Acquisitions in Massachusetts in 2022

Zeon Corporation, through its U.S. subsidiary Zeon Specialty Materials Inc., purchased 100% of Edge Precision Manufacturing, Inc., a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of micro‑featured thermoplastic disposables, on December 28, 2022. The acquisition strengthens Zeon's cyclo olefin polymer (COP) offering for microfluidic and diagnostic devices by combining Zeon's materials with Edge's precision compression‑molding capabilities and customer network.

Johnson & Johnson completed its acquisition of Abiomed on December 22, 2022, acquiring all outstanding shares for $380.00 per share (approximately $16.6 billion enterprise value) plus a contingent value right. Abiomed will operate as a standalone business within Johnson & Johnson's MedTech segment, expanding J&J's capabilities in high-growth cardiovascular and heart-recovery solutions.

Vbrick, an enterprise video platform provider based in Herndon, Virginia, has acquired enterprise content delivery network (eCDN) provider Ramp Holdings, Inc. The deal consolidates eCDN capabilities—combining Ramp's caching/multicast technologies with Vbrick's peer-to-peer and unified streaming platform—to strengthen enterprise video delivery for hybrid and remote work use cases.

Designer Brands Inc. has acquired Topo Athletic, a performance athletic and outdoor footwear brand headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts. The deal brings Topo into Designer Brands' Owned Brands portfolio to expand its presence in the performance athletic, outdoor and athleisure categories; terms were not disclosed and Topo's founder Tony Post will remain as CEO of Topo reporting to Designer Brands' president.

London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has agreed to acquire Acadia, a provider of automated uncleared margin processing and integrated risk, margining and collateral optimisation services for the global derivatives community. The deal brings Acadia into LSEG's Post Trade division to strengthen its uncleared derivatives capabilities; terms were not disclosed and the transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

Cherry Bekaert has acquired Treacy & Company, a boutique growth and innovation consulting firm with offices in Boston and Chicago, to expand its strategy, innovation and digital advisory capabilities. The deal broadens Cherry Bekaert’s geographic footprint in the Midwest and Northeast U.S. and strengthens its industry depth across consumer products, manufacturing, automotive and healthcare.

Los Angeles-based private equity firm Interlock Equity has made a strategic growth investment in Boston-based consulting firm Investor Group Services (IGS). The minority growth capital will support IGS's expansion of its consulting team, new service offerings, geographic footprint, and potential strategic acquisitions while founders and leadership retain significant ownership.

Armstrong Relocation & Companies has acquired MacDonald Moving Services, a Boston-based United Van Lines agency, to expand Armstrong's service capacity in the New England market. The acquisition follows owner Bruce MacDonald’s decision to retire and will rebrand the business as Armstrong Relocation Company, Massachusetts, LLC, with Mark McEwen named president for the region.

Motorola Solutions has acquired Rave Mobile Safety, a Framingham, Massachusetts–based provider of a cloud-native mass notification and incident management platform. The acquisition expands Motorola Solutions' public safety and enterprise security portfolio by adding Rave's mass notification, panic button and incident coordination capabilities for schools, hospitals, governments and enterprises.

Gemspring Capital Management affiliate has acquired a majority interest in Amplix, a Norwood, Massachusetts-based provider of technology advisory services and software formed from the merger of ROI Communications, Blue Front Technology Group, and allConnex. Gemspring will partner with Amplix's management to scale the business, accelerate growth, and expand the company's technology advisory, managed services, cloud, and data center capabilities.

Pion Inc., a provider of analytical instruments for drug development and backed by SFW Capital, has acquired Two Square Science, a Fall River, Massachusetts company that designs sample preparation and lab monitoring equipment. The acquisition adds Two Square's PrepEngine and LabEye technologies to Pion's product portfolio to expand in vitro sample preparation and remote monitoring capabilities and accelerate customers' drug development workflows.

GCX Mounting Solutions, a portfolio company of Audax Private Equity, has acquired Jaco, Inc., a Franklin, Massachusetts-based manufacturer of point-of-care IT workstations and powered carts. The add-on acquisition expands GCX's medical mounting and OEM manufacturing capabilities—adding Jaco's battery-powered EVO Series mobile carts and complementary commercial and manufacturing competencies; financial terms were not disclosed.

