Snow Phipps Completes Sale of Kele
NEW YORK, NY – February 25, 2020 – Snow Phipps Group, LLC ("Snow Phipps"), a New York-based private equity firm, today announced the completion of its sale of Kele, Inc. ("Kele" or the "Company"), a leading distributor of peripheral products used in commercial building automation systems, to The Stephens Group, LLC. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Since acquiring Kele in October 2015, Snow Phipps has invested significantly in the Company and completed several add-on acquisitions. During that time, the Company has greatly expanded its digital platform, transformed its relationships with key supply partners and expanded into new geographies and end markets.
"We have greatly appreciated our partnership with Kele, and thank the entire Kele team for their efforts during our ownership," said John Pless, a Partner of Snow Phipps. "We are pleased with the growth we achieved, both organically and through add-on acquisitions, and wish the Company all the best under its new ownership."
Brandon Kiss, a Managing Director of Snow Phipps added, "We are glad to have had the opportunity to contribute to Kele's growth and evolution over the past few years. We are confident that the Company is well positioned in its market and look forward to seeing it continue to succeed."
Kele CEO Richard Campbell added, "Snow Phipps has been an incredible partner to Kele over the last several years. They have provided significant financial and operational assistance and support to help fuel our growth trajectory and vision, and we have greatly enjoyed our time working together."
Snow Phipps’ advisor was Houlihan Lokey Capital, Inc. and legal counsel was Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.
About Kele
Headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, Kele provides peripheral products and services to the building automation systems industry. Kele's product offering includes thousands of interface products, including sensors, transmitters, switches, gauges and relays from over 300 suppliers. The company's products can be integrated into pre-existing, new construction and retrofit systems. In addition to having a robust product offering, Kele provides value-added services including custom panel assembly, tagging and kitting, calibration and programming, and other assemblies. For additional information, please visit www.kele.com.
About Snow Phipps Group
Snow Phipps is a private equity firm focused on lower middle-market control investments with $2.4 billion of total capital commitments raised since its founding in 2005. The firm generally focuses on companies in attractive sub-sectors across the Industrials, Services and Consumer industries and targets platform investments with enterprise values ranging from $100 million to $500 million. The Snow Phipps investment team collaborates with its Operating Partners and portfolio management teams to create value through an operationally focused strategy often led by organic or acquisition-driven growth. To learn more about Snow Phipps, visit www.snowphipps.com
