Keir Educational Resources has been acquired by CeriFi, a portfolio company of Leeds Equity Partners.
Keir Educational Resources is a provider of training programs for financial services professionals that are preparing for the Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and several property and casualty examinations. Keir, led by its president Henrietta Nye, was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Middleton, OH (www.keirsuccess.com).
The buy of Keir is the third add-on acquisition completed by CeriFi since being formed by Leeds in 2017. In July 2017 it acquired Suwanee, GA-based Dalton Education, a provider of CFP education and exam preparation services (www.dalton-education.com). Also in July 2017, CeriFi acquired Metairie, LA-based Cobalt Financial Solutions (DBA Money Education), a publisher of digital textbooks and several reference workbooks for tax and financial planning (www.money-education.com).
“We believe that CeriFi’s expanded product suite meets a vital need in the financial services industry as firms increasingly seek to differentiate themselves based on their human capital,” said Eric Geveda, Principal of Leeds Equity Partners. “We look forward to continuing to support the company’s organic and acquisition initiatives.”
“This transaction brings together three preeminent financial education companies that have collectively trained financial services professionals for over 75 years. I am excited to move forward with our combined team and suite of products as we continue to address the ever-evolving needs of financial institutions and professionals,” said Joe Gillice, President of Dalton Education.
Leeds Equity Partners is focused exclusively on investing in the education, training and information services industries. The firm was founded by Jeffrey Leeds and Robert Bernstein in 1993 and has raised and managed more than $1.5 billion of capital across six funds. The firm is located in New York (www.leedsequity.com).
The Lockhart Group, a Dayton, OH-based investment bank, was the financial advisor to Keir (www.lockhartgroupinc.com).
Dentons was the legal advisor to Leeds Equity Partners and Stagnaro, Saba & Patterson advised Keir.
© 2018 Private Equity Professional | April 11, 2018