subscribers to NYMP.

June – Royal Burglar & Fire Alarms Inc., Floral Park, NY is acquired.

September – Command Security Systems, Long Beach, NY is acquired.

October – RCA Security Systems, New York, NY is acquired.

November – Afarrow Burglar Alarms Inc., Bronx, NY NYMP acquires the retail subscribers of the company.

2003

February – A-Expert Security Systems, Queens, NY NYMP acquires a portion of the company’s accounts.

March – Best Deal Security Systems, Staten Island, NY NYMP acquires the subscribers from the company.
           
MAY – NYMP debuts on the SDM (Security Dealer Magazine) Top 100 Security Companies in the United States at # 65.

November – Nationwide Digital Inc., a national wholesale monitoring company, Brooklyn, NY is acquired adding 35,000 commercial & residential monitoring accounts belonging to alarm companies in 35 states.

December – Atlas Security Systems, Massapequa, NY is acquired.

2005

April – Electronic Burglar Alarm, New York, NY is acquired.

2006

May – New York Merchants Protective moves to # 55 on the SDM Top 100 security companies in the United States.

October – SeniorCARE911,LLC. formed to expand on the company’s presence in the Nations' Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) business.

2007

May – New York Merchants Protective Co., Inc., skyrockets up to #37 on the SDM Top 100 security companies in the United States.

July - New York Merchants Protective Co. acquires the account of
District Central Station Alarm Corp.

2008

January - New York Merchants Protective Co. acquires A & P Security Systems. Merger will expand NYMPC’s services throughout the New York Region.

May - NationWide Digital Monitoring Co. Partners with Smith & Wesson To Deliver Innovative Security Services Program across the United States and Canada.

May - NYMPC ranked 33rd among all U.S. security dealers. New York Merchants Protective Co. continues to climb rankings on SDM’s Top 100 Security Companies in the United States.

Today New York Merchants Protective Co., Inc. continues its commitment to subscriber's security and technology as it continues to grow.