Mission Statement

To provide our customers with the highest level of service available; through our commitment to customer satisfaction, quality products, teamwork, employee education and our constant attention to detail. We will govern our every action with the best interest of our customers, employees and suppliers in mind.

Company History

Approved Fire Protection Company was established in 1929 by a local fire fighter who recharged and serviced fire extinguishers out of his basement. This was a very successful small business - adding extra income for him and other family members as well. The business really took off in the 40's and 50's when Jon Thompson became involved. Jon, a son-in-law of the owner and an entrepreneur, operated a couple of other businesses before taking over at Approved Fire. In the 40's, Jon added engineered fire suppression systems to the foray of other products and services Approved Fire offered at the time. In these early days, Approved Fire Protection was the only company outside of the Detroit area to design, install and service engineered systems, winning several awards from automotive companies, cereal companies and several "Dealer of the Year" awards from our suppliers. Next, fire alarm systems and monitoring was added to the product line-up.

In 1987 John Lewandowski came to work at Approved Fire as Operations Manager, and bought the company in 1990. We have grown to a large fire protection company with offices in Kalamazoo and Holland with many of the original employees, such as Doug Ford who started at Approved Fire in 1961. We can honestly say we have the most experienced people in the business. We offer to our customers many product lines we have worked with for fifty years, products we know inside and out, and products we can rely on.

Since 1990 our growth has been phenomenal. We have added our own engineering department, headed by William Anderson (who has 25 years experience in fire protection design). We have added many new licensed technicians, and have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in new equipment. Our attention to detail, our commitment to quality, our expertise, and the way we take care of our customers have not gone unnoticed. We are known throughout the Midwest and much of the nation as a first class fire protection contractor.