J.W. Childs has signed an agreement to acquire KeyImpact Sales and Systems, a sales and marketing agency serving the foodservice industry, from Eos Partners. The buy of KeyImpact is the fourth investment by J.W. Childs since the formation of J.W. Childs Equity Partners IV, LP in April 2014.
KeyImpact Sales and Systems represents manufacturers of food, packaging, and supplies and provides sales and marketing services to distributors and operators across all segments of the foodservice trade channel including culinary, K-12, military, college and university, contract feeding, retail, deli, national & regional commercial chains, recreation and distribution. KeyImpact has approximately 800 employees in 49 states. The company was formed in 2000 through the merger of Key Brokerage and Impact Sales. KeyImpact has integrated 45 acquisitions since 2005, all in the foodservice and packaging and supply industries. KeyImpact is headquartered south of Baltimore in Odenton, MD (www.kisales.com).
“We are excited to partner with J.W. Childs as we pursue our next phase of growth and expand the scope of services we offer to our partners,” said Dan Cassidy, Chief Executive Officer of KeyImpact. “We are excited to continue exceeding expectations by providing innovative sales and marketing solutions for our partners. I would also like to thank Eos for their support and guidance during the past four years.”
“KeyImpact offers a compelling value proposition to its clients through its national platform, deep operator and distributor relationships, and industry expertise. We believe the company is ideally positioned to grow as the foodservice market continues to evolve,” said David Fiorentino, a Partner at J.W. Childs.
J.W. Childs invests in middle market companies based in North America. Sectors of interest include consumer products, specialty retail and healthcare. The firm was founded in 1995 and is based west of Boston in Waltham, MA (www.jwchilds.com).
Eos Partners acquired KeyImpact in February 2012. “KeyImpact has experienced tremendous growth since our investment in 2012 and has grown from 600 employees in 32 states to nearly 800 employees in 49 states,” said Brendan Moore, Managing Director of Eos. “We have enjoyed working with the company’s management team over the past several years and believe the company is well-positioned for continued success.”
Eos Partners acquires North American-based companies with revenues from $25 million to $500 million and EBITDA of $5 million to $50 million. The firm’s typical equity investment ranges from $20 million to $100 million. Sector of interest include consumer, energy, financial services, healthcare services, transportation & logistics, business services, marketing services, and media. Eos Partners was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in New York (www.eospartners.com).
Lincoln International provided financial advisory services to KeyImpact on the transaction.
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2015.
© 2015 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 10-22-15
