Acquisitions in Texas in 2017

Kinderhook Industries, a New York-based private equity firm, acquired Intergulf Corporation, a Baytown, Texas-headquartered industrial liquids management company. Several Intergulf executives (including Brandon Velek and Marc Sansom) retained ownership stakes and will continue to lead the company post-transaction; financial terms were not disclosed.

Epiphany Dermatology has expanded its Dallas/Fort Worth footprint by acquiring R. Todd Plott, MD, PA, doing business as Dermatology Alliance. The providers and support staff from the three-clinic practice have joined Epiphany; Dr. R. Todd Plott will serve as Epiphany’s DFW Market Medical Director to support expanded patient access and clinical leadership.

Serenova, an Austin-based contact center-as-a-service (CCaaS) provider, acquired TelStrat, a provider of call recording, workforce optimization (WFO) and analytics solutions. The deal adds TelStrat's Engage WFO product and customers to Serenova's CxEngage platform to accelerate capability expansion, cross-sell opportunities and improved contact-center experience offerings.

Sabormex S.A. de C.V., an operating company of the La Costeña Group, has acquired Del Sol Food Company, Inc., the maker and owner of the BRIANNAS Fine Salad Dressings brand. GulfStar Group acted as exclusive financial advisor to Sabormex. The acquisition supports La Costeña's U.S. expansion and intends to grow the BRIANNAS brand through geographic expansion and product line extensions.

SK Capital Partners has acquired Foremark Performance Chemicals (formerly D.B. Western - Texas), a La Porte, Texas-based producer of formaldehyde and derivatives. The acquisition expands SK Capital's chemicals portfolio and adds Foremark's large formaldehyde, UFC and MEA triazine production capabilities serving end-markets including oil & gas, building materials and textiles.

Aviana Global Technologies has acquired Elite Analytics, a Texas-based data science and predictive analytics specialist. The deal expands Aviana’s predictive analytics and anomaly detection capabilities to strengthen its business solutions and fraud-detection offerings for government and enterprise clients.

GroupBy Inc., a Toronto-based eCommerce search and merchandising provider, has acquired Austin-based product data enrichment software company Edgecase. The acquisition integrates Edgecase’s product data intelligence into GroupBy’s Searchandiser platform to create an end-to-end site search and merchandising solution; terms were not disclosed.

Blue Sage Capital, in partnership with Trailcreek Capital Group and industry veteran John Gustafson, formed Frontier Waste Holdings and announced initial acquisitions of Access Disposal Services and K2 Waste Solutions to create a Texas-based municipal solid waste platform headquartered in Dallas. Frontier will operate municipal, residential, commercial and industrial waste services in the region and is pursuing further add-on acquisitions across Texas.

Dallas-based private equity firm Calidant Capital announced a strategic partnership with Arcadia Roofing Company, LLC on March 23, 2017, providing equity, credit facilities (via Texas Capital Bank), and operational support to accelerate Arcadia's growth. Calidant's equity partners on the deal included several high-net-worth family offices and individuals led by Cordatus Capital.

UL (Underwriters Laboratories) has acquired Emergo, an Austin-based regulatory services firm for medical device manufacturers, expanding UL's health sciences regulatory and market access capabilities. Emergo's headquarters and more than 200 employees will be retained as UL integrates Emergo's device registration expertise to accelerate global market access for customers.

EVERFI, an education technology company, has acquired Workplace Answers, a provider of online compliance training and the Campus Answers brand. The deal expands EVERFI's capabilities in compliance and higher-education training, allowing the combined business to serve more campuses and corporate clients with scalable prevention and compliance education.

Genstar Capital has made a majority equity investment in Blue Star Sports to fund strategic acquisitions and accelerate the company's organic growth. Blue Star Sports — a Frisco, Texas–based provider of sports management software and payment solutions — will continue to have material ownership by founder Rob Wechsler, the Jerry Jones family, and Providence Strategic Growth while using the new capital to expand in North America and internationally.

Radio Systems Corporation (operating as the PetSafe brand) has acquired Solvit Products, a maker of pet mobility, travel and therapeutic accessories, in a deal finalized March 17. Solvit — based in Arlington, Texas and led by owner Patrick Hoffman — will expand PetSafe's product portfolio with ramps, stairs, car seat covers, harnesses and other specialty pet-support products; Solvit was represented by Aramar Capital Group on the sale.

Ryan Specialty Group (RSG) completed the acquisition of Trident Marine Managers, Inc. on March 1, 2017. Trident — a Houston-based marine-focused MGA providing underwriting and claims-adjusting services — will operate as a subsidiary within RSG Underwriting Managers with Martin Hayes and Michael Johnson continuing as joint Managing Directors.

LFM Capital, a Nashville-based private equity firm, has acquired EDSCO Fasteners LLC, a Denton, Texas-based manufacturer of foundation anchoring systems, from Validor Capital. The deal gives LFM a platform in the anchoring systems / fasteners market with multiple North American facilities and aims to expand sales and geographic reach across infrastructure end markets.

Tejas Investments provided a strategic growth investment in Phoenix Electric, Inc., a Hutto, Texas-based multi-family electrical contractor. The transaction closed on January 3, 2017 with Focus Strategies Merchant Banking serving as exclusive advisor; the capital will support Phoenix Electric's continued service and growth across Texas.