Private Equity Investments for Lower-Middle-Market Companies

Private Equity Investments for Lower-Middle-Market Companies

Private Equity Investments for Lower-Middle-Market Companies

Is business succession planning keeping you up at night?

How to prepare for retirement or business succession and protect your legacy

private equity investment

Business owners never stop thinking about their business. It permeates everything they do. It dominates every decision made for themselves, their employees and their family. It is their life, livelihood and legacy.

Today’s business owners are facing a lot of uncertainty. While the economy is mostly holding steady, business owners are worried about how to keep their business solvent and avoid the worst-case scenario of shutting down.  They are feeling the pressures of being responsible for a company and the livelihood of their employees, not to mention their own. For these reasons, many business owners are considering retiring or transitioning their business sooner than anticipated. 

PLANNING FOR RETIREMENT OR TRANSITION
The average age of lower-middle-market business owners is 50 years old.  Many of them have already begun thinking about succession planning and are expected to transition the business to a new owner in the next ten years.

In years past, it was very common for businesses to change hands from owner/founder to a family member. Succession within the family was expected and the founder’s children and other family members were likely already involved in the company in some way.

Their education was on-the-job training and when it was time for the business to change hands succession was, in most cases, an easy decision on who would take over the reins.  The employees watched the next generation grow into leadership and, in many cases, provided a helping hand for them to step into their roles. 

NEW ISSUES FACING TODAY’S BUSINESS OWNERS
However, a new issue is facing business owners in the 21st Century: their children and other close family members more likely chose higher education over on-the-job training in the family business. They have chosen careers in companies outside the family business – technology, law, accounting or other professions – leaving the legacy of the family business in question.

Further, depending on the size of the company and how long it has been in business, there may not be someone in the company well-suited to take over. This creates a dilemma for owners as to the best route to retirement or business transition.

OPTIONS FOR REACHING BUSINESS GOALS
For the best outcomes, business owners often work with a private equity firm to help determine the best strategy for their business growth and to meet their succession planning or retirement objectives.  Strategies include:

  • Providing liquidity for business owners’ estates
  • Assisting with enhancement of business operations
  • Partnering with and bolstering middle management either for day-to-day operations or succession planning.

The partners of Roebling Capital Partners (RCP) have experience in all of these scenarios. As current and former business owners and having been involved in countless M&A transactions over the years, we have seen just about every imaginable situation and overcome what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles.

How do you manage a crisis in which you lose over a third of operational revenues virtually overnight? How do you weather a financial downturn? How do you deal with other challenges you face daily as a business owner?  These are not just concepts read in textbooks. These are real world experiences RCP partners have faced and successfully resolved. 

If you are experiencing these or other challenges, you do not need to face them alone. RCP can help you overcome each of these scenarios and more.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO GO IT ALONE
At Roebling Capital Partners, our passion is working side-by-side with business owners, to structure private equity transactions that meet their long-term goals. 

With a down-to-earth common-sense approach, the result of years of structuring private equity transactions, we provide guidance to business owners and carefully support them throughout the process and beyond to ensure success and protect owners from potential risks of business transitioning. 

Whether you are just exploring options for your business or you are ready to become a portfolio company of RCP, we are happy to work through potential scenarios with you.* 

Preparing for a successful business transition

Determining the fate of a business can seem an overwhelming decision for business owners. Who is best to take over – someone internal or external to the company? Is it better to sell the company completely? Or, if an owner is not confident the business will be managed well after their departure, is it best to just close up shop altogether?

These are tough decisions for today’s business owners. They need a team they can count on who have real-world knowledge of the issues they are facing to provide the guidance needed for a smooth and successful exit.

Visit the RCP Investment Criteria to see if your business is a potential fit, then give us a call to learn more.

Roebling Capital Partners make controlling equity investments in lower-middle-market companies who wish to expand grow or sell their businesses.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

About the author: Dan Magarian is Co-founder and Partner at Roebling Capital Partners, a lower-middle-market private equity investment firm.

CONTACT: Dmagarian@RCPprivateequity.com or 513-507-8400

Company Name
Longstreth Sporting Goods

Website
longstrethfieldhockey.com

Location
Philadelphia, PA

Categories
Active, Value-Added Distribution

Date of Close
August 31, 2023

Longstreth Sporting Goods

Longstreth Sporting Goods is a value-added, omni-channel women’s field hockey equipment distributor that carries impressive brand equity and name recognition in the sector. The Company employs 20 full time employees and has been committed to supporting the development of domestic field hockey for over 40 years. The Company’s omni-channel sales approach boasts revenue streams from E-commerce, Wholesale, Group Sales, and Retail customers. 

