CLIMBING HIGHER WILL BE ENHANCED with Incline’s partnership with GME Supply Co. as strategic merger opportunities for product lines are presented. “GME has differentiated itself through deep industry knowledge, regulatory expertise, and key supplier relationships,” said Leon Rubinov, Senior Partner at Incline Equity Partners. “Through these supplier partnerships and strategic M&A, we expect to offer additional product categories and expand into adjacent end markets.”
Platte River Equity, a Denver-based private equity firm, announced the sale of GME Supply Co. to Incline Equity Partners. GME is a premier critical worker safety and productivity supplier distributor to field-deployed technicians serving multiple infrastructure end markets.
“Platte River’s investment played a pivotal role in the acceleration of our growth and development. We are confident that Incline shares our dedication to preserving the award-winning culture that sets GME apart,” said Beau Aero, Chairman and Founder of GME.
“We have had a great partnership with Platte River. Under its ownership, we have grown GME meaningfully and made significant investments in our organization. We are looking forward to welcoming Incline as our new partner and continuing to execute on our growth strategies,” said Caleb Messer, CEO of GME.
“We plan to strengthen our go-to-market strategy by growing our team, improving our PRO online ordering platform, and providing new products to keep industrial workers safe, productive, and compliant. We are excited to offer customers more of what they need, where and when they need it,” said Messer.
What impressed Incline Equity Partners to acquire GME?
According to Incline, GME is successful in obtaining high-frequency purchases where service and quality are more important drivers than price.
Incline said that an omnichannel distribution focused on customer service and industry-leading delivery times and product availability were added assets.
Value-added services, including custom kitting solutions, in-house training capabilities, and a proprietary online ordering system driving excellent customer relationships, were also noted, and they viewed GME as having favorable long-term market demand trends driven by infrastructure investments and maintenance, repair, and operations across multiple end markets.
GME’s capabilities for growth, with Incline’s support, will allow the company to invest in providing more technical equipment and consumable products to drive growth in new and existing end markets
“For nearly 20 years, we have been a trusted resource for safety products and training. We will leverage Incline’s operational experience to improve our order fulfillment processes and increase efficiency in our warehouses,” said Aero.
Headquartered in Columbia, MO, GME supplies a comprehensive selection of fall protection, rigging materials, workwear and PPE to technicians and contractors working in the telecom, utility, aerial construction, renewable energy and other industrial markets. The company provides expedited delivery of products that are critical to worker safety while catering to unique customer needs with value-added services like certified training courses.
Incline Equity Partners, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, is a private equity firm investing in distribution, business services, and manufacturing companies. The company generally seeks growing companies with enterprise values of $25 – $750 million.