LEHR Expands Into Ohio With Acquisitions of Hall Public Safety and Parr Public Safety Equipment

Source: PR Newswire ↗

Ohio public-safety agencies now have a single upfitter covering all regions of the state: LEHR, the emergency vehicle upfitter headquartered in Orange County, California, has acquired Hall Public Safety of northern Ohio and Parr Public Safety Equipment, which operates across western and southern Ohio, pushing LEHR’s total location count to more than 45 nationwide.

Hall Public Safety, founded more than 25 years ago and operating out of Twinsburg and Alliance, Ohio, built its business around mobile upfitting. Roughly 80% of its upfits are completed by mobile units that travel directly to customer facilities, a model that keeps vehicles out of a fixed shop queue and first responders in service longer. The company counts many of the region’s largest law enforcement agencies among its customers.

“As we execute our strategy to expand in large, growing markets and broaden the capabilities we offer customers, we’re excited to welcome two regional leaders that establish LEHR as the market leader in Ohio,” said Daniel Hamm, CEO of LEHR. “Hall adds a differentiated mobile upfitting model, while Parr marks our entry into the large and growing tactical gear market. We see significant potential to expand these capabilities across our nationwide network and deliver even greater value to the agencies we serve.”

Parr Public Safety Equipment brings nearly 50 years of experience and three fixed facilities in Galloway, Bucyrus and Cincinnati. Its customer list includes the Ohio Department of Public Safety and the Ohio Department of Transportation, along with law enforcement agencies throughout the state. Parr provides vehicle upfitting, emergency lighting and safety equipment to police, fire, transportation, security and utility customers.

Beyond upfitting, Parr has built a tactical equipment business that covers uniforms, body armor, drone-unit vehicle upfitting and other mission-critical public safety gear. LEHR said it plans to extend that tactical product line across its nationwide network.

“We’ve spent decades building trusted relationships with public safety agencies across Ohio while expanding into tactical gear, uniforms and other mission-critical equipment,” said Tom Parr, President of Parr Public Safety Equipment. “Joining LEHR gives us the opportunity to bring those capabilities to first responders across the country.”

Jason Hall, founder of Hall Public Safety, will continue to lead that company. Tom Parr will remain with Parr Public Safety in a consulting capacity.

“The addition of Hall and Parr significantly strengthens our presence in the Midwest and creates a natural connection with our nearby operations in Kentucky,” said Mike Bertino, Chief Operating Officer of LEHR. “By sharing resources, expertise and capacity across the region, our teams can operate more efficiently and provide even stronger service to customers.”

Both acquisitions advance the platform-building strategy LEHR is pursuing under its private equity backer, Broadwing Capital, a Dallas-based firm whose team has raised more than $500 million of regulatory assets under management and completed more than 20 transactions since 2022. “LEHR continues to exceed expectations, and we continue to be impressed with this team,” said Eliot Kerlin, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Broadwing Capital. “Together, these acquisitions demonstrate how LEHR is combining strong local businesses with the resources and reach of a national organization.”