News articles |

2023

Back to All Articles

Shore Capital Partners Closes Over $640 Million for Two New Funds

July 13, 2023

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shore Capital Partners, (“Shore” or the “Firm”), a private equity firm focused on microcap investments, today announced the closing of its inaugural Industrial fund, Shore Capital Industrial Partners Fund I (“IND Fund I”), and its fifth healthcare fund, Shore Capital Healthcare Partners Fund V (“HC Fund V”). With the addition of the two funds, which closed within three months and total over $643 million, Shore now has over $6 billion assets under management and additional entities to which it provides business and operational services.

“The close of the new healthcare and industrial funds is a testament to the team’s established ability to identify industry niches poised for growth,” said Shore Founder and Managing Partner Justin Ishbia. “Partnering with premier management teams with a focus on long-term success has always been our highest priority and we will continue to double-down on our commitment to providing operational resources to the companies we partner with. I am immensely proud of the team that has helped to grow Shore into the firm it is today, and we look forward to welcoming more business owners to the Shore family and partnering with them in an effort to deliver transformational results.”

IND Fund I is led by Shore Founder and Managing Partner Justin Ishbia and Partners and Co-Heads of Industrials John Sznewajs and Dan Spradling. Expanding the Firm’s successful, thesis-driven microcap investment strategy into the industrials sector, the team will primarily focus on investing in aerospace and defense, building and facility services, transportation and logistics, environmental services, manufactured products/services, and industrial technology companies that have between $5 million and $100 million in revenue. IND Fund I surpassed its original target of $150 million and was substantially oversubscribed.

“The industrial sector is highly fragmented, and we believe it’s a target-rich environment with strong growth potential,” said Sznewajs. “While the new fund represents Shore’s formal entry into the industry, the team’s prior experience investing in similar businesses will inform our approach and accelerate our ability to drive growth in new industrial investments.”

“Shore’s investment playbook – bringing together robust management, a world-class board of directors and a top-down investment approach – has been time tested, and we look forward to applying it across the attractive Industrial niches that we identify,” said Spradling.

HC Fund V is also led by Justin Ishbia, along with Shore Founding Partners John Hennegan, Ryan Kelley and Mike Cooper, and Partners Don Pierce and Chris Mioton. HC Fund V will enable the Firm to build upon its strong track record of investing in microcap healthcare businesses and partner with companies across a variety of healthcare subsectors that have between $5 million and $200 million in revenue. HC Fund V also surpassed its original target of $350 million and was substantially oversubscribed.

“The healthcare industry has proven to be resilient throughout market cycles, and we believe there is ample opportunity to continue improving the patient, provider, and payor experience within the healthcare ecosystem,” said Kelley. “We are energized by the momentum we see in the market, and we are grateful to our partners who have entrusted our skilled team of investment and operational professionals to help take their businesses to the next level.”

Commitments to both IND Fund I and HC Fund V came from the Firm’s existing investors and select new limited partners, resulting in a diverse investor base comprised of university endowments, financial institutions, fund-of-funds and family offices. The partners of Shore have also committed capital to both funds.

Shore’s strategy is to help microcap businesses grow faster with less risk, through access to capital, world-class board and operational resources, and unmatched networking and development opportunities. Since its inception, Shore has rapidly grown its investment and operational support teams and invested in 56 unique platform companies, with an incremental 800 plus add on acquisitions. Today, Shore’s portfolio of companies span across approximately 1,500 locations and over 31,000 employees, and the firm has over 130 team members between its Chicago and Nashville offices.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as a legal advisor to Shore for the fundraising efforts. Shore did not use a placement agent.

About Shore Capital Partners

Shore Capital, a Chicago-based private equity firm with offices in Nashville, is an investor in microcap companies in the healthcare, food and beverage, business services, industrial, and real estate industries. Shore’s strategy is to support management partners to grow faster with less risk, through access to capital, world-class board and operational resources, and unmatched networking, development, and shared learnings across the portfolio. For the third consecutive year in 2022, Shore received recognition from Inc. Magazine as a top founder-friendly investor, and by Pitchbook research for leading all U.S. Private equity firms in total deal volume. Shore targets investments in established, successful private companies with premier management teams, stable cash flow, and significant potential to grow through industry consolidation and organic growth to generate value for shareholders. Shore has over $6 billion of assets under management and in additional investment platforms to which it provides business and operational services. For more information, including with respect to these awards and investment platforms, please visit: www.shorecp.com.

