Distribution International, a distributor and fabricator of mechanical insulation and a portfolio company of Advent International, has acquired Selle Supply Company and its sister company PBI Supply.
Both Selle Supply Company (Selle) and its sister company PBI Supply (PBI) are distributors of insulation products and construction materials, specializing in the lamination of fiberglass insulation for metal buildings. According to Advent, Selle and PBI comprise the largest regional metal building insulation fabricator/distributor in the United States. On a combined basis the companies have 6 warehouses and distribute material throughout the United States and Mexico. Selle is based in El Paso and PBI is based in Dallas (www.sellesupply.com) (www.pbisupply.com).
Majority ownership of Distribution International was acquired by Advent International in December 2014 from Audax Private Equity (now a minority investor) and The CapStreet Group. Audax and CapStreet acquired Distribution International in August 2010 from Grey Mountain Partners.
Distribution International (DI) is a value-added distributor of insulation, abatement supplies, fire protection products, refractory products, and safety & contractor supplies. The company has 70 branch locations and serves customers in the commercial building, chemicals, energy, power, railcar and marine end markets. Most of DI’s sales are derived from ongoing maintenance and repair spending in industrial installations and commercial buildings. DI was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Houston (www.distributionintl.com).
Distribution International has grown significantly over the past four years, having completed 14 acquisitions and has the broadest reach of any distributor of mechanical insulation products in the US and Canada. The company’s most recent buy – before the acquisitions of Selle and BI Supply – was the June 2015 purchase of Insulation Fabricators, a fabricator and distributor of thermal and acoustical insulation products that is headquartered near Chicago in Hammond, IN (www.insulationfabricators.com).
“We at DI are eager to enter the metal building insulation market. During our strategic assessment of the metal building lamination space, our market research indicated that Selle and PBI are ranked highly for customer service and delivery performance, making the company an ideal platform from which to grow our national footprint,” said Celeste Mastin, CEO of Distribution International. “This acquisition is a significant milestone in the growth of our company and we look forward to being part of the metal building insulation industry and bringing the successful team from Selle and PBI into DI.”
Advent International focuses on buyouts and strategic restructuring opportunities in five sectors: business and financial services; healthcare; industrial; retail, consumer and leisure; and technology, media and telecom. Advent has offices in 16 countries and employs 170 investment professionals across Western and Central Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia. Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Boston, Advent has $33 billion in assets under management and has completed more than 300 buyout and private equity transactions (www.adventinternational.com).
© 2015 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 10-21-15