Kelso & Company Acquires Silver Spur; Combines with Existing Investments in C.L. Smith and Inmark

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Funds managed by Kelso & Company (“Kelso”) have acquired Silver Spur Corporation (“Silver Spur”), a supplier of specialty glass and plastic packaging. Silver Spur will be combined with Kelso’s existing investments in C.L. Smith and Inmark, distributors of rigid container and life sciences packaging products. Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Cerritos, CA, Silver Spur is a stocking distributor of glass and plastic packaging products serving a variety of end markets, with a specialization in glass bottles used in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications. Silver Spur’s 115,000 square foot warehouse offers customers just-in-time access to an extensive assortment of products sourced via the company’s global network of vendor relationships. Silver Spur also provides custom design and other value-added services and is committed to delivering best-in-class availability, customer care, and responsiveness. Silver Spur’s existing team will remain in place to maintain these high standards and drive the company’s next phase of growth.

“The Silver Spur team has successfully executed on a differentiated growth strategy focused on sourcing, stocking, and distributing high-quality specialty packaging products to customers with diverse needs,” said Sandy Osborne, Managing Director at Kelso. “The combination of Silver Spur with C.L. Smith and Inmark will improve our product availability, expand our geographic and end market coverage, and support the continued enhancement of our customer value proposition,” added Alec Hufnagel, Managing Director at Kelso.

Loeb and Loeb LLP served as legal advisor to Kelso.

Mesirow served as financial advisor to Silver Spur. Proskauer Rose LLP served as legal advisor to Silver Spur.

About Silver Spur

Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Cerritos, CA, Silver Spur supplies a specialty portfolio of high-quality glass and plastic bottles, jars, caps, and closures to a variety of end markets. Silver Spur has developed a large, diverse, and growing customer base with numerous direct and distribution relationships throughout the U.S. For more information, please visit silverspurcorp.com.

About C.L. Smith

C.L. Smith is a premier rigid packaging provider with over 45 years of industry experience. Headquartered in St. Louis, MO, C.L. Smith provides full stocking distribution, custom packaging design and manufacturing, and turnkey hazardous material shipping solutions. Exceptional customer care and service are core to C.L. Smith’s operational philosophy and corporate culture. For more information, please visit www.clsmith.com.

About Inmark

For over 45 years, Inmark has been a trusted source for rigid container, temperature-controlled, specimen transport, used medical device, and dangerous goods packaging. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA with locations in Europe, Asia, and North America, Inmark has become a respected leader in developing packaging solutions for businesses globally. For more information, please visit www.inmarkpackaging.com.

About Kelso

Kelso is one of the oldest and most established firms specializing in private equity investing. Since 1980, Kelso has invested over $15 billion of equity capital in 132 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.