Percheron Capital has formed a new fire and life safety platform in collaboration with industry executive Carmine Schiavone.
Since February 2020, Mr. Schiavone was the chief executive officer of SavATree, a national tree, shrub, and lawn care company, and a portfolio company of Apax Partners, where he led dozens of acquisitions over a five-year period.
Prior to SavATree, Mr. Schiavone was the general manager and vice president of Johnson Controls’ Fire Protection Solutions & Services (FPSS) unit, a provider of design, installation, and maintenance services for fire alarm, fire sprinkler, suppression, and security systems in over 120 markets in the U.S. and Canada. At that time, the FPSS was the largest fire and life safety business in North America with more than $2.5 billion of annual revenue.
“I am excited to partner with Percheron and establish a leading fire and life safety platform,” said Mr. Schiavone. “It is a privilege to support trusted fire and life safety companies in providing essential services that protect lives and property daily, and I am focused on cultivating the talent and culture of our field technicians and team members by providing them with the technology, training and support they need to accelerate their careers while delivering exceptional customer service. I am confident we will become the employer, provider and acquisition partner of choice and help exceptional companies accelerate growth while protecting the legacy and culture that have driven their success to date.”
“We are thrilled to work with Carmine to build a market-leading fire and life safety platform,” said Chris Collins, a co-founder and managing partner of Percheron. “Throughout his career, Carmine has cultivated high-performing, unified cultures that translate to exceptional results.”
Percheron was co-founded in June 2020 by Mr. Collins and Chris Lawler; both are former professionals of Golden Gate Capital, where they worked together for almost ten years. The San Francisco-based firm takes its name from a breed of draft horses that originated in the Perche province of western France. Usually gray or black in color, Percherons are well-muscled and known for their intelligence and willingness to work.
Percheron targets middle-market essential services businesses with a specific interest in animal health, automotive, education, food and beverage, healthcare and wellness, and residential end markets.
“We believe the fire and life safety space is resilient with multiple industry tailwinds driving growth, and we look forward to partnering with like-minded, high-quality companies to accelerate their growth and expand their delivery of mission-critical services to more customers and communities across the country,” concluded Mr. Collins.
Percheron held an oversubscribed and hard cap close of its second fund, Percheron Capital Fund II LP, with $1.55 billion in commitments in March 2024. Percheron’s previous fund closed at its $770 million hard cap in September 2021.
© 2025 Private Equity Professional | May 6, 2025
