West to Acquire SchoolMessenger

West, a provider of technology-driven communication services, has entered into an agreement to acquire Reliance Holding (SchoolMessenger), a provider of notification and mobile communication solutions for the K-12 education market. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Thousands of public and private school districts in all 50 states depend on SchoolMessenger's solutions to connect and effectively communicate with millions of parents, students, and staff every day. SchoolMessenger was founded in 1999.

Once the deal closes later this year, SchoolMessenger will become part of West's unified communications business segment.

"We are excited to add SchoolMessenger to West's strong portfolio of alerts and notifications solutions," said Todd Strubbe, president of West's unified communications operating segment, in a statement. "We know that domain expertise, platform performance and customer service are the three critical requirements for delivering a world-class messaging and notifications service. SchoolMessenger has demonstrated outstanding capability on all three dimensions. We look forward to sustaining this excellence and helping drive even greater innovation."

"A focus on serving our customers has shaped the SchoolMessenger culture since day one. We are pleased to be joining such a widely respected communications industry leader that shares our commitment to customers," said Ron Davies, executive chairman of SchoolMessenger, in a statement. "As part of West, we will have access to additional resources and expertise that will further fuel our growth and reputation as the recognized communications leader in K-12."

Closing of this transaction is expected to occur during the second quarter of 2014. SchoolMessenger had revenue of approximately $27 million in 2013.