Registrar Corp, a portfolio company of Bertram Capital, has acquired Vinca, a provider of online training services to the food safety sector.
Vinca’s online programs are used by more than 10,000 global customers to implement food safety management systems. The company’s courses cover topics including ISO (International Organization for Standardization) 22000; FSSC (Food Safety System Certification) 22000; SQF (Safe Quality Food); ISO 9001; GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative); and FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act).
Vinca, led by co-presidents Cynthia Weber and Betsy Hsiao, was founded in 2001 and is headquartered near Minneapolis in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Both Ms. Weber and Ms. Hsiao will stay on as part of the Registrar team and continue to develop new coursework.
Registrar was founded in 2003 and provides FDA compliance assistance to companies operating in the food and beverage, medical device, drugs, cosmetics, electronics, and tobacco industries. The company, led by CEO David Lennarz, employs more than 150 regulatory advisors and specialists including former FDA officials, scientists, and industry experts.
“We have heard from our clients that they want additional online training opportunities,” said Mr. Lennarz. “With the global coronavirus pandemic causing in-person education to be canceled, we are particularly excited to add Vinca’s training courses to our suite of FDA compliance solutions.”
FDA registration is required for all facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or store food, beverages, or dietary supplements that may be consumed in the United States by humans or animals. Companies located outside the United States must designate a US agent for FDA communications. Since its founding, Registrar has provided its services to more than 30,000 companies in 160 countries. In addition to its headquarters in Hampton, Virginia, the company has twenty international offices.
The buy of Vinca is Registrar’s fifth acquisition since being acquired by Bertram in June 2018. The four earlier buys were Washington State-based Batavia Solutions (DBA Register-FDA) (acquired in January 2020); Michigan-based K Squared International (DBA US Agent Services) and Maryland-based Registration and Licensing Systems (RLS) (both acquired in November 2019); and Texas-based FDA Agents (acquired in October 2018). All four of these add-on acquisitions provide FDA registration and US agent services to domestic and foreign FDA-regulated facilities.
“We continue to invest in our businesses during these challenging times to ensure we are positioned for success moving forward,” said Tom Beerle, a partner at Bertram. “Complementing our robust product offering with online training capabilities has been a strategic priority for Registrar since we first invested in the company. Food safety remains a critical focus globally and Vinca’s high-quality curriculum enables food professionals to gain access to training when convenient for them without the added cost or burden of travel.”
Bertram invests in middle-market business services, consumer, industrial and manufacturing companies that have revenues from $25 million to $250 million and EBITDA of $5 million to $30 million. The firm is headquartered south of San Francisco in San Mateo, California.
© 2020 Private Equity Professional | March 27, 2020