Investment Thesis

  • Incredibly strong business model boasting high margins
  • Impressive management team (including middle management)
  • Opportunities for expansion into other sports and internationally
  • Longstreth’s position as the key player in a niche market
  • A very strong risk-adjusted return profile  

RVA™ Approach

  • Investing in eCommerce infrastructure to facilitate continued eCommerce revenue growth
  • Fragmented market prime for inorganic growth
  • Enhancements to operational capabilities to drive further efficiencies
The Porch Swing Company

Company Name
The Porch Swing Company

Website
theporchswingcompany.com

Location
Tampa, FL

Categories
Active, Consumer Products

Date of Close
February 18, 2022

The Porch Swing Company

The Porch Swing Company is one of the largest ecommerce retailers of porch swings and outdoor patio furniture in the U.S. The company’s products are superior-quality, easy-to-assemble, Amish-crafted outdoor furniture, including porch swings, swing beds, gliders, rocking chairs, and more.

Transaction Dynamics
Partnership with the founder to recapitalize the business and position it for future growth. Additionally, RCP partnered with Cincinnati-based operating partners to bolster the day-to-day operational management function. Both the founder and the operating partners made notable investments in the company as part of the transaction.

Investment Thesis
  • Elegant business model and value proposition that enable the company to scale easily and rapidly, without being burdened by significant warehousing space or inventory constraints
  • First-mover advantage and strong barriers to entry given legacy relationships with high-quality, reliable, Amish craftspeople
  • Opportunity to easily expand product offering and optimizing sourcing

RVA™ Approach

  • Investing in R&D to expand product offering and reduce seasonality
  • Improving systems and processes through implementing new technologies
  • Bolstering management infrastructure with key personnel additions
  • Accelerating growth via meaningful investment in sales, marketing, and advertising

Company Name
Teron Lighting, Inc. (TLI, LLC)

Website
teronlighting.com

Location
Cincinnati, OH

Categories
Active, Light Manufacturing

Date of Close
April 16, 2021

Teron Lighting

Cincinnati-based TLI, LLC is a nationally recognized leader in manufacturing energy-efficient, environmentally friendly lighting products. With over 40 years of experience in the design and manufacture of commercial-grade lighting fixtures, TLI is positioned for substantial growth in product and market initiatives.

Transaction Dynamics
RCP provided a solution to the legacy ownership group whereby they could transition out of the business and retire. We partnered with new and existing management, who have notable equity consideration, to align interests and propel growth into the future.

Investment Thesis
  • Compelling value proposition given the TLI’s ability to produce bespoke, American-made products, which are increasingly rare in the sector
  • Strong national manufacturers’ representative network
  • In-house testing and engineering capabilities
  • Diverse end market and customer base
  • Multiple avenues of growth yet to be pursued
RVA™ Approach
  • Top-grading management
  • Improving systems and processes
  • Investing further in engineering capabilities
  • Pursuing add-on acquisitions
  • Initiating a full-scale, ongoing marketing campaign to bolster the brand
All Claims Repairs & Consultants

Company Name
All Claims Repairs, LLC

Website
allclaimsrepairs.com

Location
Deerfield Beach, FL

Categories
Active, Business Services

Date of Close
December 20, 2020

All Claims Repairs

All Claims Repairs is a licensed and insured general contractor specializing in water extraction, mold remediation, and water and fire damage restoration. The company also provides consulting services such as expert testimony and umpiring services to litigated claims. The company works with residential and commercial property owners, insurance companies, and insurance claims professionals to evaluate and restore damaged properties.

Transaction Dynamics
Partnership with the existing owners to recapitalize the business to accelerate growth. The owners/management made a significant investment in the company as part of the transaction.

Investment Thesis

  • Unique value proposition in the industry, providing a full-service offering including both consulting and restoration services to key markets in Florida
  • Strong brand equity in the market
  • Nimble, flexible operations that enable the company to provide a multitude of value-added services to a diverse array of customers
  • Recession-resistant, non-cyclical business model

RVA™ Approach

  • Meaningful investment in the sales and marketing function to further diversify end markets
  • Adding key management members
  • Adding valuable advisory board members
Chemlock Nutrition Logo

Company Name
Chemlock Nutrition

Website
chemlocknutrition.com

Location
Cincinnati, OH

Categories
Active, Value-Added Distribution

Date of Close
June 14, 2021

Chemlock Nutrition

Chemlock Nutrition formulates and provides high-purity, specialty feed additives for end-use in the livestock feed industry. Since entering the industry in 2013, Chemlock is one of the fastest-growing feed additive and ingredient companies in the U.S., having more than tripled its revenue in the last three years.

Transaction Dynamics
Partnership with the founders/owners to recapitalize the company and position it for sustained long-term growth. The founders made a significant investment in the company as part of the transaction and will continue in their existing capacity going forward. 

Investment Thesis

  • The company takes a chemistry-first approach, enabling it to possess a strong position in the market, primarily from a product quality and innovation perspective
  • Attractive growth story, value proposition, and management dynamics
  • Expansive and diverse end markets, some of which are untapped
  • Meaningful continued equity and operational participation from the founders

RVA™ Approach

  • Enhancing systems and inventory management
  • Expanding proprietary product offering through concerted, meaningful investment in R&D
  • Further diversifying customer and end-market base
  • Augmenting the sales and marketing function