LEHR, the nation’s leading emergency vehicle upfitter, announced the acquisition of 911 Custom, a leading upfitter and distributor serving law enforcement agencies across Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Iowa. The deal extends LEHR’s national platform into a high-growth Midwest market. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Olathe, Kansas, 911 Custom has grown from a garage startup into a 25,000-square-foot operation serving customers including the Missouri Highway Patrol, Kansas Highway Patrol, and Nebraska State Patrol. The company’s reputation is built around its proprietary Secure Design command cabinets and weapon lockers. Founder Jarod Busch will remain engaged with the business in a consulting capacity, while day-to-day operations will be led by current General Manager Kevin Beck, who has nearly 25 years of industry experience and has been with 911 Custom since 2012. Beck and the 911 Custom team will report to Scott Coffman, LEHR’s Vice President of Central Operations, who previously worked at McKinsey & Company, ExxonMobil, and the United States Marine Corps.
The acquisition advances LEHR’s platform-building strategy under Broadwing Capital, which has focused on consolidating regional upfitters into a single national operator. LEHR, headquartered in Orange County, California, operates more than 40 locations nationwide providing turnkey upfitting services for police, emergency, utility, security, and other government vehicles.
KEY QUOTES:
“As we continue to build the nation’s premier emergency vehicle upfitting platform and focus on geographic expansion, we’re thrilled to welcome 911 Custom into the LEHR family. Jarod and his team have built an exceptional reputation across the Midwest through outstanding service, technical expertise, and long-standing relationships with law enforcement agencies.”
Daniel Hamm, CEO, LEHR
“We’ve spent 15 years building something we’re incredibly proud of in the Midwest, and this felt like the natural next step to take the company to the next level. Joining forces with LEHR opens doors for both our customers and our team that simply weren’t available to us before.”
Jarod Busch, Founder, 911 Custom
“911 Custom is precisely the kind of business we look for as LEHR builds out its platform: a trusted regional leader with a team that shares LEHR’s commitment to quality. The Midwest is an important growth region for LEHR, and this acquisition reflects our continued conviction in bringing together the best regional operators under a single national platform.”
Eliot Kerlin, Managing Partner, Broadwing Capital
