Houlihan Lokey Advises Beacon Communications

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Beacon Communications (Beacon) has been acquired by Kelso & Company (Kelso) and ARA Services Partners (ARA). The transaction closed on April 2, 2026.

Beacon is a leading low-voltage systems integrator, with operations across the West, Midwest, and Rocky Mountain regions. The company provides critical communications, security, and fire and life safety solutions to healthcare, education, government, and commercial customers. Beacon has developed a fully integrated solution that includes a presence across the entire value chain from design, installation, managed services, and break-fix support. Through its full-service solution, Beacon can ensure organizations’ critical communication systems stay connected, resulting in increased safety, reduced operational costs, and improved customer loyalty and overall satisfaction.

Based in New York, Kelso is a North America-focused middle-market private equity firm founded in 1971. The firm focuses on leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, and growth capital transactions across a variety of sectors, including industrials, financial services, and healthcare. Since its inception, Kelso has raised a total of 11 private equity funds, representing approximately $16 billion of capital, and has made more than 140 investments.

ARA is a strategic private equity firm that invests in professional services platforms, typically partnering with founder- or family-owned businesses, providing not just capital but operational support, M&A execution, and strategic guidance. The firm focuses on a broad set of service verticals, including infrastructure services, environmental services, facility services, technical services, and residential/escalating specialty contracting.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Beacon, assisted in initiating and negotiating the transaction on its behalf, and ran a lender education process to support the sale. This transaction highlights Houlihan Lokey’s expertise and continued success in advising high-growth businesses within the low-voltage security, safety, and technical services integration sector.

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