Contacts

Shore Capital Partners
Allison Dorr, Edelman Smithfield
Allison.Dorr@edelmansmithfield.com

Shore Capital Partners Announces Formation of Empower Aesthetics

July 6, 2023

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shore Capital Partners (“Shore” or “Shore Capital”), a private equity firm focused on microcap investments within the healthcare, food and beverage, and business services industries, is pleased to announce the formation of Empower Aesthetics (“Empower” or the “Company”), a new national aesthetics platform headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Backed by Shore Capital, Empower provides the tools, support, and strategy needed to empower aesthetics practices to reach new heights while maintaining the highest quality of care. Together, Empower and Shore will explore opportunities for growth through new partnerships and business development in the medical aesthetics space.

“We are excited to enter the medical aesthetics space and look forward to building a renowned platform focused on delivering high quality care at scale in partnership with Empower,” said Logan Pitts, Vice President at Shore Capital. “Shore has a significant history of success in the healthcare industry, and we plan to apply the same principles to enable Empower to grow bigger, stronger, and faster through partnerships with top-tier providers and training the next generation of talent.”

Empower is launching with an experienced management team that is led by Chief Executive Officer Jeff Helfgott, a seasoned executive with decades of experience rapidly growing multi-site, consumer, and healthcare services businesses.

“I am thrilled to partner with Shore to find medical aesthetic providers who share Empower’s vision to transform the aesthetics industry,” Helfgott said. “We are energized by the opportunity to help define the future of the industry by investing in high quality businesses and building authentic relationships with our patients, providers, and industry partners.”

John Hennegan, Partner at Shore Capital, added, “Our partnership with the entire Empower team provides the foundation to build a rapidly growing aesthetics platform. Shore’s unmatched experience in multi-site healthcare will allow us to quickly identify best-in-class acquisitions and new markets for service.”

Bolstered by a world-class Board of Directors who have experience in growing healthcare businesses, direct-to-consumer marketing, brand building, and luxury guest experiences, the Empower leadership team is dedicated to helping the platform’s individual brands thrive by rapidly scaling their brands through Empower’s resources, tools, and expertise.

To learn more about Empower Aesthetics, please visit www.empower.spa or email info@empower.spa.

About Shore Capital Partners

Shore Capital, a Chicago-based private equity firm with offices in Nashville, is an investor in microcap companies in the Healthcare, Food and Beverage, Business Services, Industrial, and Real Estate industries. Shore’s strategy is to support management partners to grow faster with less risk, through access to capital, world-class board and operational resources, and unmatched networking, development, and shared learnings across the portfolio. For the third consecutive year in 2022, Shore received recognition from Inc. Magazine as a top founder-friendly investor, and by Pitchbook research for leading all U.S. Private equity firms in total deal volume. Shore targets investments in proven, successful private companies with superior management teams, stable cash flow, and significant potential to grow through industry consolidation and organic growth to generate value for shareholders. Shore has approximately $3 billion of cumulative capital commitments through various investment vehicles. For more information, please visit: www.shorecp.com.

About Empower Aesthetics

Empower Aesthetics is a national aesthetics platform that provides the tools, support, and strategy to empower aesthetic owners and practices to reach new heights while maintaining the highest quality of care. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Empower is looking for providers with whom to partner and grow the right way. To learn more about Empower Aesthetics, please visit www.empower.spa or email info@empower.spa.

Contacts

Shore Capital Partners
Allison Dorr, Edelman Smithfield
Allison.Dorr@edelmansmithfield.com

Shore Capital Partners Announces Partnership with Roaming Hunger

June 12, 2023

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shore Capital Partners (“Shore” or “Shore Capital”), a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on microcap investments within the food and beverage, healthcare, and business services industries, is pleased to announce it has completed a partnership with Roaming Hunger (the “Company”), a Los Angeles-based software and services platform that partners with food trucks, catering companies, and mobile pop ups to provide foodservice solutions and experiential marketing activations for customers nationwide.

Founded in 2009 by Ross Resnick, Roaming Hunger has grown from a website that tracks food trucks to the go-to destination for event hosts looking to create memorable and innovative food experiences, and food truck owners, caterers, and pop-up operators who want to fill their calendars with profitable catering, vending, and promotional opportunities. The Company also offers several services to help mobile food vendors scale their businesses, make an impact on local communities, and reach even greater levels of success.

