Benchmark International

Selling a business is a daunting venture for all business owners. It involves a lot of feelings and requires a lot of diligence and focus. Benchmark International are mid-market mergers and acquisitions specialists dedicated to sellers who are looking to exit their businesses. One team that is a part of the Benchmark International family is the Major Transactions team. The individuals who work in this area are skilled and prepared to work on acquisitions valued $100 million or more.

“With deals of this caliber, you always have to be prepared for speed-bumps. Forming a positive relationship with the seller early on is essential. They need to have confidence in your ability, and you need to reinforce that in all that you do,” stated Managing Director Kendall Stafford. Stafford plays a lead role in the Major Transactions team for Benchmark International. She explained the diversity of the team makes it strong. ‘When you have people with different strengths working together on the same deal, you cover all your bases. It really makes the transaction process run more efficiently.”

Staffordexplained the most rewarding part of being a leader on the Major Transactions team is knowing that she really gets to make an impact on the growth of individual businesses. “These businesses have the potential to grow into billion-dollar businesses, and we can say we were a part of that.”

2018 MAJOR TRANSACTION DEAL COMPLETION

Benchmark International is pleased to announce that it has started 2018 with a major transaction completion. It successfully facilitated the acquisition of UBEO Business Services to Sentinel Capital Partners.

UBEO, Benchmark International’s client, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a provider of best-in-class document management equipment and related services. UBEO facilitates business technology integration by offering the newest, best, and most innovative ideas in hardware and software solutions to its customer base of approximately 6,000 mid-sized businesses, schools, and municipalities. With a team of more than 225 salespeople, technicians, and support staff, UBEO sells and services globally-recognized copier and printer equipment in major Texas metropolitan markets and operates seven sales sites serving the San Antonio, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston metropolitan areas. Jim Sheffield, President and CEO of UBEO, said,

“We are very proud of the reputation we have built. UBEO outperforms its competition in the service categories that our customers value most – technical capability, service quality, and on-time delivery. Partnering with Sentinel well positions us for our next phase of profitable growth.”

Sentinel Capital Partners is a private equity firm that targets investments in middle-market companies with strong management and attractive growth prospects. Sentinel looks to invest up to $175 million of equity in companies generating EBITDA of up to $65 million. Sectors of interest include business services/outsourcing, consumer products and services, food and restaurants, franchising, and manufacturing. Prospective transaction situations include management buyouts, recapitalizations, corporate divestitures, take-privates, and growth financings. Their motto is to provide “private equity to talented executives and helping them to build great businesses and realize their boldest dreams.”

Scott Perry, a partner at Sentinel, explained “We are very excited about the acquisition of UBEO and partnering with a regional market leader with a stable, highly recurring business model, high margins and strong free cash flow characteristics. As the largest independent dealer in Texas, UBEO is a scalable platform and ideal for consolidating its highly fragmented industry. We are very pleased to partner with a highly experienced, talented, and strongly committed management team that has a proven record of profitable growth.”

Sentinel Capital Partners has made several notable acquisitions in the last 12 months. Besides acquiring UBEO, Sentinel has made four other platform investments – Altima Dental, a leading dental services organization in Canada; Captain D’s, the leading franchisor and operator of seafood quick service restaurants; MB2 Dental Solutions, a rapidly-growing regional dental service organization with a unique physician-centric ownership model; and Nekoosa, a leading manufacturer of specialty paper and film products used in the graphics and commercial print markets. During this same period, Sentinel sold Checkers & Rally’s Restaurants, an iconic and innovative drive-thru restaurant chain; Huddle House, a leading franchisor of family dining restaurants in the Southeast; National Spine & Pain Centers, a leader in interventional pain management; Playcore, the leading North American designer, supplier of play, park, and recreation products; and WellSpring Consumer Healthcare, a portfolio of high-performing OTC healthcare brands.

NOTABLE BENCHMARK INTERNATIONAL DEALS

Benchmark International strives to deliver the best possible deals to its clients. Here are some more notable transactions that have been facilitated by the Benchmark International team.

GASCO AFFILIATES, LLC TO CI CAPITAL PARTNERS COMPANY

Tyrus O’Neill, Director at Benchmark International, stated, “It was a pleasure to represent Gasco Affiliates in this transaction, and on behalf of Benchmark International, we are extremely pleased with the outcome. Allowing both the seller and acquirer to prosper and benefit is always an ideal end result. Overall, this has been a thoroughly satisfying experience and we wish both parties the best of luck moving forward.”

ATLANTA BIOLOGICALS, INC. TO BIO-TECHNE CORPORATION

Atlanta Biological President, Renate Gerle, stated “Naturally, selling a business is a major step, but Benchmark [International] made it a truly seamless process. We had spoken with a number of industry specialists prior to engaging Benchmark [International]; however, Benchmark International’s proven ability to negotiate the best deal, their structured team approach, their numerous resources to attract both domestic and international buyers paired with their in-depth knowledge about our industry ultimately determined our decision. I will admit, I was very apprehensive when we first started but Benchmark [International] made the process smoother than expected. They were taking an active lead from start to finish and ultimately delivered the best results we could have hoped for. I was surprised and impressed by the amount and quality of buyers brought to the company and how all aspects of every potential opportunity were evaluated to achieve the best outcome for the owner and the company. Looking back, I clearly feel industry specialists would not have been able to provide us with this extent of options and analysis.”

RX30 TO GTCR

Kendall Stafford, Managing Director of Benchmark International, stated, “It was a pleasure to advise Rx30 on this transaction. It was important for CEO Steve Wubker and the existing management team to partner with an equity investor that would add both healthcare and technology expertise to help accelerate the growth of the company. GTCR was the perfect fit. The transaction allowed the founding shareholders to exit happily at close, knowing their company is in good hands, with the existing management team continuing to grow the business and a new equity partnership in place to support their vision. It will be an exciting road forward for Rx30 and we were fortunate to be a part of the company’s growth and starting this next chapter. We wish each party the best
of luck.”

COMPUTER-RX TO RX30

Benchmark’s Chairman, Steven Keane, commented, “We are delighted with the outcome we were able to achieve for the Warkentine family. They were great to work with and were very deserving of the deal they received. It was a swift deal with obstacles the team had to overcome, but all parties were committed to a successful outcome.”

WE ARE READY WHEN YOU ARE.

Call Benchmark International today if you are interested in an exit or growth strategy or if you are interested in acquiring.

Americas: Sam Smoot at +1 (813) 898 2350 / Smoot@BenchmarkCorporate.com

Europe: Carl Settle at +44 (0)161 359 4400 / Settle@BenchmarkCorporate.com

Africa: Anthony McCardle at +2721 300 2055 / McCardle@BenchmarkCorporate.com

ABOUT BENCHMARK INTERNATIONAL

Benchmark International’s global offices provide business owners in the middle market and lower middle market with creative, value-maximizing solutions for growing and exiting their businesses. To date, Benchmark International has handled engagements in excess of $5B across 30 industries worldwide. With decades of global M&A experience, Benchmark International’s deal teams, working from 13 offices across the world, have assisted hundreds of owners with achieving their personal objectives and ensuring the continued growth of
their businesses.

Website: http://www.benchmarkcorporate.com
Blog: http://blog.benchmarkcorporate.com/