Audax Private Equity Announces Strategic Investment in Flow Control Holdings

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Audax Private Equity (“Audax”) today announced it has completed a strategic growth investment in Flow Control Holdings (“FCH” or the “Company”), a premier provider of sanitary flow components to producers of foods, beverages and pharmaceuticals. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Phil Pejovich, CEO of FCH, will continue to lead the Company alongside the existing management team.

Based in Chicago, FCH specializes in providing highly engineered sanitary and high purity flow components (e.g. fittings, valves, hoses, pumps, and other components) for market-critical applications within the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries around the world. The Company’s brands and products, including Steel & O’Brien and Ace Sanitary, encompass a broad assortment of highly engineered sanitary and high purity flow control components and services.

Mr. Pejovich said, “We are thrilled to have the backing of an experienced partner like Audax. With their support, we will be well-positioned to continue to expand our best-in-class portfolio of highly engineered flow control solutions to better serve our customers, suppliers, and employees.”

“We are excited to work with Phil and the management team at FCH. Under their leadership, the Company has differentiated itself in a large and highly fragmented market by establishing a broad portfolio of comprehensive solutions,” said Ryan Bruehlmann, Managing Director at Audax Private Equity. “We look forward to leveraging our prior experience to drive growth both organically and through strategic M&A.”

Don Bramley, Managing Director at Audax Private Equity, added, “FCH has built a solid business that is underpinned by a strong, dedicated sales team and a growing customer base. The Company is well-positioned to continue its strong momentum with our support.”

Baird served as financial advisor to Audax and KPMG served as financial advisor to FCH. Ropes & Gray served as legal counsel to Audax and Dentons LLP served as legal counsel to FCH.

About Audax Private Equity

Audax Group is a leading alternative investment manager with offices in Boston, New York, and San Francisco. Since its founding in 1999, the firm has raised over $30 billion in capital across its Private Equity and Private Debt businesses. Audax Private Equity has invested over $9 billion in 150 platforms and over 1,050 add-on companies, and is currently investing out of its $3.5 billion, sixth private equity fund. Through its disciplined Buy & Build approach, Audax Private Equity seeks to help platform companies execute add-on acquisitions that fuel revenue growth, optimize operations, and significantly increase equity value. With more than 300 employees, Audax is a leading capital partner for North American middle market companies. For more information, visit the Audax Private Equity website: www.audaxprivateequity.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Flow Control Holdings

Flow Control Holdings is a premier provider of highly engineered flow components for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries, and the parent company to both Steel & O’Brien Manufacturing and Ace Sanitary. Flow Control Holdings offers a broad portfolio of sanitary and high purity products including pumps, valves, multi-use and single-use hose assemblies, fittings, and engineered solutions. For more information, visit www.flowcontrolholdings.com.

For Audax:
Julie Rudnick/Zachary Tramonti
Sard Verbinnen & Co
Audax-SVC@SARDVERB.com

For Flow Control Holdings:
Todd Starr, Chief Growth Officer
todd@flowcontrolholdings.com