Cook & Boardman Acquires B.R. Johnson, LLC

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Aug 01, 2024, 08:00 ET

Company continues nationwide total opening solutions expansion

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Aug. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cook & Boardman Group LLC ("Cook & Boardman" or "C&B"), the leading specialty distributor of commercial entry solutions and systems integration services, has announced the acquisition of B.R. Johnson, LLC ("BRJ") headquartered in Syracuse, NY. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1928, B.R. Johnson is a multi-location, leading distributor of windows, doors, and specialty building products, proudly serving both commercial contractors and end users throughout Central New York.

"We are thrilled to welcome B.R. Johnson to the Cook & Boardman family. Their expertise in a wide range of products and their talented personnel will strengthen our position in the market and drive continued growth. We are looking forward to working with Ralph, Mike, and the rest of their team to achieve even greater success in the future," said David Eisner, Chief Executive Officer of C&B.

"Over our nearly 100-year history, B.R. Johnson has established an impeccable reputation for selling and installing quality building products in Central New York. Our team possesses extensive industry knowledge which has allowed BRJ to establish a loyal customer base in our region." Said Ralph Corlis, President of BRJ. "We're excited to partner with Cook & Boardman to carry on BRJ's proud legacy and ensure continued success."

The company will continue to operate under the B.R. Johnson name and customer contacts will remain unchanged as a result of the acquisition.

Platinum Equity acquired a majority interest in Cook & Boardman in 2023. Littlejohn & Co., LLC remains a significant minority shareholder. BRJ represents C&B's sixth acquisition under Platinum Equity's ownership.

K&L Gates LLP served as legal advisor to Cook and Boardman. Livingstone Partners LLC served as financial advisor and Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP as legal advisor to BRJ.

About Cook & Boardman Group

Cook & Boardman is one of the leading specialty distributors of commercial doors, frames & hardware, electronic access control equipment and specialty (Division 10) products. The company is also one of the nation's largest and fastest growing providers of integrated security solutions - including physical security, access control, wireless networking, low voltage cabling, audio/visual and managed information technology products.

The company serves non-residential and multi-family markets including the commercial, education, government, healthcare, office and hospitality sectors from more than 70 locations across 23 states and nationwide through its ecommerce portal at www.cookandboardman.com.

About Platinum Equity

Founded in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with approximately $47 billion of assets under management and a portfolio of approximately 50 operating companies that serve customers around the world. Platinum Equity specializes in mergers, acquisitions and operations – a trademarked strategy it calls M&A&O^® – acquiring and operating companies in a broad range of business markets, including manufacturing, distribution, transportation and logistics, equipment rental, metals services, media and entertainment, technology, telecommunications and other industries. Over the past 28 years Platinum Equity has completed more than 450 acquisitions.

About Littlejohn & Co., LLC:

Littlejohn & Co. is a Greenwich, Connecticut-based investment firm focused on private equity and debt investments primarily in growing middle-market industrial and services companies that can benefit from Littlejohn's 25+ years of operational and sector expertise. With approximately $8 billion in regulatory assets under management, the firm seeks to build sustainable success for its portfolio companies through a disciplined approach to engineering change. For more information about Littlejohn, visit www.littlejohnllc.com.

SOURCE The Cook & Boardman Group