The Hillman Companies, a portfolio company of Oak Hill Capital Partners, has acquired Paulin & Co., an industrial products distributor and manufacturer.
Paulin & Co. is a Canadian distributor and manufacturer of fasteners, fluid system products, automotive parts, and retail hardware components. The company’s customers include retail hardware, industrial, and OEM and aftermarket automotive companies. Paulin’s distribution facilities are located across Canada in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Montreal, and Moncton, as well as in Flint, MI and Cleveland, OH. The company also has four manufacturing facilities all located in Ontario, Canada. Paulin & Co. had annual revenues in 2011 of approximately C$139 million. The company was founded in 1920 and is based in Toronto (www.hpaulin.com).
Barclays Bank acted as financial advisor to Hillman in connection with the transaction and provided committed debt financing.
Hillman is a value-added distributor of approximately 80,000 SKUs, consisting of fasteners, key duplication systems, engraved tags, and related hardware items to over 20,000 retail customers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, South America, and Australia, including home improvement centers, mass merchants, national and regional hardware stores, pet supply stores, and other retailers. Oak Hill Capital Partners acquired Hillman in May 2010 in partnership with the company’s senior management team. Hillman was founded in 1964 and is headquartered in Cincinnati (www.hillmangroup.com).
Oak Hill Capital Partners is a private equity firm with more than $8 billion of committed capital from entrepreneurs, endowments, foundations, corporations, pension funds and global financial institutions. Robert Bass is the lead investor. Over a period of more than 24 years, the professionals at Oak Hill Capital Partners and its predecessors have invested in more than 70 private equity transactions. The firm is located in Stamford, CT (www.oakhillcapital.com).
© 2013 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 2-20-13
