It was announced today that Kohlberg & Company has acquired the Aurora Casket Company, a manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of funeral products. “The partnership between Aurora and Kohlberg creates a powerful force in the funeral products industry,” said Livingstone Managing Director Andy Isgrig, who heads the U.S. industrial practice. “Aurora is well positioned to continue its market share growth in the industry.”
Aurora is a manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of funeral products. The company complements its core offering of metal and hardwood caskets with a wide range of cremation caskets, urns, memorial stationary, grave markers, and other funeral supplies and services. The company is based in Aurora, IN (www.auroracasket.com).
“Over its 120-plus year history, Aurora has focused exclusively on providing the highest quality products and services to its customers,” said Aurora board member Jerry Reichert. “Aurora is excited to partner with such a well respected institution that is equally committed to funeral service and our purpose of helping to create an honorable closure to every life.”
Kohlberg & Company is a control investor in a variety of industries including manufacturing, healthcare, consumer products and service industries. Since its inception in 1987, Kohlberg has completed more than 57 platform investments and more than 112 add-on acquisitions, with aggregate transaction value in excess of $8 billion. The firm is located in Mt. Kisco, NY (www.kohlberg.com).
Livingstone Partners acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Aurora. Livingstone is an international investment banking firm focused on M&A and private capital transactions with values between $30 and $300 million. Across its offices in the US and Europe, Livingstone’s 50 corporate finance professionals specialize in five key sectors: business services; consumer; healthcare; industrial; and media & technology. Aurora represents Livingstone’s 20th closed transaction and the sixth sale to a U.S.-based private equity firm in 2012. Kohlberg joins American Securities, JZ International, Incline Equity Partners, Lindsay Goldberg, and Waveland Investments as recent private equity counterparties to Livingstone transactions. Livingstone Partners has offices in Chicago, London and Madrid (www.livingstonepartners.com).