Add-on Acquisitions in 2020

Learning Care Group, a portfolio company of private equity firm American Securities LLC, has acquired U-GRO Learning Centres, a 14-school early childhood education operator in Central Pennsylvania. The transaction closed December 31, 2020 and expands Learning Care Group's footprint in Pennsylvania by adding U-GRO's ~1,900-student network to its portfolio of preschool brands.

Accel-KKR purchased OrthoBanc and will combine it with OrthoFi (a platform in which Accel-KKR previously invested) to create an integrated orthodontic patient acquisition and payment management provider operating as OrthoFi. The combined business will pair OrthoFi's patient acquisition and insurance management software with OrthoBanc's payment and revenue cycle management capabilities to serve orthodontic and dental practices across the U.S.

Lithko Contracting, together with equity partners The Pritzker Organization and DNS Capital, acquired the assets of Capitol Concrete Contractors, Inc. on December 31, 2020. The asset purchase expands Lithko’s presence in the Austin / Central Texas market; Capitol is a regional concrete contractor with over 300 coworkers specializing in foundations, tilt-walls, slabs and site work.

Fluid Power Holdings, Inc. (FPH), a portfolio company of JMH Capital Partners, has acquired Wilco Supply, LLC, a Houston-based independent distributor of hydraulic and industrial hoses, fittings, and fabrication services. The acquisition expands FPH’s geographic presence in the Houston market and broadens its product, service and technical capabilities to better serve industrial customers.

Walter Surface Technologies, a portfolio company backed by ONCAP, has acquired Drillco and Triumph Twist Drill to expand its cutting-tool and drilling solutions offering. CriticalPoint acted as buy-side advisor to Walter and sourced the opportunity.

iNRCORE, an affiliate of The Jordan Company’s Resolute Fund IV, has acquired Gowanda Components Group from Addison Capital Partners. The deal combines iNRCORE and Gowanda to create a global magnetics platform, expanding product capabilities across communications, aerospace & defense, medical devices and other high-reliability end markets.

Individual FoodService, a portfolio company sponsored by Kelso & Company, has merged with Brady Industries, a Las Vegas-based janitorial and sanitation (JanSan) distributor. The deal creates a significantly larger distributor of foodservice disposables and JanSan products with expanded geographic reach, 38 combined facilities and enhanced cross-selling opportunities.

The Hilb Group, LLC (THG) acquired North Carolina-based Dwayne Wilson Insurance & Financial Services, Inc., a full-service life and health insurance agency, effective December 31, 2020 (per the announcement). Dwayne Wilson and his team will join THG's Southeast region as the acquisition strengthens THG's employee benefits practice and regional presence; THG is a Carlyle Group portfolio company.

Mercer Global Advisors, a Denver-based national registered investment adviser, acquired Spokane-based wealth management firm Hart Capital Management, Inc., effective December 31, 2020. Hart's founder Craig W. Hart and a team of nine professionals (serving ~400 clients with ~$440M AUM) joined Mercer to gain scale, infrastructure and expanded service capabilities.

Motion & Control Enterprises (MCE), a Frontenac-backed motion and control distributor, has acquired Diversified Air Systems (DAS), a Cleveland-based stocking distributor of air compressors, vacuum and water recovery systems, and related services. DAS — which employs 42 people across four locations in Ohio and western Pennsylvania — will operate as a division of MCE under the Diversified Air Systems name, expanding MCE's fluid power and aftermarket service capabilities.

The Hilb Group, LLC (THG) acquired Michigan-based Owen Moore Insurance Agency, LLC (OMA) effective December 31, 2020. OMA, a full-service property and casualty insurance agency, will join THG's Midwest region with Randal (Randy) Moore and his team; THG is a PE-backed insurance brokerage controlled by The Carlyle Group.

New Charter Technologies, a platform backed by Oval Partners, has acquired Stronghold Data, an established managed services provider based in Joplin, Missouri. The deal expands New Charter's MSP footprint across Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas and represents another add-on in Oval Partners’ buy-and-build strategy for New Charter.

Seaway Plastics Engineering, a portfolio company of Tonka Bay Equity Partners, acquired Wright Engineered Plastics (Santa Rosa, CA) effective December 31, 2020. The add-on expands Seaway's precision injection molding capabilities, clean-room medical manufacturing capacity, and geographic presence in California to better serve medical, defense and precision industrial end markets.

