GRAND RAPIDS, MI, – NuVescor Group is pleased to announce the successful sale of Van’s Pattern, based in Grand Rapids, MI to LNS Manufacturing, Inc. owned and led by Larry DeHart and the Van’s Pattern current General Manager, Glenn McQuarter.

Van’s Pattern is a national leader and innovator in the manufacture of polystyrene patterns and prototypes.

DeHart said Van’s Pattern is an attractive opportunity because it’s been in business for 60 years, has a solid reputation in the industry, a mature workforce and is a pioneer in polystyrene pattern design and construction. The new owners have decades of manufacturing experience and Larry in particular has grown two companies, including Micro Machine Company, which he owned until 2010. Micro Machine, a precision Medical Device Manufacturer, had locations in Kalamazoo, Mich., and Warsaw, Ind.

“With 48 years of production management background, growing two companies as well as owning one of them, I feel comfortable in my abilities to continue the established reputation as well as promoting growth” said DeHart, now president of Van’s Pattern.

DeHart said he is “keenly aware of the challenges facing manufacturing today, especially in the contract manufacturing arena” and expects growth in the business. They are expecting to add 8 to 10 employees in 2021. The company currently employs 21 people.

Former Van’s Pattern owner Dan Vander Molen took over the company from his father more than 40 years ago, and prior to that worked closely with his father, learning all aspects of the business. He has seen the evolution of pattern making from the early wood patterns and recognized an opportunity to produce patterns using foam. Vander Molen was an early innovator and led the way in the industry in foam patterns. Van’s Pattern utilizes nine CNC-controlled cutting machines to meet the high-precision demands of the auto industry, special tool manufacturers and foundries.

About Van’s Pattern
The Company operates out of a modern 40,000 sq. ft. building at 11 Sweet St. NW, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It has an excellent track record of serving industrial OEM and Tier 2 manufacturing clients as well as iron and steel foundries across the US. Its extensive facilities, best-in-class equipment and a highly-trained workforce rank it at the top of its industry.

About NuVescor Group
NuVescor Group, based in West Michigan, is a distinguished mergers & acquisitions service provider that partners with other professional service providers to provide the full array of disciplines needed to have successful and timely business transactions. NuVescor works within many different industries and has a strong focus and track record specifically in the manufacturing sector. NuVescor utilizes a proprietary proven process that greatly increases the success rates for business transactions as well as the customer experience. For additional information, please visit www.nuvescor.com.

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NuVescor Group is pleased to announce the successful sale of a concrete supply business to a longtime concrete contractor. NuVescor represented the seller in the transaction.

The buyer has been a trusted leader in the concrete industry for more than a half-century, providing concrete construction to a large group of customers.

The seller provides a wide range of concrete and related products including sand and stone aggregates and crushed concrete and serves as a one-source, efficient supplier of multiple products to contractors. Its high-quality products, developed through a focus on concrete technology, and emphasis on customer service produced a long history of repeat customers, growing sales and profitability. The Company’s owner was ready to retire, and the purchase provides the opportunity for the new owner to take over a successful, established operation.

The business was family owned and finding the right fit to continue the culture was a priority for the seller. Understanding the expectations of our clients and preparing them for the market resulted in a successful sale to the right buyer.

About NuVescor Group
NuVescor Group, based in West Michigan, is a distinguished mergers & acquisitions service provider that partners with other professional service providers to provide the full array of disciplines needed to have successful and timely business transactions. NuVescor has a strong focus and track record in the manufacturing sector. NuVescor utilizes a proprietary proven process that greatly increases the success rates for business transactions as well as the customer experience. For additional information, please visit www.nuvescor.com.

AGET Manufacturing recently acquired by Madison Street Holdings, LLC

NuVescor Group is pleased to announce the successful sale of AGET Manufacturing to Madison Street Holdings, LLC.

AGET Manufacturing is in the air filtration sector and is a well-established Company that develops, manufactures, markets and sells a line of equipment used in nearly every manufacturing setting. The Company’s product line includes proven manufacturing support equipment with strong brand recognition.

AGET Manufacturing, operating in Adrian, Michigan, was founded in 1938 and has a long history of making and selling equipment for dust collection, with customers throughout the United States and around the world. The well-diversified customer base includes manufacturers in the wood working, metal processing, pharmaceutical, food, agriculture and plastics industries. Superior quality and excellent customer service have generated an exceptional reputation and loyal customer base. The primary collection units are cyclones and shaker baghouses.  Other products include blower/baghouse units, mist collectors, chip/mist collectors, rotary valves, back draft dampers, down draft tables, zipper ducts, and various combinations of equipment.  Rob DePierre, the former owner said, “I could not be happier with John and Lauren, AGET is poised for incredible growth and I have every confidence that they are the team to do it.”

Madison Street Holdings is owned by Lauren Cato and John Mitchem. Lauren is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University Law School.  Lauren began her legal career with a focus on real estate and further refined that focus to the wireless communications industry in its infancy.  Following working as a Partner at Richard Conner Riley and Associates, LLC (RCR), and a Director at Black and Veatch following its acquisition of RCR, Lauren founded wireless site acquisition company Catalyst Network Services, LLC in and is currently its President. John is a graduate of Wayne State University in Industrial Engineering.  John began his automotive career in the steel processing industry as a metallurgist.  John worked in both Technical and Sales and Marketing leadership roles at Masco Industries, MascoTech companies, American Axle and most recently Vice President at MPG, a NYSE publicly traded company.

