Building Products Acquisitions in Kentucky

Swedish access-solutions leader ASSA ABLOY has acquired Metal Products Inc. (MPI), a US manufacturer of custom hollow metal doors and frames headquartered in Corbin, Kentucky. MPI, founded in 1980, has about 170 employees and reported approximately $22 million in sales for 2024; the acquisition is intended to expand ASSA ABLOY’s product offering and strengthen its regional US footprint and delivery capabilities.

Armada Materials, a Kelso-backed infrastructure materials platform, has acquired Drake's Creek Stone, a quarry in Franklin, Kentucky formerly part of Charles DeWeese Construction. The acquisition expands Armada's aggregates footprint to serve northern Tennessee and southern Kentucky and adds crushed stone production capacity to its platform.

Heartwood Partners has formed VITALSpace, a multi-brand commercial modular building products platform that houses SteelCell, CareAffirm and the newly acquired Portable Solutions Group (PSG). The move follows Heartwood's growth equity investment to scale production, expand product capabilities (including modular access control and restrooms) and add a new manufacturing location to support demand across construction, industrial and other end markets.

Indianapolis-based private equity firm CID Capital announced the merger of its portfolio companies Wiseway Supply (Florence, KY) and Park Supply (Huntsville, AL) to form a combined super-regional distributor of plumbing, electrical and lighting products. The consolidation creates a larger multi-location platform under CEO Mark Christie to capture distribution synergies, expand geographic reach, and support continued organic and acquisition growth.

Koppers Holdings, through its subsidiary Koppers Utility and Industrial Products Inc., signed an agreement to acquire substantially all assets of Brown Wood Preserving Company, Inc. for about $100 million in cash. Brown Wood, a Louisville, Kentucky-based manufacturer of pressure-treated utility poles with ~100 employees serving the Midwest and Southeast U.S., will be integrated into Koppers' Utility and Industrial Products business to expand capabilities and geographic reach.

Fabcon Precast, a Solace Capital Partners-backed precast manufacturer, has acquired the precast division of The Bristol Group (Bristol Precast), adding a production facility in Charlestown, Indiana and offices in Lexington, Kentucky. The acquisition expands Fabcon's geographic footprint into the Mid‑South (Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri and West Virginia) and broadens its engineered/prestressed precast product offering.

Indianapolis-based private equity firm CID Capital has partnered with Wiseway (a Florence, Kentucky-based distributor of electrical, plumbing, and lighting supplies) in a recapitalization to support the company’s next phase of growth. Reinsurance Group of America provided financing for the transaction; Wiseway’s president John Cain will continue to partner with CID and the company will implement a formal board to drive growth and profitability.

American Elevator Group (AEG) has acquired Madden Elevator, a Louisville-based elevator service provider, expanding AEG’s service footprint across Kentucky and southern Indiana. The deal, facilitated by Maven Group, adds Madden’s maintenance, repair and modernization capabilities to AEG’s national platform (AEG is backed by Arcline Investment Management).

Switzerland-based Bauwerk Group AG has acquired U.S.-based Somerset Hardwood Flooring, effective May 1. The deal strengthens Bauwerk's presence in North America and expands its premium hardwood flooring portfolio, with Somerset retaining its brand and operations under the Bauwerk umbrella.

Kith Kitchens, a portfolio company of private equity firm Pfingsten, has acquired Mouser Custom Cabinetry, a manufacturer of semi-custom and custom kitchen and bath cabinets based in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The add-on acquisition (closed December 31, 2020) expands Kith's product portfolio and manufacturing capabilities to better serve remodeling and new construction customers.

US LBM Holdings, LLC acquired Forge Lumber, a Cincinnati-area building materials supplier and mill operator based in Erlanger, Kentucky. The purchase from the Steinman family adds Forge’s manufacturing (doors, stairs, truss plant) and a Cincinnati distribution center to US LBM’s regional footprint, expanding its presence in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

Capital Partners Private Equity Income Fund III, LP completed a majority-equity investment in Universal Woods on March 15, 2019, partnering with CEO and long-time shareholder Paul Neumann and management. The investment will provide Universal Woods — a Louisville-based manufacturer of hard-surface coated substrates for image sublimation and mezzanine decking — with additional resources to support growth, new product development and hiring; debt financing was provided by PNC.

The Riverside Company has acquired Monessen Hearth Systems (MHS), a Paris, Kentucky-based manufacturer of gas, wood, and electric hearth products, as a new platform investment. Riverside intends to support Monessen's growth and pursue an aggressive add-on acquisition strategy to expand market share in the fragmented U.S. hearth industry.