Plantgistix Has Been Acquired by A&R Logistics

22.11.2019

HOUSTON, TEXAS (November 22, 2019) – Statesman Corporate Finance, LLC (“Statesman”) is pleased to announce that Plantgistix Holdings, LLC (“Plantgistix” and/or the “Company”), has been acquired by A&R Logistics Holdings, Inc. (“A&R”), a portfolio company of Wind Point Partners (“Wind Point”). Statesman served as the exclusive financial advisor to Plantgistix throughout the transaction, which closed November 14, 2019.

Founded in 1981 by Marc Levine, Plantgistix is considered one of North America’s premier plastic resin export packaging operations delivering consistent, high-quality solutions to the world’s largest chemical companies. In addition to its packaging, warehousing, and export logistic services, Plantgistix also provides a variety of resin enhancement and in-plant services. The Company serves its customers out of three strategically located facilities in the Houston area with plans for significant additional capacity. Following the transaction, Plantgistix’s president, Sam Diaz, and the entire Plantgistix team will join A&R.
“I am extremely pleased and thankful to the many people who have enabled this to result in a true win-win-win for all involved” stated Marc Levine, former owner of Plantgistix. “In particular, the folks at Statesman did an outstanding job. Their professionalism has been remarkable, resulting in a transition to a high-quality buyer that will take care of our customers, employees, and suppliers.”
With this acquisition of Plantgistix, A&R will be positioned as North America’s most significant provider of outsourced warehousing, packaging, and export services dedicated to the plastic resin industry. Earlier this year, A&R announced projects totaling more than $100 million to establish facilities on the U.S. East Coast in Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA. Plantgistix complements A&R’s East Coast strategy, immediately establishing a large and growing footprint near the Port of Houston. A&R will stand as the industry’s only logistics provider offering complete export solutions out of Houston, Charleston, and Savannah.
“Through his focus on delivering the industry’s highest quality service, and an emphasis on building a strong corporate culture, Marc Levine laid the foundation for a truly unique company,” stated Mark Holden, CEO of A&R. “Likewise, Sam Diaz has done a remarkable job leading the business day-to-day, positioning Plantgistix as a true leader in this space. We could not be happier to welcome the Plantgistix management team and employees to the A&R family.”
Konrad Salaber, Managing Director with Wind Point Partners, noted, “Aggressively expanding A&R’s presence in the chemicals export market was a key value creation initiative identified at the time of our investment, and this acquisition advances A&R’s position as one of the largest, most flexible supply chain partners for the world’s leading chemical companies. This combination is very exciting for A&R, Plantgistix, and all of our respective customers and employees.”
Sam Diaz, President of Plantgistix, commented, “The entire Plantgistix team is thrilled about this transaction and I look forward to merging our two teams. We chose A&R as our future partner due to our common core values and shared dedication to providing customers with the industry’s most consistent, reliable, creative and flexible solutions. This broader platform will allow us to provide the industry with a multi-port export packaging solution as well as an end-to-end service offering that includes resin enhancement and in-plant services. This creates a special platform offering unparalleled opportunities for customers and employees alike.”

Wind Point Partners acquired A&R in May of 2019 in partnership with CEO Mark Holden, a veteran executive in the logistics space who previously led four separate investments to a successful sale or IPO. This represents the second add-on for A&R under Wind Point’s ownership, following the addition of Blue Water Plastic Transport in June 2019. A&R’s acquisition strategy will continue to focus on acquiring companies that provide dry bulk transportation, warehousing and logistics services to producers and distributors of chemicals and plastics. In addition, A&R seeks to expand into complementary services, including liquid chemical supply chain services.

About the other transaction participants

Statesman Corporate Finance, LLC is the FINRA-licensed broker dealer affiliate of Statesman Business Advisors, LLC. With offices in Houston and Austin, Texas, Statesman is a leading middle-market investment banking firm providing merger and acquisition, capital formation, valuation and other general corporate financial advisory services to middle-market companies. The Statesman team advising on this engagement was led by Principal Will Jaco, and included Managing Director Mark Vance, Vice Presidents Peter Chiu and Jessica Seff, and Analyst Anthony Hernandez.

A&R Logistics Holdings, Inc. is a leading supply chain services company providing dry bulk transportation services, warehousing & packaging, distribution, export, and third-party logistics solutions to numerous multinational companies within the chemical industry. A&R provides a comprehensive suite of services including over-the-road transportation, transloading, packaging, warehousing, and end-to-end outsourced transportation management through a nationwide network of facilities, a combination of Company-owned equipment and owner-operators, and a non-asset-based transportation management division.

Wind Point Partners is a Chicago-based private equity investment firm with approximately $3 billion in assets under management. Wind Point focuses on partnering with top caliber management teams to acquire well-positioned middle market businesses where it can establish a clear path to value creation. The firm targets investments in the consumer products, industrial products, and business services sectors. Wind Point is currently investing out of Wind Point Partners IX, a fund that was initiated in 2019

Foley and Lardner LLP (Boston, MA) provided legal counsel to Plantgistix led by Partners Susan Pravda and Beth Felder and Associates Paige MoscowMike Donadio and Adam Kleinfeld.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP (Chicago, IL) provided legal counsel to A&R Logistics led by Partner Melanie Harmon and Associates Kaycie RuppMichael Lowes and Joshua Cowin.

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