Tecta America Corporation, a portfolio company of Altas Partners, acquired J Reynolds & Co., Inc., a commercial roofing and waterproofing contractor based in Saginaw, Texas; the transaction closed on December 31, 2020. Kratos Capital advised J Reynolds on the sale as J Reynolds becomes part of Tecta’s national platform to expand its commercial roofing and waterproofing capabilities and geographic reach.

ESP Associates, a Strength Capital Partners platform company, has acquired Vickrey & Associates, a civil engineering, surveying and planning firm headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The add-on expands ESP's service capabilities and geographic footprint in the rapidly growing Texas market.

HeartLand, a Sterling Investment Partners portfolio company, acquired three commercial landscape and facilities services providers: Roark Landscaping Corporation, VerdeGo Landscape and Inside Out Services. The add-on deals expand HeartLand's footprint into Tulsa, Oklahoma; Palm Coast/Jacksonville, Florida; and broaden its presence in the Washington, D.C. metro area as part of a buildout of a national commercial landscape platform.

Road Safety Services, a Parallel49 Equity portfolio company, completed an add-on acquisition of Twin Traffic Marking Corp. and Traffic Zone Services (collectively “Twin Traffic”), expanding its pavement marking and traffic control capabilities. The deal bolsters RSS’s scale and presence in the Central U.S., particularly Kansas and Missouri, and supports continued platform buildout in road safety services.

Leadec, a Triton Fund IV portfolio company, acquired Diversified Automation effective December 31, 2020 to expand its parcel automation capabilities and strengthen its North American operations. Diversified Automation, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is an industrial automation systems integrator with ~140 experts and roughly $100 million in annual revenue that serves major parcel and e-commerce customers such as UPS, FedEx and Amazon.

SinterMet LLC, a portfolio company of V&A Capital, has acquired Leadar Rolls, Inc., a precision manufacturer of industrial rolls based in Lima, Ohio. The add-on expands SinterMet's footprint, product offering and customer base across steel, automotive/aerospace and paper end markets; S&T Bank provided financing for the deal.

World Insurance Associates LLC, a nationally ranked insurance brokerage, acquired Bush Insurance Agents & Brokers of Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania on December 31, 2020. Terms were not disclosed; Bush Insurance owners Gregg Gordon and Dick Perry agreed the deal will allow the agency to operate at greater scale with World’s products and resources.

La Patria, a portfolio company of A&M Capital Europe, has acquired Vigilanza Sevi S.r.l., a family‑owned Italian provider of alarm monitoring and security patrolling services. The add‑on expands La Patria’s scale and service footprint in Northern Italy and allows SEVI to benefit from La Patria’s technology investments and broader platform resources.

The Emmes Company, a Behrman Capital portfolio company, has acquired Prague-headquartered CRO Neox S.R.O., an add-on that expands Emmes' BioPharma capabilities and Central/Eastern European presence. Financial terms were not disclosed; Neox brings over 150 employees and operations across multiple European countries, and founders Pavel and Petr Marek will remain in leadership roles.

GracoRoberts, a specialty aerospace chemicals distributor backed by private equity sponsor CM Equity Partners, closed the acquisition of Able Aerospace Adhesives on December 30, 2020. The add-on expands GracoRoberts’ international footprint—particularly in the Asia-Pacific region—and strengthens its military and MRO capabilities and value-added services.

Valeo Networks, a division of Saalex Corporation and national Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), has acquired Etech Solutions, an Ankeny, Iowa-based managed service provider (MSP) and affiliate EtechASP. The acquisition establishes Valeo's first Midwest office, expands its nationwide MSSP footprint and capabilities in cybersecurity, managed services and cloud hosting; financial terms were not disclosed.

InfraServ US, LLC — through its subsidiary Gateway Dealer Network — acquired the Bobcat Southwest dealership group, expanding the combined dealership footprint to 25 locations across 10 states. The acquisition, backed by sponsor Brightstar Capital Partners, adds six Southern California and Nevada locations and expands Gateway's sales, parts, service and rental capabilities; terms were not disclosed.

Collagen Matrix, a Linden Capital Partners portfolio company, has acquired Sunstar's Degradable Solutions division, including the GUIDOR-branded synthetic bone graft substitutes and bioresorbable membranes. The acquisition expands Collagen Matrix's regenerative product portfolio and electrospinning capabilities to support new combination products and broader dental market applications.

