Founding Story

“I founded CGL Electronic Security, in March of 1998, with Jim Gallagher and Brendan Cavanaugh under the premise of delivering exceptional service to our customers. In the early days, I sold systems during the day and helped install them in the evening. A very early and particularly memorable installation was a large turnstile project on a prominent university campus. Collectively, we worked night and day delivering exceptional service and complicated integrated systems for several high-profile customers. I defined a service area within one hour of our office, executed a targeted sales plan to build our customer base, and ensured we could reach any customer within a two-hour response time.

After twenty-eight years in business, my most rewarding experience has been the growth of our employees and watching the relationships built with our customers has become a force-multiplier allowing significant growth in the business.”

– Ron Ludvigsen, Founder

“I began my career in the Electronic Security Industry in 1981 with Holmes Electronic Protection Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Over the years, I worked in various aspects of the business: Service and Installation Technician, Central Station Manager, Liaison for Central Station Automation, Account Manager, VP of Sales, and ultimately Owner. It was the encouragement of my customers that ultimately inspired me to take the leap and start my own business.  

After successfully building and operating an Electronic Security Integration Company for 20 years in Pittsburgh, Ron Ludvigsen and I decided to launch CGL Technologies of PA in 2021. Ron and I developed mutual respect through our work together in the Security Net Partnership, which established the foundation for our shared vision as entrepreneurs and leaders in our industry. We value our customers, employees, and business partners. That commitment has led to our ultimate success. I was very fortunate to benefit from the CGL Electronic Security model and business practices, blending them with my own experiences to create the foundation for a very successful launch of CGL Technologies of PA.” 

– Chris Wetzel, Founder

Why Cobalt

“I chose Cobalt Service Partners as the heir to my legacy because their values and philosophy aligned seamlessly with ours. Cobalt was clear that the employees were the most important part of the transaction, and their primary focus is growing the business, not implementing "efficiencies" at the cost of the culture and identity. I interviewed several of Cobalt's previous acquisitions before making our final choice, and they each reiterated that things remained business as usual with the focus being growth. Cobalt's leadership team has been true to their word from our very first conversations through the entire transaction process. I believe Cobalt's approach is revolutionary for security integrators in the M&A market.”

– Ron Ludvigsen, Founder