They saw in AGET an opportunity to leverage their combined business experience of Lauren’s 27-year legal background and business owner and John’s 30-year automotive supplier background to grow and develop the company. There is a strong management team in place and opportunity to expand sales into additional industries as well as increasing production capabilities for existing customers. According to Lauren, “We saw an immediate fit with the AGET team and are very excited to work closely with them to take AGET to the next level. Rob has done an incredible job streamlining processes, developing the management, marketing and sales channels and growing AGET to where it is today — a successful and profitable, well-run organization. “

NuVescor proudly served as the exclusive mergers and acquisitions advisor for the seller. For over a decade, NuVescor has been a leader in the Mergers & Acquisitions industry in Michigan. With years of experience and a unique proven process, the NuVescor teams works together to ensure successful and timely business transactions, delivering excellent results to their clients. For additional information, please visit www.nuvescor.com

This article was originally published by MiBiz on August 7, 2018.

Written by  Mitch Galloway

GRAND RAPIDS — Manufacturer Midway Rotary Die Solutions has sold to a West Michigan-based private equity firm.

In its latest deal, Grand Rapids-based Auxo Investment Partners will add more capabilities to its die manufacturing platform with the investment in the Williamston-based manufacturer, said Managing Partner Jeff Helminski.

Included in the acquisition are 50 employees from Midway and a roughly 20,000-square-foot facility in Williamston, Helminski said. The 33-year-old company is the “quintessential story” of two entrepreneurs, Richard and Betsy Seeley, who “found their business and poured their professional life’s work” into building a “world-class organization,” he added.

“(Acquiring Midway) really expands our platform, giving us a larger share of a very fragmented industry, particularly the more sophisticated, technically demanding segment of that market,” Helminski told MiBiz.

The acquisition of Midway makes for the P.E. firm’s fourth acquisition in 11 months.

Prior to the acquisition of Midway, Auxo purchased two die companies in September of 2017 — the Elkhart, Indiana-based Atlas Die LLC and the Rochester Hills-based Bernal LLC —  as well as New Orleans-based barge company M/G Transport Services later that year, as MiBiz reported at the time.

By acquiring Midway, Auxo’s portfolio of companies will give customers access to dies ranging in size from 12 inches to larger than 100 inches, Helminski said.

“Adding Midway’s capabilities to what Bernal and Atlas do allow us to provide a complete product offering of rotary dies, including flexible dies, crush cut dies, rotary pressure dies, across the entire range of widths,” he said. “Midway fit a gap in the existing product portfolio that Bernal and Atlas had, and they were one of the first companies we identified when we bought Bernal and Atlas.”

According to Helminski, Midway serves the automotive, medical and food sectors. Some of the company’s clients include the Maplewood, Minn.-based manufacturing conglomerate 3M and the Norcross, Ga.-based corrugated packaging manufacturer WestRock.

“It was our dream when we bought Midway in 1985 with six employees to build it into a world class organization,” stated Rich Seeley, CEO of Midway Rotary Die Solutions, who will retire following the transition. “We spent the last 33 years providing the highest-quality products and service in our industry, and we couldn’t be more pleased to find, in Auxo, a partner who can help our colleagues continue to grow and develop opportunities to provide further innovation and value to our customers.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Following the acquisition, Ken Smott will become CEO of Midway to go along with his current leadership roles at Atlas Die and Bernal.

“Combining Midway with our existing portfolio of die producers allows us to offer our customers an increasingly broad, innovative suite of capabilities, helping them to deliver superior quality and efficiency in their own businesses,” Smott said in a statement.

Between its facilities for Midway and Bernal, Auxo is looking to hire roughly 10 employees, Helminski said.

The Grand Rapids-based M&A firm NuVescor Group LLC served as an adviser to the seller. Other advisers on the transaction include the Grand Rapids-based law firm Miller, Johnson, Snell & Cummiskey PLC, Indianapolis, Ind.-based law firm Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Chicago, Ill.-based accounting firm BDO USA LLP, Grand Rapids-based bank Mercantile Bank of Michigan, Columbus, Ohio-based investment firm Oxer Capital Inc., London-based insurance company Aon Plc. and Grand Rapids-based health insurance firm Advantage Benefits Group Inc.

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Editor’s note: This story was updated from its original version. 

NuVescor is pleased to announce the successful merger of Lakeland Finishing Corporation in Grand Rapids with Monroe Group Holdings in Grand Rapids.

Lakeland Finishing Corporation provides a full range of quality product finishing services to the automotive and transportation markets. Its specialty is coating of plastic molded automotive trim parts, as well as manufacture and supply of decorative plastic components for automotive interior and exterior trim.

It has experienced, expert employees who work with the latest technology and the top vendors in the industry to provide multiple finishing solutions on a wide variety of customer substrate materials. Lakeland also offers auxiliary services such as injection molding, pad printing, assembly and warehousing to save customer costs in handling and transportation.

Monroe Group Holdings, a subsidiary of Huizenga Group, is a privately held firm that provides highly engineered analog gauge pointers and light guides for the automotive industry.  This merger aligns the core competency of Lakeland and Monroe LLC bringing together a strong partnership between the companies in terms of leveraging a full compliment of vertical integration and plastic finishing.  The addition of Monroe’s vertical integration and capacity in tooling, molding, painting, assembly automation and engineering services allows for greater single source opportunities within their combined customer base.

NuVescor is a distinguished mergers & acquisitions service provider that partners with other professional service providers to provide the full array of disciplines needed to have successful and timely business transactions. NuVescor uses the Rua Transaction Process, a proprietary proven process, that greatly increases the success rates for business transactions as well as the customer experience. For additional information please visit www.nuvescor.com.