Nov 15, 2019   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Guardian Invests in Western Shelter

Guardian Capital Partners (“Guardian”) announced on November 7, 2019 that it invested in WS Acquisition, LLC (the “Company”), which operates two integrated divisions: Western Shelter Systems and CrewBoss. Guardian has partnered with the Company’s executive management team, led by CEO Michael Scala and CFO Greg Lyons, who will continue to operate the Company moving forward.

Headquartered in Eugene, OR, Western Shelter (www.westernshelter.com) manufactures and distributes shelters and field support systems which include rigid and inflatable framed shelters in a variety of sizes and trim levels complete with accessories that cover climate control, power generation, water handling, and more. Since 1988, Western Shelter has been a primary supplier of emergency response shelters for federal, state, county, and municipal fire and police jurisdictions; as well as forest service, military, hospital, and industrial organizations. CrewBoss (www.crewbossppe.com) designs and manufactures high quality National Fire Protection Association compliant fire resistant personal protective equipment for wildland and structural firefighters. Guardian and the management team are extremely excited to grow the Company through further investments in infrastructure, product development, and add-on acquisitions.

Adrian Ironside, Partner at Guardian, stated, “The partnership between Western Shelter, CrewBoss, and Guardian will allow the Company to accelerate new growth opportunities and leverage its market position to broaden its customer base and end-market exposure.” Ryan Northington, Partner at Guardian, added, “Guardian’s experience in the niche manufacturing space will allow us to provide the operational insight necessary to execute key strategic initiatives. We are thrilled to join forces with the Western Shelter and CrewBoss team.” Michael Scala, Chief Executive Officer at Western Shelter said, “The partnership with Guardian will allow us to further build upon Western Shelter and CrewBoss’ legacy of success. Together we will be able to expand into new territories and continue to support remote operations across the globe.”

D.C. Advisory acted as exclusive financial advisor to Western Shelter. The law firm DLA Piper advised Guardian and Centerfield Capital Partners provided financing and minority equity.

For more information about the transaction, contact Adrian Ironside at Guardian Capital Partners at (610) 263-0104 or aironside@guardiancp.com.

About Guardian Capital Partners (www.guardiancp.com)

Guardian Capital Partners is an operationally focused private equity firm based in suburban Philadelphia that invests in lower middle market consumer products, niche manufacturing and specialty service companies. Guardian collaboratively works with owner operators and management teams to build a vision for accelerating growth strategies and creating sustainable profitability. The private equity experience and complementary skill sets of the Guardian team provide a unique combination of operating and finance capabilities resulting in certainty of execution and meaningful long-term value creation for its portfolio companies.

Guardian Capital Partners is a Pennsylvania based investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. Market conditions can vary over time and past fund performance does not guarantee future fund results.