London Ont. largest solution provdier Protek Corp. has been acquired by the Ottawa-based managed services provider The Utility Co., under its TUC Brands name.
Protek has been one of southern Ontario’s best known managed services provider and IT resellers. Protek has been a staple of the Ingram Micro Canada VentureTech Network and the CDN Top 100 Solution Provider list.
Since 1983, Protek has been servicing the growing Tech Triangle region and has earned more than $10 million in annual revenue.
The Protek acquisition continues TUC’s strategy of acquiring best-in-class MSPs that are well established and regarded in key markets in Canada and the U.S. The company recently acquired Nitro Microsystems of Ottawa, another top MSP and Top 100 member. Protek’s customers will be getting expanded helpdesk hours and capabilities from The Utility Co. along with virtualization, networking and security expertise.
Mark Scott, CEO of TUC Brands, said he is very excited to add such a quality organization to the TUC fold. TUC is also looking to grow its presence in southwestern Ontario, which is one of the key markets in Canada, by acquiring a strong regional MSP and its team.
For Protek, the acquisition brings TUC a large customer, revenue and employee base, along with a strong technical bench with key vendor relationships and certifications. Protek’s core business is delivering managed IT solutions to small and medium-sized businesses primarily in London, but also in neighboring cities from Windsor to Kitchener-Waterloo. In addition to managed IT and professional services, a key offering for TUC is Protek’s Managed Print program.
TUC has appointed Elizabeth Walpole as President for the London region to work with the Protek team, including initially heading up integration.
Harvey Schilke, CEO of Protek, said about a year ago we were approached by an M&A advisory firm who introduced us to two US-based IT firms interested in expanding to Canada. In addition to these firms, we were introduced to TUC in March 2012 expressing an interest to expand to SW Ontario. After considerable dialogue with all parties, concluded that TUC would be the best option for our clients and employees. We needed to join forces with an organization with national reach and a proven ‘next-generation’ remote managed services operating model to help our customers and employees grow into the future.
“After we evaluated several potential acquirers, TUC became the obvious choice the further we engaged with them and began to work with their leadership team. We are very excited about the prospects for our business and expansion ahead!”
