Valley Fire Protection Systems, LLC's origin dates back to the early 1970's when Valley Automatic Sprinklers, Inc. was organized by Mel Ihrke in Elgin, IL.  Mr. Ihrke was a talented sprinkler fitter who operated the business very well, focusing on serving the fire protection needs of businesses located in the Fox Valley area of Chicago's Western Suburbs.  In 1978, Mel was approached by a group of managers from K & S Sprinklers and invited to become part of the K & S group of sprinkler companies.  K & S was one of the oldest and most respected fire sprinkler contractors in the State, with operations dating back to 1929.  The new Valley thrived in Elgin and in the mid 1980's the business was relocated to West Chicago.

The company remained in West Chicago for most of the 1990's and took full advantage of the rapidly growing East-West corridor along Interstate 88.  In 1995, ownership in Valley was transferred to Barbara Hartel as part of an estate settlement relating to her deceased husband, Frank Hartel, who was 50% owner in the K & S group.  At this time Thomas and Daniel Hartel, along with John Flynn took over the day-to-day management of the Company.

In June of 1998, as a result of the continued success of the business, the Company relocated to a modern 11,000 square foot facility at 1201 N. Raddant Rd. in Batavia, IL. In April of 2001, in an effort to better diversify her finances, Mrs. Hartel sold the Company to a group of several investors, including Thomas and Daniel Hartel, John Flynn and other respected area business leaders.  Since 2001, the Company has continued to grow and has now become one of the 5 largest sprinkler contractors in Chicagoland.  During the past three years, Valley has expanded its service area to include all of Illinois and parts of Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, and South Texas.  Valley has a long list of clients ranging from large, multi-national corporations to small sole proprietorships.  In addition, many architects, consultants, developers, general contractors, insurance agents, and real estate management companies require the services that we provide.  In January of 2003, the Company relocated to a 32,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility at 101 N. Raddant Road, in Batavia, IL.  Click here for a map and directions to our office.