Industrial Services Acquisitions in Maryland

Pye-Barker Fire & Safety has acquired Maryland-based Fire-X Sales and Service Corp. and its sister company Fire Protection Products (FPP). The acquisitions expand Pye-Barker’s fire suppression and life-safety capabilities across the mid-Atlantic, enabling full fire code compliance services in Maryland and strengthening its specialized vehicle, kitchen and special-hazards suppression offerings.

Pye-Barker Fire & Safety has acquired Maryland-based Alarm Engineering Inc., a provider of commercial security, alarm and monitoring services across the Delmarva region. The acquisition expands Pye-Barker's integrated life-safety and security capabilities in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia and brings Alarm Engineering's technicians and monitoring capabilities into Pye-Barker's national platform.

Encore Fire Protection completed a majority recapitalization partnership with Fireline Corporation. Fireline, a Baltimore-based fire and life safety services provider founded in 1947, will continue to be led by Anna Gavin while leveraging Encore's scale to support growth across the Mid-Atlantic and East Coast.

Braemont Capital has made a strategic growth investment in TEC Services, a Columbia, Maryland–headquartered provider of janitorial and sanitation services serving grocery and food distribution customers. The capital will support TEC’s growth plans, including organic expansion and potential strategic acquisitions, while management remains in place.

KLH Capital has completed a recapitalization of Concrete Protection & Restoration (CPR), partnering with the company’s management team to provide liquidity and capital for accelerated growth. Headquartered in Baltimore, MD, CPR is a concrete restoration and structural repair services provider with over 100 skilled field technicians offering services such as post-tension tendon repairs, structural strengthening, protective coatings and waterproofing.

Woodson Equity has acquired the assets of the First Source Electronics business from Commercial Vehicle Group (CVG). The carveout brings control panels, electromechanical systems, cable assembly capabilities and a patented micro-fulfillment solution (STACC) into Woodson’s industrial services focus as the firm looks to grow its corporate carveout platform.

Mill Steel Co., a third-generation family-owned distributor of flat-rolled carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminum, has acquired Maryland Metals Processing (MMP), a Baltimore-based stainless and aluminum toll processor. Mill Steel said MMP will continue to operate independently with its name and associates while adding toll processing capacity and strengthening Mill Steel's national footprint and processing capabilities.

Identiti Resources, a national brand implementation and signage company, has acquired KFM 24/7, a facility maintenance solutions provider headquartered in Woodbine, Maryland. The deal combines Identiti's signage and rollout capabilities with KFM's break‑fix, automation and analytics offerings to expand comprehensive facility maintenance and nationwide service coverage while preserving leadership continuity.

Harrisburg-based Stephenson Equipment (SEI) has acquired Valley Supply & Equipment, a construction equipment dealer with locations in Hagerstown and Baltimore, Maryland, and Manassas Park, Virginia. The deal expands SEI's geographic footprint into Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, adds locations and staff (Valley employees become employee-owners) and increases SEI's total headcount to 294.

An affiliate of H.I.G. Capital has completed the acquisition/recapitalization of Action Elevator, a regional provider of elevator maintenance, repair and modernization services headquartered in Millersville, Maryland. Action's leadership retains a significant ownership stake and, concurrently with the transaction, Action acquired Century Elevator to expand its presence in the Washington, D.C. market.

Pye-Barker Fire & Safety has acquired ABC Burglar Alarm Systems, a family-owned security and alarm systems provider headquartered in Bowie, Maryland. The acquisition strengthens Pye-Barker's Mid-Atlantic footprint — integrating ABC's team into Pye-Barker's Washington, D.C. and Baltimore-area branches to support service, maintenance, inspections and 24/7 monitoring for primarily commercial customers.

Guardian Fire Protection Services, backed by investor Knox Lane, has acquired Harris Fire Protection, a Baltimore-based specialist in special hazard and marine fire suppression systems. The acquisition expands Guardian's presence across the Mid-Atlantic and bolsters its capabilities in marine and special-hazard fire protection; terms were not disclosed.

Thermal Technology Distribution Solutions (TTDS), a distribution platform established by Gryphon Investors, has acquired Thermal Devices, a Mt. Airy, Maryland-based value-added distributor of electric heaters, controls, thermocouples and related products. The deal expands TTDS's footprint into the Mid-Atlantic and adds heat trace and engineering capabilities; Rob Strayton will remain with the company and retain a significant equity stake. Terms were not disclosed.

Hawkins, Inc. (Nasdaq: HWKN), a specialty chemical and ingredients company, has acquired the assets of Intercoastal Trading, Inc., a regional distributor of water treatment chemicals and equipment based in Maryland. The acquisition expands Hawkins' water treatment footprint on the U.S. East Coast (serving Maryland, Delaware and Virginia) and is expected to be accretive to earnings in the current fiscal year.

