Snow Phipps Group Acquires BlackHawk Industrial Distribution

NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Snow Phipps Group ("Snow Phipps") announced today that it has completed its acquisition of BlackHawk Industrial Distribution, Inc. ("BlackHawk" or the "Company"). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, BlackHawk is a leading distributor of cutting tools, abrasives and industrial MRO products used in manufacturing, aerospace & defense, energy, auto aftermarket, construction, general industrial, medical and agriculture applications.

"BlackHawk is a differentiated platform with many of the characteristics we look for in industrial investments," said John Pless, Partner at Snow Phipps. "We look forward to building on the Company's strong reputation and unique market position to continue growing the business both organically and through highly strategic acquisitions."

Snow Phipps will partner with the existing BlackHawk management team led by CEO John Mark and CFO Karl Scott. "We are very excited to be partnering with Snow Phipps. They bring significant relevant experience and are the ideal firm to help us in our next stage of growth," said Mr. Mark.

Snow Phipps Operating Partner John Schweig will join BlackHawk as the non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. Previously, Mr. Schweig was Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for W.W. Grainger, Inc., a Fortune 500 leader in the distribution of maintenance and repair products.

"We are very pleased to be partnering with the BlackHawk team to execute our shared strategy," Mr. Schweig said. "John and Karl have done a superb job of building a solid platform and strong team to deliver top-notch products and expertise. We look forward to driving growth while maintaining Blackhawk's outstanding service."

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP served as legal counsel to Snow Phipps in the transaction.

About BlackHawk
BlackHawk is a leading distributor of metalworking and industrial MRO products, serving more than 6,000 customers across the U.S. and Mexico. The Company has grown rapidly and has become one of the category leaders in cutting tool and abrasives in the U.S. with its "Big Enough to Serve, But Small Enough to Care" positioning with customers. BlackHawk is headquartered in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and operates facilities in the U.S. and Mexico. For more information about BlackHawk, visit www.bhid.com.

About Snow Phipps Group
Snow Phipps is a private equity firm focused on lower middle-market control investments with $2.4 billion of total capital commitments raised since its founding in 2005. The firm generally focuses on companies in attractive sub-sectors across the Industrials, Business Services and Consumer industries and targets platform investments with enterprise values ranging from $100 million to $500 million. Other current industrial-related investments include Kele, Ideal-Tridon and Brook & Whittle. The Snow Phipps investment team collaborates with its Operating Partners and portfolio management teams to create value through an operationally focused strategy often led by organic or acquisition-driven growth. To learn more about Snow Phipps, visit www.snowphipps.com.

SOURCE Snow Phipps Group

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