FreeWire Technologies has acquired Mobilyze.ai, an AI-driven EV charging analytics and prediction platform. The acquisition adds location analytics and utilization-forecasting capabilities to FreeWire’s EV charging and energy management offerings to help site hosts optimize charger placement and ROI.

In-Place Machining Company (IPM), a portfolio company of Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP), has acquired East Coast Metrology, LLC (ECM), a Topsfield, Massachusetts-based precision measurement and calibration services provider. The acquisition expands IPM's Measurement and Alignment Services Division—adding 3D scanning, reverse engineering, CMM inspection and ISO/IEC 17025 calibration capabilities—to broaden service offerings and geographic coverage across North America.

Buchanan Technologies announced the strategic acquisition and merger of Infosenseglobal's Oracle technology and applications service line into Buchanan's Applications Services business, closing on December 1, 2022. The deal expands Buchanan's Oracle ERP and application modernization capabilities, creating a combined applications and database team of over 250 professionals; 7 Mile Advisors acted as sell-side advisor to Infosenseglobal.

Quantix, a Wind Point Partners portfolio company, has acquired Mid-States Packaging, a full‑service dry bulk transportation, warehousing and export services company with eleven locations across Texas, the Northeast and the Mid‑Atlantic. The add‑on bolsters Quantix’s geographic footprint and strengthens its warehousing and trucking transportation operations serving chemical producers and distributors.

Synoptek has acquired Optistar Technology Consultants, the technology services division of The Vertex Companies, to expand its managed IT, cybersecurity, digital forensics and software engineering capabilities and strengthen its presence in the Northeastern United States. The deal represents a divestiture by Vertex of its Optistar technology services business and will fold the Optistar business into the Synoptek brand to accelerate regional growth and broaden service offerings.

ZRG, a global talent advisory firm backed by RFE Investment Partners, has acquired Hub Recruiting, a boutique RPO (Recruiting Process Outsourcing) firm based in Bedford, Massachusetts. The acquisition expands ZRG's capabilities in embedded recruiting and volume hiring for technology-focused clients, integrating Hub's Full Stack RPO offering into ZRG's talent advisory and data-driven recruiting services.

SOCOTEC AE Consulting, LLC (SOCOTEC USA), a leading provider of testing, inspection, certification and engineering consulting services, has acquired Russo Barr Associates, a Boston-based engineering consulting firm specializing in building envelope repair, restoration and waterproofing. The acquisition strengthens SOCOTEC's presence in New England and adds Russo Barr's building envelope and restoration capabilities to SOCOTEC's architectural and building engineering practices.

Pion Inc. has acquired BEE International, adding high-pressure homogenization and emulsification equipment to Pion’s portfolio of formulation and analytical tools for biopharmaceutical development. BEE International will operate as an independent business unit and continue supporting customers from its South Easton, Massachusetts headquarters.

TechInsights Inc. acquired IC Knowledge LLC, a specialist in semiconductor cost modeling and market analysis, to expand its platform of semiconductor market analysis content. Founder Scotten Jones joins TechInsights' team to integrate IC Knowledge's cost-modeling products and databases with TechInsights' existing research offerings.

Carson Group has acquired Northface Capital Holdings, LLC, a Waltham, Massachusetts-based financial planning and wealth management firm with $200 million in assets under management. The Northface team — now led by Chris Tobey — sold its ownership to Carson and the office will transition to a wholly owned Carson Wealth location to provide continuity, succession planning and support for future growth.

Electrical Components International (ECI), a Cerberus-backed global supplier of electrical distribution systems, has acquired Manufacturing Resource Group Inc. (MRG), a Norwood, Massachusetts-based electro-mechanical and cable assembly manufacturer. The deal adds specialized cable, wire-harness and box-build capabilities to ECI's platform and expands its presence in automation, defense and medical end markets while keeping MRG's management and facilities in place.

Mazars USA LLP has acquired Boston-based accounting firm Samet & Company PC, adding five partners, three managing directors and 65 professionals to its US practice. The deal expands Mazars' footprint in the Boston/New England market and augments its audit, tax and advisory capabilities serving privately owned businesses, family offices and high-net-worth clients.