Sunbelt Rentals (Fort Mill, S.C.) has acquired ABC Equipment Rental, a multibranch independent equipment rental provider serving the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. markets. Catalyst Strategic Advisors served as exclusive transaction advisor to ABC Equipment Rental; the deal expands Sunbelt's local footprint and equipment fleet in the mid-Atlantic.

Venturi Supply, a Phoenix-based PVF distributor backed by Dallas-based private equity firm Trive Capital, has acquired Baltimore-based Monumental Supply Company, a regional distributor of pipes, valves, fittings and related value-added services. The transaction establishes Venturi's presence in the Mid-Atlantic, expands its Industrial & Commercial segment and broadens its service capabilities and end-market coverage.

Pye-Barker Fire & Safety has acquired Absolute Fire Protection, Inc., a fire sprinkler and alarm provider headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland. The deal expands Pye-Barker's presence in the Mid‑Atlantic and enhances its ability to deliver full fire code‑compliance services, while Absolute's founders and team will continue serving customers under Pye‑Barker.

Crane Engineering, a family-owned fluid processing distributor based in Kimberly, Wisconsin, has acquired Geiger Pump & Equipment Company, a Mid-Atlantic distributor and service provider of fluid process equipment with locations in Baltimore, Maryland and Aston, Pennsylvania. The deal expands Crane Engineering's geographic footprint into the Mid-Atlantic and New England and will keep Geiger's president, Chris Brown, in leadership of Geiger operations and in a corporate role with Crane.

Pye-Barker Fire & Safety has acquired CRIMPCO, a Baltimore-based security alarm and monitoring company founded in 1968. The acquisition expands Pye-Barker's fire, life-safety and security capabilities in Maryland and the broader Mid-Atlantic region and brings the CRIMPCO team into Pye-Barker's operations.

DXP Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: DXPE) has completed the acquisition of Kappe Associates, Inc., a Frederick, Maryland-based distributor and manufacturers' representative focused on pumps, controls and process equipment for the water and wastewater industry. The announcement also references the acquisition of Hennesy Mechanical Sales as part of DXP's expansion of its DXP Water efforts; DXP funded the transactions with cash from its balance sheet.

Knox Lane, a San Francisco-based growth-oriented investment firm, has acquired a majority stake in Guardian Fire Protection Services, a Rockville, Maryland–based provider of fire and life safety services. Guardian's existing shareholders, including CEO Scott Agge and the leadership team, will reinvest and retain a significant minority; the partnership will fund growth initiatives including business development, digital marketing, operational improvements and geographic expansion (including add-on M&A).

Platte River Equity has partnered with the management teams of TIPCO Technologies and HydraTech Industrial Solutions to combine the two distributors into a national independent distributor operating under the TIPCO Technologies name. The combined business will operate 30 locations across 13 states, expanding geographic footprint, investing in technology and inventory, and positioning the platform for further growth; financing was provided by Apogem Capital and legal counsel to Platte River was Bartlit Beck LLP.

OWL Services, a national provider of fueling construction, service and compliance solutions, has acquired Dark Horse Enterprises, Inc., a Mid-Atlantic fueling construction and environmental compliance company based in Pasadena, Maryland. The deal strengthens OWL's geographic coverage and fueling construction resources in the Mid-Atlantic, bringing Dark Horse's employees and local expertise into OWL's national platform.

Miner Ltd., the docks and doors division of OnPoint Group, has acquired Bob's Overhead Door, a Baltimore-based commercial and residential door services company. The acquisition expands Miner's service footprint across Maryland and supports the company's nationwide strategy to build a coast-to-coast service network for loading docks and door systems.

Graham Partners, a Philadelphia-based private investment firm, has made an investment in Barcoding, Inc., a Baltimore-based supply chain automation and AIDC integrator. The partnership will support expansion of Barcoding's IntelliTrack platform, managed services and North American footprint, with Graham positioning Barcoding as a platform for future add-on acquisitions to accelerate growth.

CES Power LLC, a platform backed by Allied Industrial Partners, has acquired Infinite Power, a Beltsville, Maryland-based provider of temporary mobile power and climate control solutions. The bolt-on expands CES Power's footprint in the Washington, D.C.–Baltimore mid-Atlantic region and strengthens its event power and climate capabilities; terms were not disclosed.

EVI Industries completed an asset purchase agreement to acquire Express Parts and Services (EXP), a Sykesville, Maryland-based distributor of commercial laundry equipment and provider of installation and maintenance services. The acquisition expands EVI's presence and market share in Maryland and advances the company's buy-and-build strategy to grow its network of technicians and regional service capabilities.

Eureka Equity Partners has acquired Synergi, LLC, a leading engineering and construction firm that designs, fabricates and installs modular feature staircases, in a transaction executed in partnership with Synergi's senior management. Lafayette Square provided the debt financing to support the acquisition and BDO Capital served as Synergi's exclusive financial advisor; management will remain in place to continue growing the business from its Elkridge, Maryland headquarters.

