Jan 23, 2023   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Novvia Group Shares Progress Update After 2-year Milestone

Novvia Group (“Novvia” or the “Company”), founded in December 2020, has successfully executed on a thoughtful organic and inorganic growth plan to become North America's largest industrial packaging distributor, surpassing $550 million of annual revenue after two years of operations. Novvia is backed by New York-based private equity firm, Kelso & Company (“Kelso”).

Novvia has completed 15 acquisitions since inception, consisting of eight regional “platform” acquisitions and seven local market “tuck-in” acquisitions to build regional density. Novvia’s acquisition strategy is focused on retaining legacy managers, encouraging equity reinvestment in the platform, and driving continuity and incremental enhancement of the Company’s customer value proposition. Notable acquisition-related accomplishments in 2022 included:

  • Completing four add-on acquisitions to Novvia’s Rhino platform on the West Coast and two acquisitions to its Inmark platform in the Southeast, building critical scale and density in these markets.
  • Entering the Pacific Northwest, an attractive growth market for Novvia, via the Company’s acquisition of J.F. Shelton Packaging Distribution
  • Establishing a presence in the Northeast market via the Company’s acquisition of Rahway Steel Drum

Following its significant acquisition activity in 2022, Novvia can now claim full coverage of the United States and Canada, one of the Company’s early stated objectives.

In addition to developing a complete national presence, Novvia has also executed on its goal to assemble a world-class management team to support its rapid growth and lead its integration efforts. Sarah Macdonald assumed the role of President and CEO of Novvia Group in mid-2021 after a four-year stint in the same role with C.L. Smith, an early-2021 Novvia platform investment. Sarah has provided strategic leadership as the business has scaled, overseeing considerable organic growth accomplished through a range of important commercial and operational initiatives. To support its continued growth, Novvia made meaningful investments in its leadership team in 2022, including promoting Kelly Shillito to SVP of Human Resources, and welcoming the following experienced executives:

  • Jim Core, Group President and EVP; former General Manager of Home Depot Pro Institutional
  • Paul DeSantis, SVP & CFO; former CFO of Neenah, Inc.
  • Jim Summerville, SVP of Procurement & Supply Chain; Former SVP of Supply Chain at Terminix

Speaking on the progress of the Company, Executive Chairman Ken Roessler commented, "We are extremely proud of the first two years of Novvia. From building a national platform via organic and inorganic initiatives, to continuing to advance our strong M&A pipeline, to integrating our businesses and appointing a world-class team, we are firing on all cylinders and look forward with great optimism to Novvia's future.”

Sandy Osborne and Alec Hufnagel, Managing Directors at Kelso added, "When Ken approached us with the vision for Novvia in September 2020, we shared his enthusiasm and conviction in the opportunity. Just over two years later, we thank and commend the entire Novvia team for tremendous execution on the initial thesis. In spite of the remarkable accomplishments of Novvia’s first two years, including completing 15 strategic acquisitions, the business shows no signs of slowing down, and we look forward to continuing to support the Company on its impressive growth trajectory."

About Novvia Group

Novvia Group is a leader in high-quality packaging solutions and customized services with domestic and international customers across myriad industries. Through its family of dynamic companies, comprised of Inmark, C.L. Smith, Silver Spur, Container Supply, Fox Valley, Rhino, Novvia Canada, Southern Container, Duval, Rios, Auberst, Innovative, Rahway Steel Drum, and J.F. Shelton Packaging Distribution, Novvia has set a new industry standard as a national stocking distributor with a comprehensive suite of containers and supplies, trusted local relationships and 40+ years of best-in-class customer service. For more information, please visit www.novviagroup.com.

About Kelso

Kelso is one of the oldest and most established firms specializing in private equity investing. Since 1980, Kelso has invested approximately $19 billion of equity capital in 139 transactions. Kelso was founded by the inventor of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and, as a result, the principles of partnership and alignment of interest serve as the foundation of the firm’s investment philosophy. Kelso benefits from a successful investment track record, deep sector expertise, a long-tenured and stable investing team, and a reputation as a preferred partner to management teams and corporate partners. Kelso has significant experience investing in and supporting high-growth distribution and packaging platforms. The firm is based in New York, NY. For more information, please visit www.kelso.com.