3STEP Sports, the nation’s largest youth sports club and event operator, has acquired BEST FC Soccer Club, a Massachusetts-based youth soccer organization founded by Maria and Paul Mumby. BEST FC — which grew from summer camps into a year-round club with roughly 30+ teams and community programs — will be integrated into 3STEP’s soccer division as the company expands its club network and youth development footprint.

WILsquare Capital, a St. Louis-based private equity firm, completed a majority recapitalization of Resident Essentials (Entropic, Inc.), a Weymouth, Massachusetts-based e-commerce/catalog supplier of adaptive clothing and home healthcare products for senior care facilities. Founder Jeff Garber retained significant equity and will remain on the board; David Lonczak was named CEO to lead the next phase of growth.

San Francisco Equity Partners (SFEP) has acquired a majority stake in DGS Retail, a provider of décor, signage, fixtures, displays and related design, manufacturing and installation services for grocery, retail and foodservice customers. SFEP said the investment will provide DGS with additional operational resources and capital to drive growth across its multi-facility operations in the United States; terms were not disclosed.

One Equity Partners portfolio company Momentum Manufacturing Group acquired precision machining providers Evans Industries Inc. and Little Enterprises, LLC. The add-on transactions expand MMG's precision machining and robotic capabilities, increase exposure to mission-critical end markets (semiconductor, medical, aerospace/defense), and added nearly 160 skilled team members; terms were not disclosed.

Relation Insurance Services, a PE-backed national insurance brokerage, acquired the assets of Garrity Insurance effective November 1, 2022; terms were not disclosed. Garrity, which serves Massachusetts individuals and businesses from five offices, will remain led day-to-day by President Bill Garrity as part of Relation's platform to expand its footprint and risk management capabilities in the East.

Urbint acquired iRestore, a no-code mobile workforce management platform for energy utilities, to integrate field mobile applications with its AI-driven incident prevention platform. The acquisition aims to improve adoption of Urbint's predictive insights in the field and scale end-to-end risk reduction for critical infrastructure operators.

Turnout Industries, a Chicago-based diversified holding company, announced a strategic investment in North Point Associates, an Ipswich, Massachusetts provider of investigative due diligence and proprietary research. North Point serves private equity firms, venture capital firms, corporations and campaigns; the investment will support the firm’s growth and broaden its client reach.

Caltius Structured Capital completed a debt and equity investment in Kognitiv, Inc. to provide growth capital and fund a shareholder dividend. Kognitiv, a Newton, Massachusetts–based Workday consulting and managed-services provider with a proprietary scheduling tool (Rooster) and more than 150 consultants, will use the capital to scale its services and software platform.

Lumanity, a portfolio company of Arsenal Capital Partners, has acquired Boston-based life sciences consultancy Clarion Healthcare from Svoboda Capital Partners. The undisclosed transaction expands Lumanity’s U.S. commercialization and product lifecycle consulting capabilities and creates greater global scale for life sciences strategy services.

AcheronTrading has acquired HedgeTech LLC, a Boston-based algorithmic market-making technology platform founded in 2018. The deal adds HedgeTech’s exchange integrations, low-latency infrastructure, and trading algorithms to AcheronTrading’s digital-asset market-making operations; financial terms were not disclosed.

Ecotone, Inc., a portfolio company of L2 Capital, has acquired Wilkinson Ecological Design (WED) and hired Conor Gillespie as CEO. The acquisition expands Ecotone’s geographic footprint into New England and integrates WED’s shoreline restoration and invasive species management capabilities to build a vertically integrated ecological restoration services provider.

SureWerx, a Riverside-backed global provider of safety products, has acquired Oberon Company, a U.S.-based designer and manufacturer of arc flash personal protective equipment (PPE). The deal is an add-on to SureWerx’s portfolio (following Riverside’s ownership) intended to expand SureWerx’s technical PPE offerings and accelerate Oberon’s growth through SureWerx’s distribution network.

Siemens Digital Industries Software has signed an agreement to acquire Avery Design Systems, a simulation-independent verification IP supplier headquartered in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. The acquisition will add Avery's verification IP and compliance test-suite technology to Siemens' Xcelerator portfolio to strengthen Siemens' integrated circuit verification offerings.

