OneAccord Capital has purchased Graphic Label, a provider of custom labels used in the fruit and produce industries. This is the first acquisition by OneAccord Capital.
Graphic Label’s products are used for consumer packaging; stock labels; and tags for cases, pallets and bins. The company’s labels provide lot-code traceability and are used by fruit and produce growers/packers located in the Pacific Northwest and California. The company was founded in 1993 by Lyle and Shelley Von Essen and is based in Yakima, WA (www.graphiclabel.com). The Von Essens have invested alongside OneAccord Capital and remain as advisors to the company. At closing, OneAccord Capital hired Max Clough, the former president of the Thomas Kemper Soda Company, as Graphic Label’s new chief executive officer.
According to Jeff Rogers, a OneAccord Capital co-founder, the firm looks to acquire small, profitable companies owned by retirement-age entrepreneurs who want to extend their legacies while protecting their employees and local communities. “For years, researchers have pointed to a growing trend of baby boomer owners who are reaching retirement age and need to find the right transition path. The numbers are large: tens of thousands of businesses in the Pacific Northwest will change hands over the next several years. Yet the capital markets are not prepared and generally are not focused on this type of organization, which puts the companies, the employees and the local communities in jeopardy. OneAccord Capital’s mission is to help close the gap.”
OneAccord Capital looks to acquire companies with EBITDAs from $500,000 to $2 million that are located in the Pacific Northwest. Sectors of interest include manufacturing, distribution and services. The firm is headquartered near Seattle in Kirkland, WA (www.oneaccordcapital.com).
“We see the Monday after the Friday, the Day One after the close, both for the business owners and the business itself,” said Darin Leonard, a OneAccord Capital co-founder. “We understand these are extremely difficult decisions for successful business owners who have poured their lives into their companies and communities. Traditional capital sources generally don’t have time to embrace elements that are often much more important to business owners than just the transaction price. We have the perspective and know-how to navigate the complexity required for a successful transition, and to get the business itself to the next level.”
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