Motorcycle Parts Maker Tolemar Switches Sponsors

BRS & Co. has acquired Tolemar, a manufacturer and supplier of aftermarket automotive accessories, from Vopne Capital which acquired the business in April 2017.

Tolemar’s products include branded and private-label accessories for utility terrain vehicles (UTVs), all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and motorcycles. The company’s products includes more than 4,000 SKUs of handlebars, cables, exhaust systems and tuners.

Tolemar sells its products through direct-to-distributor and direct-to-consumer channels. Company-owned brand names include Trinity Racing, LA Choppers, and Baron Custom Accessories.

Huntington Beach, California-headquartered Tolemar was founded in 1993 by Steve Ramelot and is today led by President Eric Ison. “BRS’s experience in the automotive aftermarket will be valuable as we seek to reach more customers with new products,” said Mr. Ison.

“Tolemar has an extremely passionate, talented and committed management team that has built a strong platform of leading brands” said Tory Rooney, a managing director at BRS. “Tolemar is a market leader and is driving growth through high-quality products and innovation. We are pleased to partner with the Tolemar management team to continue to support the company’s growth initiatives and objectives.”

New York City-based BRS (Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co.) invests from $10 million to $25 million in companies with enterprise values from $25 million to $250 million. Sectors of interest include consumer products and services, restaurants, specialty retail, food and beverage, and specialty distribution. Since 1996, BRS has purchased over 50 portfolio companies and completed over 40 add-on acquisitions.

San Francisco-based Vopne makes majority investments of $5 million to $30 million in North American-based companies that have revenues of $10 million to $60 million and EBITDA of $2 million to $8 million. The firm’s sectors of interest include manufacturing, industrial, aerospace and industrial business services.

Vopne – Scandinavian for a weapon used to gain an advantage in a contest or battle – was founded by Jim Bloom in 2012 and is currently investing its second fund, Vopne Fund II LP, which closed in January 2018 with $81 million of capital.

© 2021 Private Equity Professional | October 26, 2021