Alliance Laundry Systems has closed the acquisition of Laundry Equipment Services (LES), a Hagerstown, Maryland-based distributor of Huebsch commercial laundry equipment. The purchase expands Alliance’s direct distribution and service footprint in the Mid-Atlantic and is the company’s fifth distributor asset acquisition in the past two years; LES was owned by Cameron Clark prior to the sale.

Huron Capital launched Exigent, a mission-critical facilities services platform, and completed its first transaction by partnering with American Combustion Industries (ACI). The Stephens Group made a minority investment to support Huron’s controlling stake; ACI’s owner Tim Kirlin retains an ownership stake and joins Exigent’s executive team as the platform pursues additional HVAC, plumbing and mechanical services add-ons.

Miner Ltd., the dock and door division of OnPoint Group, has acquired Charles H. Hodges & Son, a long-established loading-dock specialist serving Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. The acquisition is an add-on to Miner/OnPoint's dock-and-door platform to expand its geographic footprint and service capabilities in the Mid-Atlantic.

Pye-Barker Fire & Safety, through its portfolio company Rapid Fire Protection Group, has acquired Strickland Fire Protection, a long-standing fire protection contractor based in Forestville, Maryland. The acquisition expands Pye-Barker/Rapid Fire's footprint into the Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. metro areas and strengthens its service capabilities in fire sprinkler, alarm and suppression systems.

Onex Partners V, a fund of Onex Corporation, has agreed to acquire Fidelity Building Services Group in partnership with the company's management team. Fidelity BSG is a provider of HVAC, mechanical, building automation and emergency power services headquartered in Sparks, Maryland; Onex said it will support Fidelity's organic growth and accelerate its acquisition strategy. Terms were not disclosed and the transaction was expected to close later in 2021 subject to customary conditions.

Incorp Holdings, a platform backed by Parkway Capital, Midwest Growth Partners, NewSpring Capital, Spring Capital and Lowe Capital, acquired East Coast Rigging & Contracting Co., Inc. (ECR). The add-on expands Incorp’s service offerings and geographic footprint in the Mid‑Atlantic (Washington D.C./Baltimore) and Florida (Ft. Lauderdale), diversifying the platform’s customer base and capabilities in scaffolding, rigging and infrastructure maintenance.

Incorp Holdings, a portfolio company of Midwest Growth Partners, has made an investment in Laurel, Maryland-based East Coast Rigging & Contracting Co., with participation from Lowe Capital, NewSpring Capital, Spring Capital, Parkway Capital and ECR's senior management. The addition of ECR broadens the Incorp platform's scaffolding, rigging and access equipment rental capabilities and expands its geographic footprint in the Mid‑Atlantic and Florida markets; ECR has approximately 90 employees.

Sole Source Capital LLC acquired Peak Technologies (formerly Peak-Ryzex) from Keystone Capital and Optical Phusion Inc. from its founders, then merged the two AIDC and factory automation providers under Peak's leadership. The combined business aims to create a larger AIDC/automation platform, capture technological and operational synergies, and expand cross-selling opportunities across retail, grocery, healthcare and industrial end markets.

Technical Safety Services (a Technical Solutions Holdings company) has acquired East Coast Laboratory Services, LLC, a Sabillasville, Maryland provider of cleanroom and laboratory equipment testing, certification and calibration services. The deal expands TSS/TSH’s technician density and service footprint in the U.S. Northeast, broadening its laboratory testing and certification capabilities for biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device and academic research clients.

Funds advised by SK Capital Partners made a controlling investment in Tilley Chemical Company, a Baltimore-based specialty chemical and lubricant distributor. The Tilley family will retain a significant ownership stake and continue to be involved; committed debt financing was provided by Madison Capital to support SK Capital’s investment and the platform’s planned infrastructure and footprint expansion.

Pac-Van, Inc., a subsidiary of General Finance Corporation, acquired the storage container and storage trailer assets of Mar-Rube Trailer Rental in Baltimore, Maryland. The deal adds nearly 900 rental units and six staff members to Pac-Van and expands its presence in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. market, creating synergies with its Delmarva location.

Salem-based Carter Machinery agreed to acquire the assets of Baltimore-based Alban Tractor Co., Inc., effective February 4, 2020. The transaction expands Carter Machinery’s Caterpillar dealership territory to include Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland and Delaware and strengthens its equipment, rental and power-generation capabilities in the mid-Atlantic.

Cross Company, a 100% employee-owned industrial solutions firm based in Greensboro, North Carolina, has acquired Flow-Tech, a Hunt Valley, Maryland-based process instrumentation sales and service provider. Flow-Tech will join Cross Company's Flow and Safety Technologies group and continue operations in Hunt Valley while extending Cross Company's instrumentation, service capabilities and regional coverage across Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Technical Diagnostic Services (TDS), backed by Calvert Street, has acquired Potomac Testing, Inc., a Crofton, Maryland-based provider of low- and medium-voltage electrical testing, maintenance and engineering services. The businesses will continue to operate under distinct brands and the deal is positioned as an add-on to expand TDS's service footprint and capabilities in the Mid-Atlantic.