Round Table Capital Partners (RTC) has sold a majority equity interest in Ardurra Group to Littlejohn & Co.
Ardurra is a provider of design, engineering, and consulting services to public and private customers operating in the water and wastewater, transportation, and aviation sectors. The company’s services include construction management, project planning and development, geotechnical engineering, environmental science analysis, sustainability assessment, surveying, permitting for zoning requirements, and subcontractor management.
In 2021, Ardurra was ranked #114 on Engineering News-Record’s Top 500 Design Firms list. Miami-headquartered Ardurra, led by CEO Ernesto Aguilar, has 1,250 employees across more than 70 nationwide offices.
RTC first invested in Ardurra in 2017 through the merger of King Engineering, a Florida-based engineering firm, and Ardurra Group, a Texas-based engineering and disaster recovery firm.
During RTC’s term of ownership, Ardurra closed more than 20 add-on acquisitions including, in 2022, Arizona-based Shephard-Wesnitzer (September 2022), Idaho-based T-O Engineers (September 2022), Florida-based 300 Engineering Group (July 2022), Arizona-based Woodson Engineering & Surveying (March 2022), Florida-based Pevida Highway Designers (February 2022), Georgia-based ZEL Engineers (January 2022), Florida-based Milam Land Surveying (January 2022), and Texas-based Gunda Corporation (January 2022).
“RTC is incredibly proud of and grateful to CEO Ernesto Aguilar and the entire Ardurra team for the outstanding work they have done in building this platform. In addition to executing on an aggressive growth plan, both organic and acquisitive, this team has also managed to build a best-in-class corporate infrastructure and instill a highly engaged, high-performance culture that is truly differentiated,” said Christopher Lee, a co-founder and co-managing partner at RTC.
“RTC has been an outstanding partner for our organization,” said Mr. Aguilar. “They have supported our vision of growing a national professional services firm by committing to our values of being employee-centric, client-focused, and results-driven. RTC’s financial and strategic support has allowed us to establish a strong foundation for continued industry-leading growth, and our entire organization is appreciative of their unwavering trust and support over the last five years.”
“Ardurra has developed a well-earned reputation as an industry leader with a track record of above-market growth that plays a vital role in supporting its clients, which include municipal and state governments,” said Michael Kaplan, a managing director at Littlejohn. “We believe Ardurra is well positioned as investments in complex infrastructure – particularly focused around drinking water, water treatment, and transportation – continue to accelerate.”
Greenwich, Connecticut-based Littlejohn invests from $50 million to $250 million of equity in middle-market companies that have annual revenues of $100 million to $800 million. The firm invests across a range of industries including manufacturers, distributors, and service providers.
New York City-based Round Table Capital Partners, founded in 2018, invests in North America-based companies with EBITDA from $500,000 to $10 million and enterprise values from $1 million to $50 million. Sectors of interest include professional, business, and healthcare services.
“Our goal in building the Ardurra organization was always to build a market-leading growth platform and to ultimately find a strong partner that was well-positioned to support the organization in achieving its next phase of expansion,” said Tony Brindisi, a co-founder and co-managing partner at RTC. “We are excited to pass the torch to Littlejohn and look forward to following their success.”
Littlejohn was advised by Harris Williams and Environmental Financial Consulting Group, and Evercore was the financial advisor to Ardurra and RTC on this transaction.
© 2023 Private Equity Professional | February 7, 2023
Kaho Partners has formed Addtronics as a new holding company to acquire and grow robotic automation companies.
In tandem with the formation, 
“We are thrilled to launch Addtronics after spending more than a year developing our thesis around robotic automation,” said Max Katzenstein, a managing partner of Kaho. “Addtronics is uniquely organized in a way that allows the companies we partner with to maintain their autonomy, brand identity, and culture, while also strengthening their competitive advantages through increased access to capital, resources, and scale. We look forward to partnering with additional robotic automation companies over the coming years as we transform this critical industry.”
Mr. Coffey is an experienced buy-and-build executive that has spent more than 20 years as the CEO of multiple private equity-backed industrial services companies including as CEO of CoolSys, a provider of refrigeration and HVAC services, from 2016 to 2021. CoolSys was owned by Audax beginning in 2016 and was sold to Ares Management in 2021; CEO of WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems, a provider of route-based laundry services, from 2003 to 2016. CHS Capital and New Harbor Capital acquired WASH in 2008 and sold the business to EQT in 2015; and president of Masterplan, a California-based provider of medical device repair and maintenance services, from 2001 to 2003.
“The COVID-19 pandemic showcased how dependent American businesses and consumers are on foreign manufacturing. If we want to continue to grow American manufacturing, it is critical that we expand access to robotic automation solutions. We are extremely excited to launch Addtronics and partner with Brad and his team at DDS,” said Griffin Horter, a managing partner of Kaho.
Branford Castle has acquired GPT Industries, a manufacturer of pipeline sealing and electrical isolation products, from publicly traded EnPro Industries.
“We are excited to partner with Darin and the GPT leadership team and help them expand their products into new markets and geographies,” said David Castle, a managing partner of Branford Castle. “We believe the company’s technological leadership and established reputation of quality and reliability make it well-positioned for future growth.”
“We are also excited to support GPT as they continue to develop new innovative products and solutions to enhance pipeline safety,” said Marilyn Yang, a vice president at Branford Castle.
Charlotte-headquartered 
Greenbriar Equity Group has held an oversubscribed, above-target, and hard cap close of its sixth fund, Greenbriar Equity Fund VI LP, with total capital commitments of more than $3.4 billion. Fundraising for Fund IV began in the third quarter of 2022 with an original target of $2.75 billion.
“All of us at Greenbriar are deeply appreciative of the support we have received from so many of our longtime existing investors, as well as a large number of new investors,” said Noah Roy, a managing partner at Greenbriar. “Particularly during this period of market uncertainty, it is a recognition of the long-term benefits of our consistent and focused strategy, cohesive long-tenured team, collaborative culture, and hands-on approach to value creation with our portfolio companies.”
Fund VI is approximately 20% invested or committed to two companies. In October 2022, Greenbriar acquired a majority equity interest in RANDYS Worldwide from Tailwind Capital. Washington-headquartered RANDYS is a national supplier of branded vehicle drivetrain, undercar, and suspension products including differentials, driveshafts, suspensions, steering, alloy wheels, off-road armor, remanufactured manual transmissions, transfer cases, and axle assemblies. Greenbriar is expected to close on a second Fund VI portfolio company later this month.