The Halifax Group announces sale of SoilSafe to an affiliate of American Capital Strategies, Ltd. for $114.5 million
WASHINGTON, DC – September 19, 2005 – The Halifax Group today announced that it has sold Soil Safe, Inc. (“Soil Safe”), a leading provider of value-added soil treatment and placement services in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, to an affiliate of American Capital Strategies, Ltd. (NASDAQ: ACAS) for $114.5 million.
Concurrent with the sale of Soil Safe, Halifax also facilitated the sale of operating real estate in Brandywine , MD owned by Brandywine Real Estate Partners, LLC, an affiliate of The Halifax Group, to Soil Safe immediately post-closing. Additionally, Halifax was instrumental in facilitating Soil Safe’s acquisition of TPS Technologies, Inc., a thermal desorption treatment facility that serves the Southern California market for Soil Safe, also immediately post-closing.
“Halifax initially identified Soil Safe because it was a focused, well-respected family business that, with the right resources, would be poised for tremendous growth in a highly attractive niche,” said Jud Hill, a Managing Director of Halifax and Chairman of Soil Safe. “Today’s announcement marks a key milestone for both companies. For Halifax , it signals the success of our investment strategy of working with Soil Safe’s founder and management team to collectively create significant shareholder value, generated by a substantial growth in revenues and a doubling of EBITDA without acquisitions. For Soil Safe, it means they have successfully driven the company forward and are now positioned for the next phase of growth.”
The sale marks the continuation of a highly active year-to-date for Halifax , during which it has successfully executed several investments and exits. In 2005, Halifax acquired PolyPipe, Inc., the second largest manufacturer of high-density polyethylene pipe in the United States , and also acquired Maverick Healthcare, Inc., a leading home healthcare provider in the Southwest. The sale of Soil Safe is the second exit The Halifax Group has executed within the last three months. In June 2005 Halifax , along with Carousel Capital, sold Meineke Car Care Centers, Inc., in a management-led recapitalization to Allied Capital after successfully re-branding the company from Meineke Discount Mufflers to Meineke Car Care Centers, a full-service provider of car care services.
Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin and Latham & Watkins served as the exclusive financial and legal advisors to Soil Safe, respectively.
About The Halifax Group
The Halifax Group is a private equity investment firm with over $400 million of capital. Halifax is focused on investments in small companies in the U.S. and pursues a theme-based investment strategy, partnering with proven management teams to invest in management buyouts, recapitalizations, growth capital infusions and industry consolidations, primarily in infrastructure, health and wellness. Halifax has offices in Washington, DC, Dallas, and Raleigh-Durham and is an affiliate of Texas Pacific Group/Colony Capital.
About Soil Safe, Inc.
Headquartered in Columbia, MD, Soil Safe provides environmental services that include the treatment and placement of soils that contain low levels of non-hazardous hydrocarbons for real estate, infrastructure development and industrial customers in the Mid-Atlantic region. Soil Safe processes lightly contaminated soil into a safe, high-quality construction material used for a variety of industrial projects and has been determined by state regulators to be clean and appropriate for reuse applications. The company currently has facilities in Brandywine , MD and Logan , NJ , each with a cost effective service area of 150 miles.
About American Capital Strategies, Ltd.
American Capital is a publicly traded buyout and mezzanine fund with capital resources of approximately $5.4 billion. American Capital invests in and sponsors management and employee buyouts, invests in private equity buyouts, and provides capital directly to private and small public companies. American Capital provides senior debt, mezzanine debt and equity to fund growth, acquisitions and recapitalizations.
