Nautic Partners Announces Acquisition of SurfacePrep in Partnership With Management

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nautic Partners, LLC (“Nautic”) is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of SurfacePrep, in partnership with management.

Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, SurfacePrep is a leading national and international distributor of surface enhancement solutions. The company distributes loose and coated/bonded abrasives, specialty ceramic materials, and powder coating and fluid delivery consumables, as well as related spare parts and equipment. SurfacePrep’s trained technicians also offer outsourced finishing services, deburring, abrasive media blending, formulation and process design advisory and abrasive finishing equipment MRO services.

Mike Currie, CEO of SurfacePrep, said, “This partnership with Nautic marks an exciting new chapter for SurfacePrep, with a focus on accelerating performance while continuing to provide our customers the excellent service, solutions, and products they expect. We are eager to move forward with Nautic’s support leveraging their deep industrial distribution experience and continuing to enhance our strong relationships with customers, suppliers, and our SurfacePrep team.”

Chris Pierce, a Managing Director of Nautic, said, “SurfacePrep is led by CEO Mike Currie and an experienced management team that has demonstrated a long history of growth. We are excited about Mike and the team’s ability to accelerate that growth track record in the coming years and are thrilled to partner with them to support the company’s future efforts. Additionally, we’re excited to add another investment to our distribution portfolio within Nautic’s Industrials group.”

Sean Wieland, Managing Director of Nautic, continued, “SurfacePrep holds a strong position in a large and highly fragmented market, serving its customers through a consultative sales approach, showcasing a strong value proposition that is rooted in SurfacePrep’s technical expertise. We believe the company has significant runway to continue to provide value to its customers in existing and adjacent markets, and we are excited to work with management on those plans.”

McDermott Will & Emery LLP represented Nautic in the transaction and Antares, Churchill, Cliffwater, Manulife Investment Management and Metlife Investment Management led the financing for the transaction. KeyBanc Capital Markets and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP advised SurfacePrep.

About SurfacePrep
SurfacePrep is a leading distributor of consumable abrasive products and specialty materials, surface finishing equipment and value-added services that meets the needs of customers in facilities across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.surfaceprep.com.

About Nautic
Nautic Partners is a Providence, Rhode Island-based middle-market private equity firm that focuses our expertise and market knowledge on sub-verticals within three sectors: Healthcare, Industrials and Services. Nautic has completed over 155 platform transactions throughout our 38-year history. In pursing our thematic and proactive investment strategy, we seek to partner with executives and management teams in an effort to accelerate the growth trajectory of our portfolio companies via acquisitions, targeted operating initiatives, and increased management team depth. For more information, please visit www.nautic.com.