Dessert Holdings, North America's premium dessert company, has acquired Dianne's Fine Desserts from Geneva Glen Capital. The acquisition, terms undisclosed, expands Dessert Holdings' product assortment in the foodservice channel; Dianne's CEO Mike Knowles and President Dan Scales will be retiring as part of the transaction.

Summit Fire & Security, a subsidiary of SFP Holding, Inc. (Summit Companies), completed the acquisition of New England Fire Systems effective November 1, 2022. The purchase brings New England Fire Systems' team and regional footprint (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire) into Summit’s national network and expands Summit’s fire protection and life-safety services in the Northeast.

Initium SoftWorks LLC (ISW) has acquired DatumCloud and its Integration-as-a-Service product, DatumSync, to expand ISW's cloud integration and workflow capabilities. The deal adds a cloud-based, bi-directional integration platform to ISW's portfolio to support its consulting work in content services and process automation.

Gordon's Fine Wine, a fourth-generation wine and spirits retailer based in Waltham, Massachusetts, has acquired Bakers' Best Catering of Needham, Massachusetts. The acquisition expands Gordon's retail and service offering by adding Bakers' Best's catering and food-service capabilities to create an integrated wine-and-food experience for corporate, institutional and private clients in the greater Boston area.

AmeriVet Veterinary Partners (San Antonio, TX) acquired 14 veterinary practices from Northeast Veterinary Partners in a buyout announced October 11, 2022, marking the first time AmeriVet has purchased another veterinary consolidator. The deal expands AmeriVet’s clinic network (bringing it to about 186 clinics at the time) and adds locations across New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, California and Maine as part of its ongoing consolidation and network expansion strategy.

Regal Rexnord Corporation agreed to acquire Altra Industrial Motion Corp. for approximately $5.0 billion on an enterprise value basis, paying $62.00 in cash per share (a 54% premium). The transaction, which was approved by Altra's board, is expected to close in the first half of 2023 subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals; Altra will be delisted upon closing.

WJ Partners supported its portfolio company Power-Utility Products Co. (PUPCO) in the acquisition of NAPAC, a master distributor of valves, flanges and fittings serving the waterworks and fire suppression markets. The add-on expands PUPCO's product offering and geographic footprint (adding Worcester, MA and Jacksonville, FL locations), complements prior 2022 add-on MIROC, and was financed by Fifth Third Bank; NAPAC will continue operating under its existing brand with Brian Wilbur remaining general manager.

SMC Infrastructure Partners has acquired infrastructure investment platform InfraNext Partners, bringing founders Scott Troeller and Joseph Dunfee into SMC's senior management team. The addition expands SMC's capabilities and M&A/development pipeline with a focus on energy transition, resiliency, environmental impact and digitalization.

VettaFi has acquired Advisor Perspectives, the leading digital publisher and newsletter platform serving registered investment advisors, wealth managers, and financial planners. The acquisition expands VettaFi’s content, advisor database and distribution capabilities as part of its strategy to grow its data, analytics and digital distribution footprint in the financial-advisor market.

Global consulting firm J.S. Held has acquired TBG Security, a cybersecurity consultancy specializing in offensive and defensive cyber consulting, penetration testing, and incident response. The acquisition expands J.S. Held’s cyber security and investigations capabilities and adds TBG’s specialized team to its Global Investigations Practice in North America.

Virtus Investment Partners agreed to acquire AlphaSimplex Group, a quantitative/alternative investment manager, from Natixis Investment Managers and completed the transaction on April 1, 2023. The deal brings AlphaSimplex's systematic alternative strategies and ~$8.3 billion of AUM into Virtus' multi-boutique platform to expand its alternative capabilities and distribution reach.

CAPTRUST Financial Advisors acquired Massachusetts-based Patriot Pension Advisors, a retirement-plan specialist that oversees roughly $900 million in client assets. MidCap Advisors served as Patriot Pension Advisors' exclusive financial advisor; Patriot's leaders Ted Burke and Michelle Marchionni will continue to run the business as CAPTRUST expands its Northeast footprint.

Eli Lilly agreed to acquire Akouos for approximately $487 million in cash plus contingent value rights that could increase the deal value to about $610 million. The acquisition gives Lilly Akouos's pipeline of AAV-based inner-ear gene therapies (including lead candidate AK-OTOF) to accelerate development of treatments for sensorineural hearing loss.