Acquisitions in Louisiana in 2019

SPL Inc., a Houston-based testing, inspection and certification (TIC) platform backed by Industrial Growth Partners, acquired the laboratory and measurement services business of Banded Iron US Inc. The add-on expands SPL's lab footprint and measurement capabilities across key U.S. energy markets (including Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado and North Dakota) and adds new testing technology such as flash liberation testing.

SchoolMint, a K-12 enrollment management and student behavior software provider, has acquired Smart Choice Technologies from Firefly Digital to expand its enrollment management and school choice capabilities. The acquisition broadens SchoolMint's product suite and customer reach across U.S. K-12 districts, charter management organizations, and charter schools.

DTE Midstream (a unit of DTE Energy) agreed to acquire a gathering system and a 150-mile, 36" gathering pipeline in the Haynesville shale from Momentum Midstream and Indigo Natural Resources for $2.25 billion in cash plus a $400 million milestone payment. The assets include an existing 1.2 Bcf/d gathering system (expandable to 2 Bcf/d) and a pipeline under construction; both assets are supported by long-term contracts and provide DTE enhanced access to Gulf Coast and Louisiana gas markets. The transaction was approved by DTE's board, expected to close in Q4 2019, and was reported as officially closed on December 4, 2019.

Holland Pump Company has acquired Alpha Pump & Equipment, Inc., a Baton Rouge-based specialty pump and accessory provider. The acquisition expands Holland Pump's footprint in the greater Gulf Coast region and adds product, rental and engineering capabilities to better serve industrial end markets such as petrochemical, environmental and construction/municipal sectors.

Apex Service Partners has partnered with Southern Air Heating & Cooling, a residential HVAC and plumbing services company headquartered in Ball, Louisiana, to add the business to its national HVAC, plumbing and electrical services platform. The Preuett family (founder Ira Preuett) will continue to operate the business under its current brand while Apex (a platform backed by Alpine Investors) supports further growth and geographic expansion across Louisiana and Mississippi.

Aurora Capital Partners has acquired Petroleum Service Corporation (PSC) from SGS in a transaction reportedly valued at approximately $335 million. PSC is a North American leader in product handling and site logistics for petrochemical, refining, midstream and marine transportation end markets, with 3,500+ employees operating across the U.S. and Canada; Aurora said it will provide capital to accelerate PSC’s growth as part of its Equity Partners V fund.

Vecta Environmental Services, a Gulf Coast industrial and environmental services platform backed by Cotton Creek Capital, has acquired Holeshot Services, LLC, a Lake Charles, Louisiana-based provider of hydroblasting, hydro-excavation, vacuum truck and tank cleaning services. The add-on expands Vecta's footprint and equipment capacity in Southeastern Texas and Southern Louisiana, increasing its operating locations to seven and strengthening service capability for industrial, chemical and environmental customers along the Gulf Coast.

Bernhard Capital Partners led a group of investors to acquire a financial interest in The Lemoine Company, a Louisiana-based full-service construction management firm specializing in disaster recovery and community resilience. The investment will keep existing management in place and provide capital and operational resources to support growth, new service lines, geographic expansion and add-on acquisitions.

Vector Media, a portfolio company of Spire Capital, has acquired Laurel Outdoor, the exclusive municipal transit advertising partner for New Orleans and surrounding parishes. The deal adds over 160 buses, 60 streetcars and roughly 640 bus shelter panels (with more panels under development) to Vector's out-of-home inventory as part of a continued roll-up and geographic expansion strategy.

Marcus Theatres, a division of The Marcus Corporation, completed the acquisition of Movie Tavern's assets from VSS-Southern Theatres. The deal adds Movie Tavern's dine-in cinema circuit (22 locations across nine states) to Marcus' portfolio, expanding its geographic footprint and dine-in capability.

Atlas Technical Consultants and ATC Group Services, both backed by Bernhard Capital Partners, announced a merger that will retain the Atlas name and combine their complementary engineering, testing, inspection and environmental consulting capabilities. The combined company will operate across more than 40 states with a network of offices and employees, positioning the business for expanded service offerings and national scale.

SPL, a portfolio company of Industrial Growth Partners (IGP), has merged with Atchafalaya Measurement, Inc. (AMI) to combine field measurement, meter equipment installation, instrumentation/automation and hydrocarbon laboratory analysis. The combination expands SPL's geographic footprint across major U.S. oil and gas plays, enables service-line cross-selling, and integrates AMI's recurring measurement capabilities into SPL's data analytics platform; AMI President Nick Trahan will continue in his role.