H.I.G. Capital Completes Sale of Big Tex Trailers
MIAMI – December 21, 2015 – H.I.G. Capital ("H.I.G."), a leading global private equity investment firm with $19 billion of equity capital under management, announced the sale of its portfolio company, Big Tex Trailers (“Big Tex”), to Bain Capital Private Equity.
Based in Mt. Pleasant, TX, Big Tex is the nation’s leading manufacturer and retailer of professional-grade open utility trailers and truck beds. The Company provides a superior “Best Product, Best Price, Best Partner” value proposition through its nationwide network of trailer dealers, Company-owned stores and trailer parts distribution facilities.
H.I.G. recapitalized the Company in 2012 alongside founder and former owner Ricky Baker. Since then, the Company has made significant investments in additional manufacturing facility infrastructure, automation, manufacturing best practices, marketing initiatives, management team augmentation and addition of new dealers and Company-owned retail stores. These investments have helped Big Tex become the #1 professional grade trailer manufacturer and retailer in the US.
Roman Krislav, Managing Director of H.I.G., said “Big Tex is an exceptional company with a strong value proposition and outstanding growth profile. We are very proud of the investments we made in infrastructure, processes and human resources that have enabled Big Tex to become a world class company and the best manufacturer in the industry. The Company generated outstanding revenue and EBITDA growth, which resulted in a highly successful investment outcome for management, H.I.G. and its investors. We look forward to watching Big Tex’s continued growth with its new partners.”
Curt Howell, CEO of Big Tex, said “H.I.G. has been an exceptional partner – their guidance and support have helped us more than double the size of the Company over the last three years, and provided the foundation for continued growth for years to come.”
About Big Tex
Founded in 1982 and based in Mt. Pleasant, TX, Big Tex is the nation’s leading manufacturer and retailer of professional-grade open utility trailers and truck beds. The Company services its network of hundreds of dealers through its footprint of eight facilities through the US. The Company’s Trailer World division is the largest retailer of trailers in the US through a network of over 40 Company-owned retailers. The Company’s Tex Trail division is a leading wholesaler of trailer parts through 12 nationwide distribution facilities.
About H.I.G. Capital
H.I.G. is a leading global private equity and alternative assets investment firm with $19 billion of equity capital under management.* Based in Miami, and with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, and Atlanta in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Rio de Janeiro, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused/value-added approach:
- H.I.G.’s equity funds invest in management buyouts, recapitalizations and corporate carve-outs of both profitable as well as underperforming manufacturing and service businesses.
- H.I.G.’s debt funds invest in senior, unitranche and junior debt financing to companies across the size spectrum, both on a primary (direct origination) basis, as well as in the secondary markets. H.I.G. is also a leading CLO manager, through its WhiteHorse family of vehicles, and manages a publicly traded BDC, WhiteHorse Finance.
- Other H.I.G. funds invest in various real assets, including real estate and shipping.
Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 200 companies worldwide. The firm's current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of $30 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.hig.com.
* Based on total capital commitments to funds managed by H.I.G. Capital and its affiliates.