Shore Capital is partnering with the Company’s management team, including CEO Ross Resnick, who has led Roaming Hunger through tremendous growth over the past 14 years. Today, Roaming Hunger has over 20,000 food trucks, trailers, carts, and pop-ups engaged on the Company’s platform.

“Our partnership with Shore Capital is the first of its kind in the food truck industry,” said Ross Resnick, Founder and CEO of Roaming Hunger. “Together, we are building a platform to help food trucks and mobile vendors succeed in their local communities. The partnership will enable Roaming Hunger to invest further in our team and capabilities while continuing to service the food truck industry by providing food truck owners, caterers, and pop-up operators with various revenue opportunities. Together with Shore, we will continue to advance our mission of creating opportunities for anyone, anywhere; expanding culture through food; strengthening local economies; and helping small businesses thrive.”

“We could not be more excited to partner with the Roaming Hunger team to help drive the Company’s next chapter of growth,” said Richard Boos, Partner at Shore Capital and Chairman of Roaming Hunger. “Ross has built an excellent business focused on offering best-in-class services for the food truck industry through a unique, proprietary software interface and an industry-leading team. We look forward to helping build on the success already achieved to date and exploring new growth avenues together to help Roaming Hunger grow bigger, stronger and faster.”

Shore plans to invest in the software development, sales and marketing, business development, and operational infrastructure of the Company to drive transformational growth. Together, Roaming Hunger and Shore will explore opportunities for inorganic growth through acquisitions, and organic growth by expanding into new service and product offerings, as well as industry partnerships.

Jeff Smith, Principal at Shore, said, “We look forward to partnering with Ross and the Roaming Hunger team to achieve our mutual vision of becoming the channel champion helping food truck owners, caterers, and mobile pop-up operators achieve their entrepreneurial dreams.”

To learn more about partnerships with Roaming Hunger, please visit www.roaminghunger.com or email press@roaminghunger.com.

About Shore Capital

Shore Capital, a Chicago based private equity firm with offices in Nashville, is an investor in microcap companies in the Healthcare, Food and Beverage, Business Services, and Real Estate industries. Shore’s strategy is to support management partners to grow faster with less risk, through access to capital, world class board and operational resources, and unmatched networking, development, and shared learnings across the portfolio. For the third consecutive year in 2022, Shore received recognition from Inc. Magazine as a top founder friendly investor, and by Pitchbook research for leading all U.S. Private equity firms in total deal volume. Shore targets investments in proven, successful private companies with superior management teams, stable cash flow, and significant potential to grow through industry consolidation and organic growth to generate value for shareholders. Shore has approximately $3 billion of cumulative capital commitments through various investment vehicles. For more information, please visit www.shorecp.com.

About Roaming Hunger

Roaming Hunger was founded in 2009 to track the emerging movement of gourmet food trucks. Today, we are the leading platform for over 20,000 food trucks, trailers, carts, pop-ups, and caterers, connecting them with turnkey catering, concessions and event opportunities in their local communities. To learn more about Roaming Hunger, visit https://roaminghunger.com/.

Contacts

Shore Capital Partners
Jordan Niezelski, Edelman Smithfield
jordan.niezelski@edelmansmithfield.com

Shore Capital Partners Announces Sale of Innovia Medical

April 4, 2023

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shore Capital Partners (“Shore” or “Shore Capital”), a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on microcap investing, is pleased to announce the sale of Innovia Medical (“Innovia”), a specialty single-use surgical essentials and instrument protection products company, to Inverness Graham, a Philadelphia-based buyout firm that acquires innovative, high-growth businesses.

Shore Capital formed Innovia Medical through the initial acquisitions of Summit Medical, Inc. (“Summit Medical”) in February 2015, and Shippert Medical Enterprises, LLC (“Shippert Medical”) in October 2015. Shore appointed long-time healthcare operator Terry Meredith as CEO of Innovia, who led the expansion of the company with the acquisition of six additional businesses, bolstering the platform’s strategic positioning, product portfolio and customer reach. Today, Innovia Medical is a global provider of single-use surgical essentials and sterile processing products with a manufacturing footprint in the United States and United Kingdom.

“Innovia’s success to-date can be attributed to the strong alignment of the platform’s founders and employees with the strategic direction that Terry expertly led,” said Don Pierce, Partner at Shore and Chairman of the Board of Innovia. “We are pleased to have supported the development of Innovia into one of the leading medical device platforms in the specialty surgical market, and we believe that the company is well-positioned for continued growth.”

