Merit Investment Bank & Company, a leading middle market investment bank and 2021 Boutique Investment Banking Firm of the Year, is honored to have served as exclusive adviser to International Greenhouse Contractors Inc., also known as Greenhouse Megastore, in its sale to BFG Supply Co.
IGC was founded in 1993 by David George Sr. in Seattle as a greenhouse construction services provider and quickly evolved into a leading value-added distributor and one of the first companies in the space to leverage the internet for sales and distribution. Upon taking over the business, George Sr.’s sons, David and Ben, accelerated growth by leveraging the company’s established e-commerce footprint. In doing so, they built Greenhouse Megastore into the leading value-added provider of hobby and commercial greenhouses and related products to consumer, institutional, and commercial markets.
Seeking a partner to help facilitate the next phase of the company’s growth while maintaining the family legacy, the George family engaged Merit Investment Bank to provide strategic alternatives and transaction advisory services. Merit Investment Bank managed a robust process that garnered interest from both strategic and financial buyers. After evaluating multiple offers, IGC selected BFG for the strong cultural fit, growth focus and unique adjacent expertise in its target verticals. This provided both the buyer and seller with unique synergistic growth opportunities going forward.
“We are honored to have had the opportunity to help the George family source and close this transaction with BFG. In bringing a diverse range of alternatives to the table, we were able to find a buyer that was an excellent fit for both the goals of the George family and the employees of IGC. With the strong fit from both strategic and cultural perspectives, we believe both IGC and BFG will benefit immensely from this transaction,” said Jeff Sasakura, managing director of Merit Investment Bank.
“Due to Merit Investment Bank’s efforts our family business ended up with the perfect buyer and closed within a very tight timeline. Their professionalism, experience and extensive network of buyers helped us realize a truly ideal outcome,” said David George, president of IGC.
Legal advisory was provided by Randall H. Green and the team at Meyer Capel of Champaign, Illinois. Accounting and diligence support was provided by Jim Eisenmenger of Martin Hood, also in Champaign.
About BFG
Headquartered in Burton, Ohio, BFG is a platform company of Pamplona Capital Management, a global investment firm with over $10 billion in assets under management. BFG is a leading technology-enabled distributor to the green industry. It distributes products across green industry segments including professional horticulture, lawn and garden, hydroponic, and controlled environment agriculture.
About IGC
Headquartered in Danville, Illinois, with an office in West Sacramento, California, IGC has served greenhouse hobbyists for 28 years. The company has in-depth technical knowledge of greenhouse structure and operates one of the best-known and trusted brands in the online greenhouse community.
About Merit Investment Bank
Merit Investment Bank is a leading boutique investment bank focused on serving middle-market, technology-forward companies. Merit Investment Bank executes sell-side M&A, buy-side M&A, and capital advisory services with specific emphasis on the technology, software, consumer, telecom/ wireless, and manufacturing / Industry 4.0 sectors. In addition, Merit Investment Bank offers other investment banking services such as debt and equity capital raises, restructuring advisory services, business valuations, and project financing through its subsidiary, Merit Investment Bank Securities, member FINRA / SIPC, a full-service broker-dealer licensed in 50 states.
For further information about this transaction, please contact Jeff Sasakura at jeff.sasakura@meritinvestmentbank.com
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Jodi Roberts
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