WilliamsMarston LLC ("WilliamsMarston," the "Firm" or "WM) is pleased to announce that it has received a new strategic investment by funds managed by Kelso & Company ("Kelso"), one of the oldest and most established private equity firms.
BOSTON, Aug. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- WilliamsMarston LLC ("WilliamsMarston," the "Firm" or "WM) is pleased to announce that it has received a new strategic investment by funds managed by Kelso & Company ("Kelso"), one of the oldest and most established private equity firms. WilliamsMarston management will remain invested in the business, and co-founders Landen Williams and Jon Marston will continue to lead the Firm through its next phase of growth.
WilliamsMarston is a national leader in complex accounting, tax, and valuation advisory services to pre-IPO, public and private equity-backed companies managing rapid growth and transformation. The Firm has achieved transformational growth over the past two years, increasing its headcount to more than 225 professionals, expanding into five new geographic markets and adding key new service capabilities. The partnership between Kelso and WilliamsMarston will enable WM to continue its long-term growth strategy of adding highly technical experts to enhance its client value proposition while continuing to execute on the Firm's highly selective acquisition strategy.
"We chose to partner with Kelso given our strong cultural and philosophical alignment and their track record of partnering with founder-led professional services firms to accelerate growth and build market leading organizations," said Landen Williams. "Our team is laser focused on providing the highest quality service to our clients," said Jon Marston. "Partnering with Kelso is an exciting next chapter in our growth story."
"WilliamsMarston is a trusted advisor to CFOs with a reputation for providing top-tier technical expertise," said Chris Collins, Managing Director of Kelso. "We are excited to partner with the WilliamsMartson team to support their next phase of growth and further establish the Firm as a leading provider of complex accounting, tax, and valuation advisory services in the U.S. and beyond," added Steve Dutton, Managing Director of Kelso.
"Together with WM management, we accomplished all of the objectives we outlined in 2020," said ACP Managing Partner Chris Jones. "Landen, Jon, and the entire WM team have been outstanding partners for ACP and we are incredibly appreciative of their efforts over the past two years. WilliamsMarston has an outstanding leadership team and a unique and differentiated position in the market. The growth they have achieved is truly remarkable and all of us at ACP are excited to watch the Firm's continued success."
The transaction closed in August 2022. William Blair and Houlihan Lokey acted as financial advisors to WM and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to the Firm. Debevoise & Plimpton served as legal counsel to Kelso.
About WilliamsMarston LLC
WilliamsMarston is a national leader in complex accounting, tax and valuation advisory services. Founded in 2014, WM has more than 225 professionals and offices in Boston, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Tucson, Southern California and the Bay Area. The Firm advises public, private equity-backed and pre-IPO companies managing rapid growth and transformation including mergers, acquisitions, carveouts, spin-offs, initial public offerings, complex technical accounting, corporate tax and restructuring. With a team of industry leading experts, WilliamsMarston is the CFO's most trusted advisor through their most complex transactions and mission critical initiatives. For more information, visit williamsmarston.com.
About Kelso & Company
Kelso is one of the oldest and most established firms specializing in private equity investing. Since 1980, Kelso has invested approximately $19 billion of equity capital in over 135 transactions. Kelso was founded by the inventor of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and, as a result, the principles of partnership and alignment of interest serve as the foundation of the firm's investment philosophy. Kelso benefits from a successful investment track record, deep sector expertise, a long-tenured investing team, and a reputation as a preferred partner to management teams and corporates. Kelso has significant experience investing in financial services, having deployed approximately $4 billion of equity capital in the sector. For more information, please visit kelso.com.
About Align Capital Partners
Align Capital Partners is a growth-oriented private equity firm that partners with business owners and management teams to create shared success. ACP manages $775 million in committed capital with investment teams in Cleveland and Dallas. ACP brings experience and resources to help lower-middle market companies accelerate their growth, to the benefit of management, employees and the firm's investors. ACP makes control investments in differentiated companies within the business services, technology, specialty manufacturing and distribution sectors. For more information, visit aligncp.com.
Media Contact
Margaret Berkeley, WilliamsMarston LLC, 1 617-982-6699, [email protected]
SOURCE WilliamsMarston LLC
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