Constellation Affiliated Partners, a New York-based insurance consolidator platform backed by RedBird Capital Partners, has acquired Coastal Insurance Underwriters and Cybercom. The deal brings Coastal's program administration and underwriting capabilities for condominium and homeowner associations together with Cybercom's web-based quoting/underwriting platform to expand Constellation's product and technology offerings in the U.S. market.

Doxim, a customer communications management (CCM) and engagement technology provider, has acquired Laser Print Plus, a specialist in regulated customer communications and print/mail services. The deal expands Doxim's regulated CCM capabilities and provides Laser Print Plus customers access to Doxim's omnichannel software and managed services.

Wynnchurch Capital has acquired Huntington Foam, a manufacturer of engineered EPS, EPP and ARCEL foam products headquartered in Greer, South Carolina. Huntington will be combined with Wynnchurch portfolio company Drew Foam Companies to create a unified foam-platform serving appliance, cold-chain, automotive and building products end markets.

Amware Fulfillment, backed by Rotunda Capital Partners, has acquired Moulton Logistics, a Los Angeles–based third-party fulfillment and customer-care provider. The deal adds Moulton’s Los Angeles and South Brunswick, NJ facilities (adding over 400,000 sq. ft.) to Amware’s footprint, expanding national coverage and adding after-sale customer service capabilities to Amware’s service suite.

Specialty Welding and Turnarounds (SWAT), a PE-backed provider of turnaround and specialty welding services, has acquired Hydroprocessing Associates (HPA), a Moss Point, Mississippi-based specialist in catalyst handling and reactor maintenance, including HPA's Breathing Systems Inc. subsidiary. The deal is SWAT's first add-on since its January 2020 investment by ORIX Capital Partners and Hastings Equity Partners and expands SWAT's service offering into catalyst handling and NIOSH-approved life-support system manufacturing and maintenance.

Help at Home, a portfolio company of Centerbridge Partners and The Vistria Group, acquired The Adaptive Group, a Jeffersonville, Indiana-based provider of home care, home health and hospice services. The transaction, advised by Edgemont Partners and closed on December 24, 2020, was for undisclosed terms and expands Help at Home's presence and scale in Indiana and the broader Midwest.

Superior Technical Ceramics (STC), a portfolio company backed by Artemis Capital Partners, has acquired IJ Research, Inc., a Santa Ana, California-based manufacturer of sapphire-to-metal brazed hermetic assemblies and electrical feedthroughs. The acquisition, which closed on December 24, 2020, expands STC’s technical ceramics and sealing capabilities to enable vertical integration and deeper customer relationships across aerospace, defense, medical and instrumentation end markets; CriticalPoint acted as buy-side advisor to STC.

Inszone Insurance Services, a Sacramento-based full-service insurance brokerage, has acquired CBIA Insurance Agency, a Van Nuys-based personal and commercial lines agency founded in 2007 by Mark and Kim Chandler. The deal expands Inszone's presence in California and broadens its service offering for personal and commercial insurance clients.

Castik Capital–backed Customs Support has acquired Germany’s First Class Zollservice and Netherlands-based Verex Customs Services as add-ons to strengthen its European customs brokerage network. The deals expand Customs Support’s geographic coverage in Germany and the Netherlands and add complementary capabilities such as veterinary inspection services and enhanced local coverage at logistic hotspots.

CORE Industrial Partners portfolio company Incodema Holdings LLC has acquired Majestic Metals, a Denver-based precision sheet metal fabricator. The acquisition will combine Majestic Metals with Incodema, Newcut and Dahlquist Machine to expand a nationwide precision manufacturing platform and broaden capabilities across sheet metal fabrication, CNC machining and finishing for end markets including medical, aerospace & defense, and electronics.

Personify, a Pamlico Capital‑backed provider of association and nonprofit technology solutions, has acquired MemberClicks, a member management platform serving more than 3,000 client organizations. The acquisition expands Personify’s purpose-built platform coverage for associations, chambers and member-based organizations and will integrate MemberClicks’ team and products into Personify’s combined sales and marketing organization.

Innovatus Capital Partners formed Certor Sports and, through its subsidiaries, acquired substantially all of Kranos Corporation's assets, intellectual property and brands — including Schutt, ProGear, Tucci Bats, Hollywood Bases and Adams USA. The deal consolidates multiple sporting-goods brands under Certor Sports (which had earlier acquired VICIS assets), preserving warranties and service relationships while positioning the platform for product and market expansion.

