Transportation Acquisitions in Colorado

Manifest, a Denver-based lifestyle and travel club, has agreed to acquire Skyroads Aviation, a Part 135 certificated air carrier based at Centennial Airport outside Denver. The deal — expected to close by October 31 — will allow Manifest to operate its own private aviation services (it has also leased a Pilatus PC-12); Skyroads’ current five King Airs will not be part of the acquisition.

Charlesbank Capital Partners, a Boston-based middle-market private investment firm, has acquired EverDriven Technologies, an alternative student transportation platform, from affiliates of Palladium Equity Partners. EverDriven—which serves nearly 700 school districts across 29 states and transports ~28,000 students annually—will partner with Charlesbank to invest in its routing technology, safety programs and nationwide expansion plans. Terms were not disclosed.

Rekor Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: REKR) has completed the acquisition of All Traffic Data Services, LLC (ATD) for $19 million in a mix of cash and stock. The deal expands Rekor’s geographic footprint and urban mobility capabilities by combining ATD’s traffic data collection and engineering services with Rekor’s AI/ML roadway intelligence platform.

Australia’s Kelsian Group has completed the acquisition of 100% of All Aboard America! Holdings, Inc., a large US passenger motorcoach operator serving corporate, government, education, LNG and tourism customers across multiple states. The deal gives Kelsian an established multi-state US platform and a pipeline of contract and charter opportunities in the American market.

AWP Safety, backed by Kohlberg & Co., has acquired Warning Lites Inc. of Colorado, a full-service traffic control and equipment rental provider operating throughout Colorado. Transaction terms were not disclosed; the deal is an add-on to AWP Safety to strengthen its equipment rental and worksite protection capabilities in the U.S. Mountain region.

Vehicle Management Solutions LLC (VMS), a Mill Point Capital portfolio company, has acquired IncidentClear, a freeway service patrol provider headquartered in Arvada, Colorado. The add-on expands VMS's incident management and debris-removal capabilities and broadens its geographic footprint with new municipal and state transportation clients.

Patriot Rail Company LLC has completed the acquisition of Denver-based Pioneer Lines, Inc., a holding company operating 15 short line railroads, from BRX Transportation Holdings. The deal (completed following regulatory approval) expands Patriot Rail's short line operations from 16 to 31 railroads and extends its service footprint across 23 U.S. states; Patriot Rail is majority-backed by Igneo Infrastructure Partners.

An affiliate of American Pacific Group (APG) has acquired Interwest Distribution Company, a Denver-based regional distributor of 3M-branded automotive and building films. Interwest will be combined with APG portfolio company Fellers, Inc. as a platform consolidation to expand distribution capabilities across automotive and architectural end markets.

TransForce Group, majority owned by an affiliate of Palladium Equity Partners, acquired United States Truck Driving School (USTDS) in Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado, with the sale finalized October 18, 2021. USTDS will retain its name and become part of The CDL School (a TransForce Group company), expanding TransForce's CDL training footprint and veteran placement programs as an add-on under Palladium's ownership.

Armstrong Relocation & Companies has acquired Denver-based Amazing Moves Moving & Storage. Amazing Moves will continue to operate under its own brand and partner with Armstrong's Denver operation as Armstrong expands its national footprint.

GB & Partners Investment Management, together with portfolio company Asura Technologies, acquired a majority stake in Parking Revenue Recovery Services (PRRS). The investment pairs PRRS's 20 years of parking enforcement and collections expertise with Asura's AI-based video analytics and license-plate-recognition technology to accelerate ARC/ARC360 installations and expand PRRS's North American footprint.

Crest Rock Partners, a Denver-based private equity firm, made a majority investment in Lumin8 Transportation Technologies, a platform formed from W.L. Contractors, Carlson Construction Services and Wilburn Engineering. Lumin8 is headquartered in Arvada, Colorado, employs over 250 people, and provides traffic and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) services and technology to government entities and national contractors; Lumin8 management invested alongside Crest Rock and SDR Ventures served as sell-side advisor.

The W.W. Williams Company, an One Equity Partners portfolio company, has acquired CP Company (doing business as CT Power and Iceberg Enterprises), a regional dealer of transport refrigeration and trailer equipment and services. The deal expands W.W. Williams' transport refrigeration capabilities, adds geographic footprint across the Southwest, and broadens its trailer parts, rental/leasing and cold-storage-related offerings.

Pike Street Capital announced a growth investment in QuickBox, a Denver-based third-party logistics and fulfillment provider serving CPG, health & wellness, and e-commerce brands. The investment will provide capital and operational support to expand QuickBox's tech-enabled fulfillment platform and support continued growth.

Area Wide Protective (AWP), a portfolio company of The Riverside Company, has acquired Northern Colorado Traffic Control, Inc. (NCTC) as an add-on to AWP's traffic management platform. The acquisition expands AWP's footprint into the Colorado market while keeping NCTC founder Trish Sandau actively involved.

Seaport Capital completed a strategic growth investment in All Traffic Data (ATD), providing capital to support the company's expansion while founders Eric and Dawn Boivin remain in management and are investing alongside Seaport. The investment will fund growth initiatives including geographic expansion and the rollout of ATD's technology-enabled traffic data collection, reporting, consulting and transportation asset management services across new geographies and verticals.

TravelCenters of America LLC acquired the landmark Johnson's Corner truck stop and restaurant in Johnstown, Colorado, adding the location to its Petro Stopping Centers network. The acquisition expands TA/Petro's travel center footprint and preserves the site's restaurant and bakery while integrating the location into TA's professional-driver amenities and services.

Mountain Aviation, Inc., a Broomfield, Colorado-based aircraft charter, management and maintenance company, was acquired by an unnamed private investment group. The new ownership will keep existing management in place and seeks to grow Mountain Aviation's position in the Rocky Mountain region while expanding services into the oil & gas and government markets.