Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, announced today that it has sold its portfolio company Safety Products Holdings, LLC, the parent company of Pacific Handy Cutter, to Bertram Capital.
PHC is the leading supplier of specialized safety cutting tools and replacement blades to a diverse range of end markets. The Company is a recognized leader in the industrial safety market for standardizing the method of opening packaging and providing products that are engineered to eliminate workplace injuries, reduce damaged merchandise and improve employee productivity. PHC was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Irvine, California.
Matthew Frankel, Managing Partner of LLCP, said, "The investment in PHC has been extremely successful for LLCP and the Company's management team. Since our initial investment in 2016, we executed two transformational acquisitions, vertically integrated the Company's manufacturing processes and expanded into new end markets and geographies. We are excited to see PHC continue to execute on its growth plan and wish the company continued success in the future."
Mark Marinovich, President and CEO of PHC, commented, "It has been a true pleasure partnering with the LLCP team through this time of unprecedented growth and transformation. We have appreciated their support in advancing our strategic initiatives and have benefitted significantly from the collaboration."
Lincoln International served as the lead financial advisor, with support from Houlihan Lokey, and Honigman LLP served as legal counsel to PHC in connection with the sale.
About Levine Leichtman Capital Partners
Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, LLC is a middle-market private equity firm with a 37-year track record of investing across various targeted sectors, including franchising, professional services, education and engineered products. LLCP utilizes a differentiated Structured Private Equity investment strategy, combining debt and equity capital investments in portfolio companies. This unique structure provides a less dilutive solution for management teams and entrepreneurs, while delivering growth and income with a significantly lower risk profile.
LLCP's global team of dedicated investment professionals is led by seven partners who have worked together for an average of 21 years. Since inception, LLCP has managed approximately $11 billion of institutional capital across 14 investment funds and has invested in over 85 portfolio companies. LLCP currently manages approximately $7 billion of assets – including its most recent flagship fund, Levine Leichtman Capital Partners VI, L.P., which closed in 2018 with $2.5 billion of committed capital – and has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Charlotte, Miami, London, Stockholm and The Hague.
