The Cook & Boardman Group, a portfolio company of Littlejohn & Co., has acquired A3 Communications. Littlejohn acquired Cook & Boardman from Ridgemont Equity Partners in October 2018.
A3 Communications is a systems integrator of electronic security (video surveillance and access control), enterprise networking, structured cabling, electrical services, communications, and audio/visual technologies. A3 has more than 1,300 active customers in the education (K-12 and higher education), local and state government, and commercial sectors.
The company, led by CEO Brian Thomas, is headquartered near Columbia in Irmo, SC and has five additional branches in Greenville and Charleston, SC; Charlotte and Raleigh, NC; and Atlanta, GA (www.a3communications.com).
Cook & Boardman (C&B) distributes metal and wood doors, locks, doorframes, and other related building components for non-residential applications. The company operates through several divisions including Cook & Boardman, Architectural Building Supply, Exactitude, Precision Doors & Hardware, Hollow Metal Specialists, Martin Architectural Products, RDL Supply, Delta Doors & Hardware, Specialized Architectural Products, and Pinnacle Door & Hardware.
Cook & Boardman sells its products nationwide through a network of 35 locations across 12 states. The company, led by CEO Darrin Anderson, was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC (www.cookandboardman.com).
“We are excited to welcome A3’s more than 130 employees to the Cook & Boardman family of companies,” said Mr. Anderson. “A3 is a well-regarded player in the highly attractive systems integration industry, with significant scale and a complementary footprint to C&B. We look forward to partnering with Brian and A3’s talented team to deepen our electronic security product offering and drive cross-selling opportunities across the combined platform.”
“Over the last several years, we have invested significant resources to expand our geographic footprint, strengthen our service and product offerings, and deepen our bench of sales and executive talent,” said Brian Thomas, CEO of A3. “As the leading platform in the commercial door and hardware industry, C&B represents the ideal partner for our team, our clients and our partners to join forces with as we embark on our next phase of growth.”
The buy of A3 is the second add-on acquisition for Cook & Boardman under Littlejohn ownership. In January 2019 the company acquired Bellefonte, PA-based HCHoodC, a provider of non-residential metal and wood doors, locks, exit devices, access control products, aluminum storefront and curtain walls (www.thedoorpeople.com).
Littlejohn makes control and non-control investments in middle-market companies that are undergoing a fundamental change in capital structure, strategy, operations or growth. The firm invests from $50 million to $150 million of equity in middle-market companies that have annual revenues of $100 million to $800 million. Littlejohn invests across a range of industries and acquires manufacturers, distributors, and service providers. The firm is headquartered in Greenwich, CT (www.littlejohnllc.com).
In November 2018, Littlejohn held a final closing of Littlejohn Fund VI LP with $2.8 billion of committed capital, exceeding the fund’s target of $2.5 billion. The firm’s previous fund, Littlejohn Fund V LP, with $2.0 billion of committed capital, had a final close in July 2014.
© 2019 Private Equity Professional | April 2, 2019
