Business Acquisition
Class VI Partners (formerly CapitalValue Advisors (CVA)) is pleased to announce the acquisition of Outward Hound by J.W. Childs Associates. Founder and CEO Kyle Hansen and the Outward Hound management team will remain in their executive leadership positions and will retain a significant equity stake in the business. Class VI Partners served as the exclusive financial advisor to Outward Hound, including the Company’s selling private equity investor, The Riverside Company.
“We have been fortunate to be involved with Outward Hound for several years and are really pleased that Kyle and the team found such a good partner for their next chapter with J.W. Childs. Riverside, Kyle, and the management team have done a tremendous job growing the Company organically and through acquisition, and the results of the transaction reflect that success,” said Chris Younger, Managing Director for Class VI Partners.
“We worked with Class VI for our original sale to Riverside and were excited to work with them again for this transaction,” noted Kyle Hansen. “The Class VI team did an outstanding job representing us—from investing the time up front to position our story well, preparing our team to present to investors, and getting the deal across the finish line, we were really pleased with their focus and effort. Outward Hound will continue creating innovative products in the pet space and we could not be more excited about our new partnership with J.W. Childs.”
Steve Rice, Principal at Riverside, added, “We’ve been on the other side of the table with the Class VI team multiple times in the past and knew first-hand how well they represent their clients. That gave us full confidence in using them for the sale of Outward Hound, and they delivered 100%. We also appreciated how hands-on they were; they jumped in immediately to take on as much as they could, allowing the management team to continue to focus on running the business and delivering results. We couldn’t be more thrilled with Class VI’s performance on this transaction. They ran an incredibly quick, efficient, and competitive process and found an excellent home for the business with J.W. Childs while delivering excellent value to Riverside.”
“We’re excited about our investment in Outward Hound and the fantastic leadership team that has built one of the fastest growing brands in the pet space,” said J.W. Childs Partner David Fiorentino. “The innovative product portfolio in multiple categories creates exciting opportunities to deliver great products for pet parents and accelerate growth.”
Founded in 1998 and recapitalized by The Riverside Company in 2013, Outward Hound creates meaningful products that solve big problems for pet parents and is a leader in dog and cat supplies sold worldwide. Outward Hound is an award-winning innovator, manufacturer, and distributor of high-quality toys, games, gear, collars, and feeders.
The Company’s products are sold under the Outward Hound, Petstages, Dublin Dog, Bionic, and Nina Ottosson brands.
The transaction was closed on December 8, 2017. McDermott Will & Emery served as legal counsel to J.W. Childs. Jones Day served as legal counsel to Outward Hound and The Riverside Company.
About The Riverside Company
The Riverside Company is a global private equity firm focused on making control and non-control investments in growing businesses valued at up to $400 million. Since its founding in 1988, Riverside has invested in more than 490 transactions. The firm’s international portfolio includes more than 80 companies. For more information, visit www.riversidecompany.com.
About J.W. Childs
J.W. Childs is a Boston-based private equity firm focused on investing in middle-market growth companies. Since its inception in 1995, J.W. Childs has invested more than $3.5 billion of equity capital in 48 companies across the consumer, specialty retail, and healthcare industries. For more information, visit www.jwchilds.com.
About Class VI Partners
Class VI provides middle-market investment banking services, including mergers and acquisitions advisory, corporate advisory, business valuation, and private capital raising services through its affiliate, Class VI Securities, LLC and Member FINRA. Class VI is also affiliated with and offers wealth management services through Class VI Family Office, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Kyle Hansen, Founder of Outward Hound, and Steve Rice, Principal at Riverside, are clients of Class VI Partners and are not being compensated for sharing their opinion and experience with the firm. Any compensation creates a conflict of interest. Comments by Kyle Hansen and Steve Rice may not be representative of any other person’s experience with the firm and are no guarantee of future performance or success.
Additional Disclosures
Investment advisory services offered through Class VI Partners’ affiliate Class VI Family Office, LLC, a Registered Investment Adviser with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission. Class VI Partners offers investment banking and private securities transactions through its affiliate, Class VI Securities, LLC. Class VI Securities, LLC is a registered broker/dealer and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Class VI Pathfinder, LLC provides general business consulting to privately held businesses. Collectively these entities are referred to herein as “Class VI”.
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