Norwest Equity Partners (NEP) has announced that it has made a majority investment in Stanton Carpet Corporation, a residential carpet distribution company. Prior to NEP’s investment, Stanton was a portfolio company of Linsalata Capital Partners.
“As a 30-year old family-owned business, our investment partnership with NEP marks an exciting time for Stanton. NEP has tremendous experience with investing in family-run businesses as well as significant industry expertise and resources in the distribution sector. On behalf of the Stanton team, we look forward to working closely with NEP,” said Sy Cohen, Stanton Founder and Chief Executive Officer.
Stanton Carpet is a distributor of decorative, high-quality branded carpet and custom rugs. Brands include Stanton Carpet, Royal Dutch Carpets, Antrim, and Rosecore. The company maintains a base of more than 3,500 customers comprised of independent retail floor showrooms, architecture and design firm showrooms, and catalog and internet retailers. The company was founded in 1980 and has approximately 100 employees. Stanton Carpet is headquartered in Syosset, NY with a distribution facility in Calhoun, GA (www.stantoncarpet.com).
“Stanton is a great fit with NEP’s investment strategy in the distribution industry, and we believe it is an excellent time to invest in the company as it should benefit from the improving health of the housing and renovation market. Stanton provides tremendous value to its customers by providing excellent customer service and a differentiated sales and distribution model. With a proven track record of introducing new products and entering new markets, Stanton is well-positioned to grow, expand, and gain market share,” said Todd Solow, NEP Partner.
Norwest Mezzanine Partners provided the mezzanine financing for this transaction, and additional financing was provided by GE Antares Capital, PNC Capital Markets, and NXT Capital. BB&T Capital Markets served as financial advisor to Stanton on the transaction.
Norwest Equity Partners is a middle-market private equity firm. The firm focuses on providing equity investments of $30 million to $150 million for companies within the agriculture, applied technology, business services, consumer products and services, distribution, diversified industrials, and healthcare sectors. The firm manages $5 billion of capital through a series of equity and mezzanine limited partnerships and is currently investing NEP IX with $1.2 billion in capital. Norwest Equity Partners is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN (www.nep.com).
