Kopetz Partners with Sikich to Advance Capabilities
In addition to capital, Kopetz partners with Sikich Investment Banking for strategic advice, industry connections and international expertise that will take the manufacturer to the next level.
Posted: July 1, 2013
Sikich Investment Banking announced the recapitalization of Kopetz Mfg. by private equity firm LMW2 Partners. Sikich served as the exclusive financial advisor to the owners of Kopetz.
Kopetz Manufacturing, Inc. (Decatur, IL) was founded in 1976 and has roots going back more than 60 years. Kopetz is a leading metal fabricator of large pressure vessels and heat exchangers to the worldwide process industries and energy sectors. The company has grown rapidly in recent years, nearly doubling its workforce from early in 2010.
Much of this success is due to its expansion in the burgeoning Liquefied Natural Gas (“LNG”) industry. The company produces custom, proprietary, LNG vaporizers for both land-based and ship-borne applications used around the world including Asia, the Middle East and South America.
Having successfully led the company through the recession, Jim Grady, Kopetz’s owner, was looking for an investment partner to assist in taking Kopetz to the next level. Grady engaged the services of Chicago-based Sikich Investment Banking to guide him in this process.
The Sikich team, led by partner-in-charge, Christopher Geier, and managing director, Bob Stutz, was able to develop numerous attractive proposals for Kopetz. Sikich, with a long history of working with private companies, quickly saw the value in the firm. “Kopetz is a global leader in the LNG space. With significant growth opportunities across multiple industries, LMW2 is an ideal capital partner with capacity to support that growth,” commented Geier.
“In addition to capital, we were seeking a partner that could provide strategic advice, industry connections and international expertise. Sikich helped us to tell the story of Kopetz in a compelling way, and they were able to bring us several investors interested in the Company,” said Grady.
“Their industry knowledge and operational experience were integral, and those strengths are not common in a financial advisor. In the end, Sikich found the right investment partner in LMW2 to help us realize the full potential of Kopetz.”
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
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