Osmose Utilities Services, Inc., headquartered in Peachtree City, has been bought by EQT Infrastructure from Kohlberg Investors VII, a fund managed by Kohlberg & Company, LLC.
Osmose will maintain its corporate headquarters in Peachtree City under the continued leadership of CEO Ron Childress and the Osmose management team. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 1934, Osmose is the leading provider of critical inspection, maintenance and restoration services for wood and steel infrastructure in the United States. Osmose leverages its scale, multi-decade operational experience and proprietary data analytics to deliver a unique and essential service that is cost-effective, improves infrastructure reliability and reduces risk for its utility and telecom customers. This strong value proposition, combined with service, quality and a world-class safety record, has allowed Osmose to maintain relationships averaging around 40 years with its top 50 customers.
EQT will support Osmose in its next phase of development as the Company focuses on accelerating service expansion with existing and new customers, further enhancing its data analytics capabilities and scaling its base of talented and high-performing foremen to support growth. Moreover, EQT will leverage its bench of Industrial Advisors with extensive experience in utilities, telecom and similar services businesses to drive growth and achieve operational efficiencies.
Erwin Thompson, Partner at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT Infrastructure commented: “Osmose is unique among utility services businesses due to its strong infrastructure characteristics and fits perfectly within EQT Infrastructure’s approach of targeting high-quality, stable businesses with transformation potential. We have been impressed with the Company’s historical growth trajectory and ongoing transformation fueled by a data-based sales strategy. We are excited by the opportunity to help shape the next phase of growth for Osmose, together with an exceptionally talented group of people led by CEO Ron Childress and supported by an outstanding executive management team.”
“We have enjoyed building a relationship with EQT throughout this process and are confident this partnership will help Osmose achieve continued success in the future,” commented Ron Childress, CEO of Osmose. “We are excited to leverage EQT’s extensive resources as we continue investing in new capabilities and expanding into new markets to accelerate growth. We appreciate the investment and partnership Kohlberg offered throughout their ownership, which positioned us well for long-term success.”
“We have enjoyed our partnership with Ron and the Osmose team, who have uniquely positioned the Company as a differentiated market leader with significant growth capabilities and expansion opportunities in the utilities services market,” commented Benjamin Mao, Partner at Kohlberg & Company. “We look forward to the continued success of Osmose in partnership with EQT.”
Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal advisor to EQT Infrastructure. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Harris Williams served as financial advisors and Ropes & Gray LLP acted as legal counsel to Osmose.
