Osmose Utilities Services, Inc. Acquired by Kohlberg & Company, L.L.C.
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) August 22, 2015 -- Osmose Utilities Services, Inc. (“Osmose” or the “Company”), the leading provider of structural integrity management services to power utilities and telecommunications providers across the transmission and distribution (“T&D”) infrastructure grid, has been acquired by Kohlberg and Company, L.L.C. (“Kohlberg”), a leading private equity firm based in Mount Kisco, New York.
Osmose is the market leader in providing inspection, treatment, and restoration services to maintain and remediate wood poles and steel tower structures across the U.S. The Company’s proprietary asset life extension solutions and industry-leading technical expertise protect the mission-critical assets of utility customers while ensuring the integrity, safety, and predictability of the nation’s T&D infrastructure.
“We are thrilled to team up with Kohlberg and look forward to the next phase of the Company’s growth and development,” said Ron Childress, President & Chief Executive Officer of Osmose. “The Company has built strong brand recognition, an established reputation for innovative products and services, and best-in-class safety performance. Through our new partnership with Kohlberg, Osmose is well-positioned to strategically grow our business to continue to meet the infrastructure maintenance needs of our customers nationwide.”
Osmose’s entire executive team will remain intact with the exception of outgoing President & CEO, Larry B. Larson, who announced his retirement earlier this year after a distinguished 35-year career with Osmose. Ron Childress, the former Chief Operating Officer and a 29-year veteran of Osmose, has assumed the current role of President & CEO.
Benjamin Mao, Partner of Kohlberg, commented, “We are delighted to have the opportunity to invest in the people of Osmose. We are impressed with Osmose’s longstanding track record of industry leadership and market innovation, and we look forward to partnering with Ron and his talented team in building on the substantial success the Company has achieved to date.”
Harris Williams & Co. served as financial advisor, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to Osmose. RBC Capital Markets acted as financial advisor, and Ropes & Gray LLP acted as legal counsel to Kohlberg in connection with the transaction. Committed debt financing has been provided by Goldman, Sachs & Co. and RBC Capital Markets. Latham & Watkins LLP acted as legal counsel to the arrangers.
About Osmose Utilities Services, Inc.
Osmose provides professional grade inspection, maintenance, life extension and rehabilitation services designed to help build resiliency into T&D infrastructure. Osmose also provides corrosion mitigation and engineered repairs for steel structures, structural load analysis, and a variety of turnkey infrastructure enhancement and upgrade solutions. With over 80 years of operating history, Osmose proudly serves America’s utilities as they manage the growing infrastructure grid and build tomorrow’s intelligent utility. http://www.osmose.com
About Kohlberg & Company
Kohlberg & Company is a leading private equity firm headquartered in Mount Kisco, New York. Since its inception in 1987, Kohlberg has organized seven private equity funds, through which it has raised over $5 billion of committed equity capital. Over its 28-year history, Kohlberg has completed 65 platform investments and over 140 add-on acquisitions, with an aggregate transaction value of approximately $10 billion. For more information, please visit http://www.kohlberg.com.
Lauren Glass, Osmose Utilities Services, Inc., +1 (770) 632-6710, [email protected]
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