Portfolio

At Blue Wolf’s largest investment, we put this insight to work, building one of the country’s largest providers of home-based care from three strong regional players – bringing technology, scale, and clinical infrastructure to 31,000 caregivers assisting 63,000 patients. We believe that by deploying thousands of homecare workers to provide a continuum of care to the most vulnerable patients, the health system can be dramatically improved. These conditions – as well as numerous others that healthcare companies in our portfolio address on a daily basis – represent opportunities to enhance healthcare services. Our multidisciplinary leadership team includes veteran hospital CEOs and healthcare operations experts, as well as members with deep experience in the largest private sector retiree health plan in the U.S.

Since 2007, when we acquired Finch Paper Company, Blue Wolf has developed significant experience investing in pulp, paper, lumber and other forest products. Following the investment in Finch, we acquired Northern Resources Nova Scotia (pulp and timber), Suwannee Lumber Company (lumber), Caddo River Forest Products (lumber), and The Mulch and Soil Company (mulch and soils) and Twin Rivers Paper Company (pulp, paper and lumber). Following the housing crash in 2009, we followed this value stream into building products with investments in American Builders Supply (building products distribution), Snappy Air Distribution Products (HVAC systems), and Novo Building Products (building products distribution). The rebound in U.S. home building is rapidly changing the forest and building products landscape and is serving as a catalyst for transactions. The impact of the forest products industry on the land and environment creates opportunities for our companies to differentiate themselves, with a goal of exceptional management of environmental issues. Our core values of continuous improvement and respect for our workforce allow us to operate productive and safe workplaces, in sectors where that commitment is truly a competitive advantage. Our existing platforms are seeking to grow by acquisition, and we actively evaluate new platforms throughout the value chain.

Energy Services is a cyclical and highly fragmented industry that is in need of operational efficiencies and consolidation. Blue Wolf looks for opportunities in which we can drive rapid operational and organizational improvements, thereby mitigating the volatility risk and competitive pressures inherent in the sector. Our investment in Mustang Extreme Environmental Services is a prime example of how we approach the category. We originally acquired the assets of Extreme Plastics Plus out of bankruptcy in late 2016. Over the next 18 months, we worked with management to implement new systems and processes and to add personnel and services that materially increased revenue and profitability. In 2018, we merged Extreme Plastics Plus with one of its principal competitors, Mustang Energy Services, which added significant scale and capabilities to our platform. Moving forward, we believe that the energy services market is ripe with opportunities – like Mustang Extreme – that align with Blue Wolf’s core competencies.

Our niche investments include manufacturers and distributors of capital equipment, specialty ceramics, paper, lumber, and a variety of specialty building products, with strong franchises. While some businesses come with significant issues requiring a resolution – financial distress, a complex corporate carve out, a transition from family ownership, or a need to make costs competitive through deep operational change – others are simply seeking a capital partner, with deep operational and strategic experience, committed to growth.

Over the next decade, the U.S. will need to address its aging private and public infrastructure. At the same time, tightness in the skilled labor market is stimulating demand for outsourced maintenance and repair services in mission-critical settings. Blue Wolf’s first investment in the space capitalizes on these trends – The State Group operates as the de-facto maintenance department for some of the largest industrial facilities in North America. The industrial & engineering services space is fragmented and often characterized by privately held companies seeking strategies to facilitate succession planning. By introducing a rigorous approach to project controls and risk management, implementing best practices around human capital management – including a relentless focus on safety – and providing the requisite capital for a disciplined growth strategy, we can partner with management teams to drive results that benefit all stakeholders.