Pye-Barker Fire & Safety has appointed Peter Robbins as president of commercial services, a newly created role in which he will oversee the company’s acquisition activities, growth initiatives and commercial strategy.

Robbins joins Pye-Barker from Baird, where he served as managing director in the firm’s Global Technology and Services Investment Banking Group. In that position, he jointly led coverage of Facility, Industrial, Residential & Environmental (FIRE) services. During his career, Robbins advised on dozens of transactions across the fire and life safety sector.

Robbins is also a longtime advocate of Ownership Works, the nonprofit organization that partnered with Pye-Barker to create its ALL In ownership program, which provides employees with the opportunity to build wealth at work.

In his new role, Robbins will report to CEO Bart Proctor and will help guide the company’s strategy and growth initiatives. He will also oversee how Pye-Barker evaluates, integrates and grows acquired businesses, an approach the company said it has applied across more than 200 acquisitions.

“Pye-Barker is one of the few companies I’ve seen scale this quickly without losing what made it worth scaling in the first place,” Robbins said. “The operational rigor, the culture, the ownership — what this team has built is truly special, and I look forward to being part of its continued growth.”

“Peter has sat across the table from us, from our competitors, and from dozens of the businesses we’ve acquired,” Proctor said. “He understands this industry as well as anyone, but it was his commitment to the people that make this company great that truly stood out to me. Our growth, while rapid, is also very intentional. Peter’s growth philosophy matches ours perfectly, and I look forward to seeing what we accomplish together.”