GS Foods Group, a family of specialized foodservice distributors owned by affiliates of Highview Capital and A&M Capital Partners, has acquired Hayes Distributing to strengthen its presence in Northern California. The deal is an add-on to GS Foods' platform and is intended to expand the company's logistics, commodity expertise and school-nutrition offerings for K-12 customers in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Aryza, backed by Pollen Street Capital, has acquired Anchor Computer Systems, a long-established UK provider of end-to-end loan management and collections software. The deal expands Aryza’s lending and insolvency software capability and adds Anchor’s customer base of more than 300 lenders, while Anchor’s CEO Paul O’Sullivan will lead Aryza’s UK lending proposition.

Bettcher Industries, a portfolio company of MPE Partners, has acquired ICB Greenline, a Charlotte, North Carolina manufacturer of overhead conveyor systems used primarily in the poultry industry. ICB Greenline was a subsidiary of Rodriguez GmbH and the acquisition is an add-on to Bettcher’s capabilities in food‑processing equipment.

WhiteWater Express Car Wash, a Houston-based express car wash platform, acquired Jerry's Express Car Wash’s seven Dallas–Fort Worth locations, expanding WhiteWater’s DFW footprint to 16 sites and increasing its total locations to 29. In connection with the deal, private equity firm SkyKnight Capital invested incremental capital into WhiteWater to support accelerated growth.

The Hilb Group, LLC (THG) acquired New York-based Hiram Cohen & Son, Inc. (HCS) effective December 1, 2020. HCS, a fourth-generation property & casualty insurance agency founded in 1919 and based in Williston Park, New York, will continue operating under its existing leadership as part of THG's Tri-State operations; THG is a Carlyle-backed insurance brokerage pursuing growth through strategic add-on acquisitions.

Wheel Pros, the Clearlake Capital-backed designer, manufacturer and distributor of aftermarket wheels and accessories, acquired Just Wheels & Tires Co., Inc. d/b/a TSW to broaden its luxury and off‑road product offerings. Financial terms were not disclosed; TSW (founded 1991) serves over 5,800 dealers through eight distribution centers.

The parent company of Saladworks — newly organized as WOWorks and fully owned by Centre Lane Partners — has acquired Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh and Frutta Bowls and consolidated the brands under the WOWorks holding company. Saladworks' operations team will manage the two concepts to drive growth and scale, with Garbanzo CEO James Park remaining on as a special advisor.

Fralock, a Valencia, California-based engineering and manufacturing company and portfolio company of Arsenal Capital Partners, has acquired Mapson Engineering, a specialty precision-graphics provider based in Orange County, California. The deal is an add-on to Fralock's capabilities that enables continuity for Mapson's customers as founder Jim Mapson transitions toward retirement and expands Fralock's offerings to aerospace, defense and electronics customers.

BlueCrest, a Danbury, Connecticut-based provider of enterprise print, mail and customer communications technology, has acquired BCC Software, a long-standing North American leader in postal and presort software. The acquisition brings BCC's address quality, mail preparation and tracking solutions into BlueCrest's portfolio to deliver end-to-end postal optimization and mail workflow capabilities.

Congruex, a PE-backed national provider of telecom engineering and construction services, has acquired Gudenkauf Corporation, a Columbus-based provider of self-perform outside plant construction, splicing and emergency restoration services. The add-on expands Congruex's geographic footprint into Ohio and West Virginia and strengthens its capabilities serving broadband operators across the Mid-Atlantic region.

IBH Population Health Solutions (Integrated Behavioral Health, Inc.), a Periscope Equity–backed population and digital health platform, has acquired HMC HealthWorks to expand its chronic condition management, wellness, pharmacy specialty and managed behavioral health capabilities. The deal brings HMC's expertise and programs into IBH's digitally-enabled, whole-person population health suite and retains HMC founder Dr. Jan DiMonaco in an ongoing advisory/board role.

Appfire acquired Artemis Software, an Atlassian Marketplace app vendor known for products such as MultiExcerpt, Copy Page Tree, and Flow Board. The deal brings Artemis founders Brendan Patterson and Bob Bergman (who will join Appfire as Chief Product Architects in Denver) to Appfire and accelerates Appfire’s cloud product strategy; the transaction was financed by First Eagle Alternative Credit, LLC.