Mechanix Wear, a designer and manufacturer of high-performance work gloves and a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors since 2020, has acquired family-owned glove-maker Kinco.
Kinco designs and distributes work, outdoor, and recreational gloves for farming, construction, cold-weather, and industrial use. Notable product lines include the 1927KW lined pigskin gloves, Axeman gloves, and HydroFlector waterproof gloves. Kinco is also the owner of the Welch brand of work and safety suspenders.
Customers of Kinco include retailers, e-commerce buyers, and end-users in agriculture, snow sports, and general labor markets. Portland, Oregon-headquartered Kinco was founded in 1975 by Bruce and Sherie Kindler, and is currently led by President Travis Kindler, their son.
“Our employees and customers will benefit from the scale and broader resources of a larger company, and with Gryphon’s capital and operational resources behind us, we will invest in growth, innovation, and customer satisfaction to ensure a long lasting legacy for the business we have been honored to build,” said Mr. Kindler.
Mechanix Wear designs and manufactures high-performance hand protection and protective apparel for automotive, construction, industrial, and tactical applications. The company’s products, sold through more than 20,000 retail outlets, include The Original work glove, M-Pact impact-resistant gloves, and FastFit gloves, used by mechanics, construction workers, military personnel, and industrial technicians. Mechanix Wear sells its products through both retail and professional channels across more than 70 countries. Mechanix Wear, headquartered north of Los Angeles in Valencia, California, was founded in 1991 by James Hale and is currently led by CEO Jesse Spungin.
“We are delighted to join forces with Travis and the Kinco team,” said Mr. Spungin. “As leading protective apparel brands with distinguished family histories, our companies share a track record of quality and durability, long-lasting customer relationships, and a growth mindset. Kinco is a natural complement to the Mechanix Wear platform and will broaden our product portfolio and channel footprint, expanding upon our mission to deliver trusted hand protection.”
The buy of Kinco follows Mechanix Wear’s previous add-on acquisition of Illinois-headquartered Chicago Protective Apparel in August 2023.
San Francisco-based Gryphon Investors makes leveraged acquisitions and growth investments in middle-market companies. The firm invests from $50 million to $500 million of capital in companies with enterprise values ranging from $100 million to $600 million and EBITDA of up to $80 million. Sectors of interest include business services, consumer products and services, healthcare, industrial growth, and software.
EC M&A was the financial advisor to Gryphon and Adaptive Capital Partners advised Kinco.
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