Stephen Brooks and Charles Neal founded Brooks Equipment Corporation in San Francisco.
Timeline
A legacy to be proud of with a future worth building
1941
Brooks is the largest wholesaler of fire extinguishers and kitchen system service parts in the US. They are headquartered in Charlotte, NC, and have 16 distribution centers across the US. The first Brooks catalog was printed in the early 1960s and is now known as the gold standard in parts supply.
1970
Brooks moved its headquarters to Charlotte, NC and grew nationwide as it expanded its Suppression product offering.
1998
Behrman Capital acquired Brooks Equipment Company.
2000
Behrman Capital formed the umbrella company BHC (BECO Holding Company) and the back-office structure of ISS (Integrated Support Services) to set the company up to grow. ISS represented Distribution, Engineering, Finance, HR, IT, Merchandising, and Purchasing.
Formed the umbrella company BHC (BECO Holding Company) and the back-office structure of ISS (Integrated Support Services) to set the company up to grow. ISS represented Distribution, Engineering, Finance HR, IT, Merchandising, and Purchasing.
2001
Logistics Supply was launched to provide fire and safety products to independent industrial distributors. Logistics shares distribution centers in 6 cities and sells to more than 40 market channels in the industrial and safety sectors.
2004
BHC created Fire Protection Cares as its charitable arm to support worthwhile, community-focused organizations.
2007
BHC acquired Heiser Logistics located in Canandaigua, NY. They share distribution centers in 14 cities and are known for being the only wholesale distributor with their own private label kitchen system called ProTex II.
2010
Freeman Spogli acquired BHC.
Expanded ISS for growing functional needs in both Business Development and Strategic Sourcing.
2011
BHC expanded its Private Label offerings with its FireTech™ brand of suppression products.
2014
Behrman Capital acquired BHC for the second time.
2016
Brooks developed a Fire Alarm division.
2017
BHC acquired L&J Fire Equipment out of Ocala, FL.
BHC acquired Commercial Fire launching BHC into the National Account space. Commercial Fire is located in Jacksonville, FL, and is the US’s premier National Account company. Commercial Fire work is done by a select group of Fire Equipment Distributors they refer to as Affiliates.
2018
BHC founded the FED Learning Center to provide needed training to the FED community.
2020
Acquired Water Specialties Company out of New Hampshire.
Brooks created an industry-specific COVID-19 micro-site, published daily and then weekly video business updates to give independent Fire Equipment Distributors the information and resources they needed to preserve their businesses.
2021
BHC acquired SEC USA, formally known as Security Engineering, out of Clemmons, NC.
HIG Capital acquired BHC.
Brooks celebrated their 80th anniversary in the Fire and Life Safety industry.
2023
BHC acquired ESC Supply and ESC Central, which allowed BHC the opportunity to continue to grow its Low Voltage product offerings and expand into alarm monitoring services.
BHC acquired the Grease Lock® brand. Grease Lock® is a labor-saving sustainable solution to grease accumulation in commercial kitchen operations.
2024
BHC combined SEC USA with ESC Supply to strengthen its Low Voltage presence.
2025
BHC became Brooks Safety Solutions (BSS). Brooks Safety Solutions honors the BHC legacy while signaling its commitment to being more than just a vendor or wholesale partner. With a commitment to service excellence and a focus on technology development, BSS is poised for continued growth and success in the future.