“Our partnership with Shore has been invaluable,” said Terry Meredith, Chief Executive Officer of Innovia. “The firm was integral to our growth strategy, helping to build Innovia into a global provider of sought-after brands, ultimately improving outcomes for the patients we serve. We are excited about our next chapter and look forward to capturing future growth opportunities in partnership with Inverness Graham.”

The transaction closed on March 31, 2023. Piper Sandler & Co. served as financial advisor to Innovia and Winston & Strawn LLP served as legal advisor to Shore Capital and Innovia on the transaction. Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP served as legal advisor to Inverness Graham.

About Shore Capital Partners

Shore Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm with offices in Nashville, is focused on microcap investments within the Healthcare, Food and Beverage, Business Services, and Real Estate industries. Shore supports management partners with capital, business development expertise, and industry knowledge to accelerate growth, fund acquisitions, and generate value for shareholders. Shore targets investments in proven, successful private companies with superior management teams, stable cash flow, and significant growth potential, including organic growth and growth through industry consolidation. Shore has approximately $3 billion of cumulative capital commitments through various investment vehicles. For more information, please visit: www.shorecp.com.

About Innovia Medical

Innovia is a family of specialty surgical companies that are passionately committed to partnering with medical professionals to help elevate the delivery of patient care and improve clinical outcomes. Innovia has built a diverse portfolio of 550 products backed by strong intellectual property and supplies medical products to facilities in over 70 countries. For more information, please visit https://innoviamedical.com/.

Contacts

Shore Capital Partners
Jordan Niezelski, Edelman Smithfield
jordan.niezelski@edelmansmithfield.com

Shore Capital Partners Announces Partnership with Container Services, Inc.

February 13, 2023

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shore Capital Partners (“Shore” or “Shore Capital”), a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on microcap investing within the food and beverage, healthcare, and business services industries, is pleased to announce it has completed a partnership with Container Services, Inc. (“CSI” or “The Company”), a custom blow molder of rigid plastic containers based in Hillsboro, Kansas, with a second location in New Castle, Pennsylvania.

CSI was founded by Darrell Driggers in July 1991 to provide custom plastic bottles to honey producers, including their iconic “honey bear” bottle. Since the Company was founded, CSI continued to expand its product offerings and manufacturing capabilities, and grew into a leading manufacturer of high-quality, custom containers for customers in the food and beverage, household products, and automotive industries. The Company specializes in the production of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and HDPE (high-density polyethylene) blow-molded plastic containers and has expertise working with post-consumer recycled plastic resins.

Today, CSI has over 100 employees, and more than 150,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space, while maintaining excellent customer service and providing sophisticated, innovative and reliable plastic packaging solutions. Darrell Driggers’ son, Brent Driggers, joined the Company in 2015 and currently serves as CEO. He will continue in his role as CEO of CSI.

Regarding Shore Capital’s partnership with CSI, Brent Driggers said, “I am extremely proud of what our team has accomplished at CSI. Our partnership with Shore Capital will enable us to invest further in our team and continue improving our production capabilities. Most importantly, this partnership with Shore ultimately enables us to better serve our customers.”

Richard Boos, Partner at Shore, said, “We are very excited about partnering with CSI. Brent and his high-caliber team have built an incredible company with an excellent reputation in the rigid plastic packaging sector. We look forward to providing the CSI team with resources to help the Company to grow bigger, stronger and faster.”

Shore plans to build upon CSI’s strong team and high-quality manufacturing capabilities by investing in the business development, sales and marketing, and operational infrastructure of the Company to help drive transformational growth. Upon closing the partnership, Katie Bush and Ryan Drews joined CSI’s management team as Chief of Staff and VP of Strategic Initiatives, respectively, as part of Shore Capital’s CXO Executive Program. This program seeks to place highly motivated and hungry young executives into management positions throughout the country with the mentorship and support needed to succeed, mature and grow into C-level executives. Together, CSI and Shore will explore opportunities for inorganic growth through acquisitions of rigid plastic container manufacturers and organic growth through continued best-in-class customer service, new customer partnerships, and expanded offerings to existing customers.

Tom Smithburg, Principal at Shore, said, “We look forward to working closely with Brent and the rest of the CSI team to achieve our shared vision of providing customers with best-in-class custom rigid plastic packaging throughout the United States.”

