H.I.G. Capital Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Wastequip from Centerbridge

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Wastequip, the leading North American manufacturer of waste equipment, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, LLC ("H.I.G."), a leading global private equity investment firm. Wastequip has been owned by Centerbridge Partners, L.P. ("Centerbridge") since 2012.

Marty Bryant, chief executive officer of Wastequip, commented, "We want to thank Centerbridge Partners for their invaluable partnership over the last 5 years. Centerbridge's support has been instrumental in strengthening Wastequip's position as the largest and most trusted supplier in the waste equipment industry with leading brands, top quality products and world-class customer service." 

Kyle Cruz, senior managing director at Centerbridge said, "Over the past five years, we partnered with Marty and his team to improve the performance and competitiveness of the company. We are proud of their success and believe that Wastequip is well-positioned for the future."

Bryant continued by saying, "As we transition into this next stage of our company's life, we couldn't be more excited to partner with a firm like H.I.G. The resources and industry knowledge that H.I.G. brings will allow us to accelerate our growth plan. With this partnership, we are confident we will grow our already industry-leading position and, most importantly, continue to satisfy the needs of our customers."

"We are very excited to partner with Marty and the rest of the Wastequip team," said Tenno Tsai, managing director at H.I.G. "The company's diverse product portfolio, customer base and nationwide footprint uniquely position it to capitalize on growth opportunities. We look forward to supporting Wastequip's next phase of growth by investing in new product development, geographic expansion and complementary acquisitions."

Wastequip's existing management team will continue to run the business going forward. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2018. Barclays Capital, Inc. ("Barclays") and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC are providing committed financing for the transaction. Barclays acted as lead financial advisor, Moelis & Company LLC acted as financial advisor, and Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP provided legal advice to Wastequip in the transaction. Houlihan Lokey acted as financial advisor and Ropes & Gray LLP provided legal advice to H.I.G.

About Wastequip
Wastequip is the leading North American manufacturer of waste and recycling equipment, with an international network of manufacturing facilities and the most extensive dealer network in the industry. Wastequip's broad range of waste and recycling equipment and systems is used to collect, process and transport recyclables, solid waste, liquid waste and organics. The company's brands include Wastequip, Toter, Galbreath, Pioneer, Mountain Tarp, Cusco, Go To Parts, and Accurate. For more information, visit www.wastequip.com.

About Centerbridge Partners
Centerbridge Partners, L.P. is a private investment management firm employing a flexible approach across investment disciplines?from private equity to credit and related strategies, and real estate?in an effort to find the most attractive opportunities for our investors and business partners. The firm was founded in 2005 and as of December 2017 has approximately $28 billion in capital under management with offices in New York and London. Centerbridge is dedicated to partnering with world-class management teams across targeted industry sectors and geographies to help companies achieve their operating and financial objectives. For more information, please visit www.centerbridge.com.

About H.I.G. Capital
H.I.G. is a leading global private equity and alternative assets investment firm with $24 billion of equity capital under management.* Based in Miami, and with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused / value-added approach:

• H.I.G.'s equity funds invest in management buyouts, recapitalizations and corporate carve-outs of both profitable as well as underperforming manufacturing and service businesses.
• H.I.G.'s debt funds invest in senior, unitranche and junior debt financing to companies across the size spectrum, both on a primary (direct origination) basis, as well as in the secondary markets. H.I.G. is also a leading CLO manager, through its WhiteHorse family of vehicles, and manages a publicly traded BDC, WhiteHorse Finance.
• H.I.G.'s real estate funds invest in value-added properties, which can benefit from improved asset management practices.

Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 300 companies worldwide. The firm's current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of $30 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.higcapital.com. 

* Based on total capital commitments managed by H.I.G. Capital and affiliates.

SOURCE Wastequip