Sentinel Capital Partners Acquires Marketplace Events
NEW YORK, January 28, 2016 – Sentinel Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in promising companies at the lower end of the middle market, today announced the acquisition of Marketplace Events, the largest organizer of consumer home and garden shows in North America. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Headquartered in Solon, Ohio, Marketplace Events organizes and operates consumer shows targeting the home improvement and enthusiast market including remodeling, home décor, and gardening. Marketplace’s show portfolio is comprised of 44 total events, including 29 U.S. home and garden shows, 13 Canadian home and garden shows, and two holiday boutique shows. Leveraging scale, technology, and predictability, Marketplace Events brings together 14,000 exhibitors, 1.5 million consumers, and 1.5 million unique web visitors on an annual basis. Marketplace Events employs 110 people across 12 offices in North America with the goal of making a lasting, material difference to employees, exhibitors, attendees, and communities.
“We have never been more confident in our business model or our future than we are now,” said Tom Baugh, Marketplace Events’ Chief Executive Officer. “Our shows provide an invaluable face-to-face meeting place for our exhibitors and consumers. We believe our partnership with Sentinel will allow us to accelerate our growth, both organically and through acquisitions.”
“We are very excited about our investment in Marketplace Events,” said Michael Fabian, a partner at Sentinel. “We seek to invest in niche market leaders, and Marketplace Events is the clear leader in the North American home and garden show industry. Moreover, the business was extremely resilient during the 2008 economic downturn and should benefit from positive tailwinds in the home remodeling and repair sector in the years ahead.”
For Sentinel, the past year has been highly productive. Besides Marketplace, Sentinel made four other new platform investments: Corporate Visions, a provider of marketing and sales enablement solutions; Driven Performance Brands, a manufacturer of high performance automotive aftermarket products for car and truck enthusiasts; Fazoli’s Group, a franchisor and operator of Italian fast casual restaurants; and Total Military Management, a provider of relocation services to U.S. military and government personnel. Sentinel also completed six successful exits in the past year: Hospice Advantage, a leading provider of end-of-life care to patients in their homes; IEP Technologies, a global leader in industrial explosion protection; Northeast Dental Management, a leading provider of dental office support services; North American Rescue, a leading supplier of tactical life-saving equipment to the U.S. military; Spinrite, North America’s leading manufacturer of consumer yarn; and Vintage Parts, a leader in supply chain and logistics services for slow-moving and inactive OEM parts.
About Sentinel Capital Partners
Sentinel Capital Partners specializes in buying and building businesses at the lower end of the middle market in the United States and Canada in partnership with management. Sentinel targets aerospace and defense, business services, consumer, distribution, food and restaurants, franchising, healthcare, and industrial businesses. Sentinel invests in management buyouts, recapitalizations, corporate divestitures, and going-private transactions of established businesses with EBITDA of up to $65 million. Sentinel also invests in special situations, including balance sheet restructurings and operational turnarounds. For more information about Sentinel, visit www.sentinelpartners.com.
About Marketplace Events
Marketplace Events creates vibrant expositions connecting enthusiasts with experts, products, and services in dynamic face-to-face environments. Marketplace Events produces some of the most successful and longest-running shows in North America, including market- leading home shows in Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. – several of which have thrived in their markets for more than 75 years. For more information about Marketplace Events, visit www.marketplaceevents.com.
Contact:
Roland Tomforde
Broadgate Consultants
212-232-2222
Headquartered in Solon, Ohio, Marketplace Events organizes and operates consumer shows targeting the home improvement and enthusiast market including remodeling, home décor, and gardening. Marketplace’s show portfolio is comprised of 44 total events, including 29 U.S. home and garden shows, 13 Canadian home and garden shows, and two holiday boutique shows. Leveraging scale, technology, and predictability, Marketplace Events brings together 14,000 exhibitors, 1.5 million consumers, and 1.5 million unique web visitors on an annual basis. Marketplace Events employs 110 people across 12 offices in North America with the goal of making a lasting, material difference to employees, exhibitors, attendees, and communities.
“We have never been more confident in our business model or our future than we are now,” said Tom Baugh, Marketplace Events’ Chief Executive Officer. “Our shows provide an invaluable face-to-face meeting place for our exhibitors and consumers. We believe our partnership with Sentinel will allow us to accelerate our growth, both organically and through acquisitions.”
“We are very excited about our investment in Marketplace Events,” said Michael Fabian, a partner at Sentinel. “We seek to invest in niche market leaders, and Marketplace Events is the clear leader in the North American home and garden show industry. Moreover, the business was extremely resilient during the 2008 economic downturn and should benefit from positive tailwinds in the home remodeling and repair sector in the years ahead.”
For Sentinel, the past year has been highly productive. Besides Marketplace, Sentinel made four other new platform investments: Corporate Visions, a provider of marketing and sales enablement solutions; Driven Performance Brands, a manufacturer of high performance automotive aftermarket products for car and truck enthusiasts; Fazoli’s Group, a franchisor and operator of Italian fast casual restaurants; and Total Military Management, a provider of relocation services to U.S. military and government personnel. Sentinel also completed six successful exits in the past year: Hospice Advantage, a leading provider of end-of-life care to patients in their homes; IEP Technologies, a global leader in industrial explosion protection; Northeast Dental Management, a leading provider of dental office support services; North American Rescue, a leading supplier of tactical life-saving equipment to the U.S. military; Spinrite, North America’s leading manufacturer of consumer yarn; and Vintage Parts, a leader in supply chain and logistics services for slow-moving and inactive OEM parts.
About Sentinel Capital Partners
Sentinel Capital Partners specializes in buying and building businesses at the lower end of the middle market in the United States and Canada in partnership with management. Sentinel targets aerospace and defense, business services, consumer, distribution, food and restaurants, franchising, healthcare, and industrial businesses. Sentinel invests in management buyouts, recapitalizations, corporate divestitures, and going-private transactions of established businesses with EBITDA of up to $65 million. Sentinel also invests in special situations, including balance sheet restructurings and operational turnarounds. For more information about Sentinel, visit www.sentinelpartners.com.
About Marketplace Events
Marketplace Events creates vibrant expositions connecting enthusiasts with experts, products, and services in dynamic face-to-face environments. Marketplace Events produces some of the most successful and longest-running shows in North America, including market- leading home shows in Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. – several of which have thrived in their markets for more than 75 years. For more information about Marketplace Events, visit www.marketplaceevents.com.
Contact:
Roland Tomforde
Broadgate Consultants
212-232-2222