To learn more about partnerships with CSI, please visit https://www.csibottles.com/ or contact Ryan Drews (rdrews@csibottles.com).

About Shore Capital Partners

Shore Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm with offices in Nashville, is focused on microcap investments within the Healthcare, Food and Beverage, Business Services, and Real Estate industries. Shore supports management partners with capital, business development expertise, and industry knowledge to accelerate growth, fund acquisitions, and generate value for shareholders. Shore targets investments in proven, successful private companies with superior management teams, stable cash flow, and significant growth potential, including organic growth and growth through industry consolidation. Shore has approximately $3 billion of cumulative capital commitments through various investment vehicles. For more information, please visit: www.shorecp.com.

About Container Services, Inc.

Container Services, Inc. (“CSI”) is a premier manufacturer of rigid plastic packaging services, specializing in the production of PET containers and HDPE containers for specialty food & beverage and other manufacturers. Backed by Shore Capital, CSI is supported by a World-Class Board of Directors, with deep experience across packaging, operations, and private equity. For more information, please visit: https://www.csibottles.com/.

Contacts

Shore Capital Partners
Jordan Niezelski, Edelman Smithfield
jordan.niezelski@edelmansmithfield.com

Shore Capital Partners Announces Sale of Argentum Medical

February 7, 2023

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shore Capital Partners (“Shore” or “Shore Capital”), a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on microcap investing, is pleased to announce the sale of Argentum Medical (“Argentum”), a provider of infection prevention solutions and wound care products, to BioDerm, a portfolio company of Mountaingate Capital.

Shore partnered with Argentum in 2017 with the goal of creating a leading manufacturer and distributor of advanced wound care products. Led by Chief Executive Officer Raul Brizuela, the Argentum team created a differentiated portfolio of silver-plated dressings and antimicrobial cleansers. Argentum’s products are utilized by a diverse customer base that includes the U.S. military, international accounts in over 30 countries, and approximately 2,000 domestic hospitals.

“Shore Capital is immensely proud of what Raul and the management team built,” said Don Pierce, Partner at Shore and Chairman of the Board at Argentum. “We are excited for Argentum to continue providing significant value to the healthcare system as an international industry leader in infection prevention management.”

“Shore Capital was an invaluable partner committed to the success of Argentum and its team,” said Brizuela. “Together, we aspired to improve the quality of service and outcomes for patients, while decreasing the cost of care and mitigating risk. I am thrilled to see the impact of our products and look forward to furthering these results in our next stage of growth.”

The transaction closed on January 31, 2023. Moelis & Company served as financial advisor to Argentum and Winston & Strawn served as legal advisor to Shore and Argentum.

About Shore Capital Partners

Shore Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm with offices in Nashville, is focused on microcap investments within the Healthcare, Food and Beverage, Business Services, and Real Estate industries. Shore supports management partners with capital, business development expertise, and industry knowledge to accelerate growth, fund acquisitions, and generate value for shareholders. Shore targets investments in proven, successful private companies with superior management teams, stable cash flow, and significant growth potential, including organic growth and growth through industry consolidation. Shore has approximately $3 billion of cumulative capital commitments through various investment vehicles. For more information, please visit: www.shorecp.com.

About Argentum

Based in Geneva, IL, Argentum is a provider of infection prevention solutions for the management of wounds. Notably, it manufactures Silverlon® (“Silverlon”), a silver-plated nylon dressing with unique antimicrobial properties. Argentum’s product lines include surgical, burn care, wound care, negative wound pressure therapy, dressings for IVs and catheters, and antimicrobial skin and wound cleansers. For more information, please visit https://www.argentummedical.com.

About Mountaingate Capital

Mountaingate Capital, a Denver-based private equity firm invests in the marketing services, business services, specialty distribution and specialty manufacturing sectors. Mountaingate specializes in building and empowering companies with strong growth potential and engaged leadership teams. Mountaingate’s focus on organic growth coupled with its proven customer-centric buy-and-build approach and shared equity ownership with management creates more value for the end customer, while forging stronger, more collaborative, and more successful partnerships with management teams. Mountaingate targets investments in new platform companies with $5 million to $25 million of EBITDA, as well as add-on acquisitions of any size. For more information on Mountaingate, please visit www.mountaingate.com.

Contacts

Shore Capital Partners
Jordan Niezelski, Edelman Smithfield
jordan.niezelski@edelmansmithfield.com

Ready to connect with Shore?