DENVER — Platte River Equity announced Tuesday that it has made a significant investment in GME Supply Co in partnership with the company's founder. Headquartered in Columbia, MO, GME is a distributor of fall protection, safety equipment and related gear for at-height workers in the telecommunications, wind, solar, industrial and construction markets.
"We are excited about our new partnership with Platte River," said Beau Aero, Founder & CEO of GME. "We have grown significantly over the last 10 years and believe Platte River's experience in our markets will help us further achieve our goals."
Peter W. Calamari, Managing Director of Platte River said, "Beau and his management team have built an impressive organization with great customer service and unique product knowledge. We hope to help GME continue to build upon this impressive track record."
Matt D. Newill, Vice President of Platte River, stated, "We have made several investments in companies serving at-height workers and believe GME is well-positioned to take advantage of strong growth in its core end markets."
Platte River invested out of its fourth fund, Platte River Equity IV, L.P. Bartlit Beck LLP served as legal counsel to Platte River and Husch Blackwell served as legal counsel for the Company. BMO Capital Markets provided financing for the transaction.
GME — recognized in Industrial Distribution's 2017 Watch List — was founded in 2005 and has store fronts and primary distribution centers in Atlanta, Dallas and recently Los Angeles.
Based in Denver, CO, Platte River Equity is a private equity firm focused on equity investments in lower middle market operating companies with enterprise values generally between $40 million and $250 million. The firm invests in sectors where it has deep operating and investing experience, including aerospace & transportation; industrial products & services; energy products & services; and agriculture & chemicals. Platte River has raised funds with committed capital in excess of $1.3 billion.
