Acquisitions in Kansas in 2019

Visible Supply Chain Management has acquired Kansas Continental Express (KCX), a nearly 30-year-old Emporia, Kansas-based shipping logistics and freight transportation provider. KCX will join the Visible family and operate under the parent company's name, expanding Visible's Midwest footprint and cross‑North America logistics capabilities to better serve small and midsize business customers.

Temp-Con, a portfolio company of Caymus Equity Partners, has acquired Cobb Refrigeration LLC, a provider of commercial and laboratory refrigeration installation and maintenance based in Lenexa, Kansas. The add-on expands Temp-Con’s Midwest presence and enhances its refrigeration service capabilities.

Mitchell | Genex has acquired CompAlliance, a provider of managed care services for the workers' compensation industry, to expand its medical cost containment and clinical solutions. The deal, which was announced December 2, 2019, will broaden Mitchell | Genex's service offering (including PPO networks, medical bill review, case management and utilization review) and strengthen its position in workers' compensation, disability and group health markets; financial terms were not disclosed.

EducationDynamics acquired key agency-of-record assets and portions of the inquiry generation business of Thruline Marketing, including call center operations in Lenexa, Kansas and Tampa, Florida. The deal expands EducationDynamics' marketing services and contact center capabilities to better serve higher education partners and strengthens its Enrollment Management Services division.

Epiphany Dermatology announced a partnership to bring Kansas City Dermatology into its network, expanding Epiphany's presence into the state of Kansas. The deal will give Kansas City Dermatology access to Epiphany's operational resources including managed care, HR, IT, and marketing support.

United Road, backed by The Carlyle Group, has acquired Team Drive-Away (and its affiliates Driveaway USA and Fr8 Management) from CID Capital. The add-on expands United Road's capabilities into heavy-haul Class 8 truck transport through TDA's non-asset-based, contractor-driven vehicle logistics platform.

Brady Industries, a portfolio company of A&M Capital Partners II (part of Alvarez & Marsal Capital), has acquired a majority interest in MASSCO, Inc., a regional distributor of janitorial, office and packaging supplies headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. The acquisition is an add-on to Brady's platform that expands its product mix into industrial packaging and extends its distribution footprint into three additional states.

LNC Partners completed a strategic minority growth investment in Prime Capital Investment Advisors (PCIA) to support the firm’s continued expansion and acquisition strategy. PCIA, headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, is a full-service wealth management and retirement plan advisory firm with roughly $11 billion in client assets and a multi-office footprint across the U.S.

PharmScript, a provider of long-term care and post-acute care pharmacy services, has acquired UVANTA Kansas City (Lenexa, KS) to expand its Midwest footprint. The acquisition adds PharmScript's seventeenth pharmacy and strengthens its ability to serve long-term care and post-acute facilities across Kansas and Missouri.

ShowingTime.com, Inc. acquired Centralized Showing Service, Inc. (CSS) to combine their residential real-estate showing management capabilities and accelerate platform growth. The acquisition was financed with debt from Accel‑KKR Credit Partners and Wells Fargo Capital Finance to support the deal while avoiding equity dilution.

Presidio Investors committed $75 million to create Bravas LLC by merging 15 independent luxury smart-home design/build firms into a national platform. Bravas, headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, will operate across North America with roughly $75 million in revenue and about 285 employees, using the funding to expand its network, build software/business systems, and pursue targeted acquisitions.

Elanco Animal Health Incorporated completed its acquisition of Aratana Therapeutics, a developer and commercializer of specialty therapeutics for dogs and cats, including Galliprant, Entyce and Nocita. The deal expands Elanco's companion animal product portfolio and establishes a dedicated specialty veterinary commercial team to integrate Aratana's field force and pipeline.

Trilantic North America's portfolio company Sunbelt Transformer has merged with Solomon Corporation, a provider of refurbishment, repair and salvage services for electrical transformers. The combined business will expand Sunbelt's footprint and service offering across commercial, industrial and utility customers throughout North America; Tom Smith will serve as Chairman and CEO of the combined entity while Tom Hemmer will serve as Group President of Solomon.

Royal Building Products, a subsidiary of Westlake Chemical, has acquired DaVinci Roofscapes, a Lenexa, Kansas-based manufacturer of composite roofing shingles, from TGP Capital Partners. The acquisition adds DaVinci's synthetic roofing portfolio and manufacturing capabilities to Royal Building Products' building-products platform.

BV Investment Partners has made a minority, growth-oriented investment in CivicPlus to support the company’s next phase of product and market expansion. CivicPlus, a Kansas-based provider of integrated SaaS solutions for local government, will partner with founder Ward Morgan and the existing management team to accelerate growth in the GovTech market.

PrismHR, the Hopkinton, Massachusetts-based HR software platform, acquired AgileHR, a Wichita-based provider of cloud-based talent management and performance management software. The acquisition brings AgileHR's full suite of talent management solutions into the PrismHR platform and Marketplace to strengthen PrismHR's talent management offerings for HRO customers and SMBs; terms were not disclosed.

Wynnchurch Capital has completed the acquisition of Mid‑America Fittings, Inc., adding the Overland Park, Kansas-based manufacturer of engineered brass fittings and valves to its growing distribution and manufacturing platform. Mid‑America Fittings will join platform companies Anderson Metals, Midland Metal Mfg., and Buchanan Rubber Ltd., with the deal intended to broaden the platform's product and manufacturing capabilities and accelerate customer expansion.

AssuredPartners, Inc. has acquired Hardy Aviation Insurance, Inc., an aviation-focused insurance agency based in Wichita, Kansas. The Hardy team of 14 (reporting approximately $2 million in annualized revenue) will join AssuredPartners’ AP Aerospace group with founder Randy Hardy remaining in a leadership role, expanding AssuredPartners’ aviation insurance capabilities.

Affiliates of Blackstone Infrastructure Partners agreed to acquire 100% of the general partner membership interests and approximately a 44% economic interest in Tallgrass Energy, LP from Kelso & Co., The Energy & Minerals Group and certain management investors for about $3.3 billion in cash. Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC will be a minority investor in the transaction; the deal represents an ownership transition and provides capital and strategic support for Tallgrass’s midstream growth projects.

Spire Capital, a New York-based private equity firm, announced an undisclosed investment in ERI Solutions, Inc., a Wichita, Kansas provider of testing, inspection, safety, environmental and compliance services. The capital will support ERI's cloud-based technology platform, expand its client footprint and enable growth through new service offerings and strategic acquisitions while CEO Nathan Vander Griend remains in place.

Auto Driveaway, backed by investors including Evanston Partners, has acquired the assets of J&J Drive-Away, Inc. and J&J Freight Brokers, LLC to expand into the heavy-truck (Class 7 and Class 8) transportation market. The deal brings J&J’s heavy-truck transport and boutique freight-brokerage capabilities into Auto Driveaway’s network (drivers operating in 49 states and parts of Canada for 500+ customers); J&J co-founder Crystal O'Dwyer and VP Kelly Rolfe remain with the business as part-owners.

Greybull Stewardship has completed a buyout of ProHome International, a Wichita-based provider of third-party quality assurance and warranty management for post-construction. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Greybull said it will support ProHome's growth across the United States and internationally.

Cushman & Wakefield has completed the acquisition of Quality Solutions, Inc. (QSI), an asset-light facilities management and field services provider headquartered near Wichita, Kansas. The seller was Gridiron Capital, which had partnered with QSI since 2012 to scale the business; the deal expands Cushman & Wakefield’s facilities management capabilities and North American coverage.