Acquisition of Water Resource Solutions Expands, Deepens ENTRIX Platform
Cape Coral, FL – Clean water is something most of us take for granted, but there is much more behind that clear liquid than filters, pumps and copper piping. Maintaining safe, adequate groundwater supplies is an ongoing and costly challenge for communities. In a move aimed at expanding its presence in the environmental resources management industry, The Riverside Company, the largest private equity firm investing in premier companies at the smaller end of the middle market, has purchased Water Resource Solutions, Inc. (“WRS”), a Cape Coral, Florida based consulting firm that specializes in solving groundwater resources issues.
Founded in 1976, WRS offers expertise in the areas of hydrogeology, hydrology, geology and ecology. The Company’s primary customers are water utilities and large engineering firms within Florida. Among WRS’s services are subsurface investigations, aquifer hydraulic determinations, groundwater quality assessments, characterizations of interaquifer relationships, groundwater modeling, all phases of regulatory permitting and wellfield design.
This acquisition is Riverside’s second add-on to ENTRIX, Inc., a Houston, Texas-based environmental consulting company that Riverside purchased in 2003. The first add-on was Northwest Economic Associates (“NEA”), acquired in 2004. Based in the State of Washington, NEA is a consulting firm that specializes in water, agriculture, energy, forestry and Native American issues.
Adding WRS to Riverside’s ENTRIX platform brings several key benefits:
• Establishment of an office in Florida, a key state for water-related issues;
• The addition of specific services to aid in groundwater resources management,
including aquifer storage, injection wells and reverse osmosis feedwater supply systems;
and
• “Strong relationships with municipalities and water districts in Florida that can be
leveraged to sell other ENTRIX products.
“The acquisition of Water Resources is a key step in our strategy of broadening ENTRIX to reach new, higher-growth geographies and practice areas,” noted Stuart Baxter, Riverside’s Managing Partner based in the firm’s San Francisco office. “Managing water resources is an increasingly important environmental issue for communities everywhere. With our presence in Florida, with its growing population and complex water resources management issues, we expect to be able to expand and grow this business.” Working with Baxter on the acquisition were Anne Hayes – Principal and Erik Holmsen – Senior Associate. Key Bank, ENTRIX’s existing lender, provided financing for the transaction. WRS is Riverside’s 126th acquisition since the firm’s founding in 1988 and its 38th from the firm’s Riverside Capital Appreciation Fund 2000 (RCAF 2000).
The Riverside Company
The Riverside Company is the largest private equity firm focused on the smaller end of the middle market and is one of the industry’s most experienced leveraged buyout investors. Riverside specializes in premier companies with enterprise values of less than $100 million, and partners with strong management teams to build companies through acquisitions and value-added growth. Since 1988, the firm has invested in 126 transactions with a total value of $2.1 billion, sales of $2.4 billion, EBITDA of $263 million and more than 11,000 employees. Its current portfolio in the U.S. and Europe numbers 43. Riverside offers SureClose® (the highest certainty that a transaction will close) and the resources to complete acquisitions smoothly and in as little as 30 days – thanks to its sizeable pool of capital under management ($1.4 billion in six funds and growing), large staff in 10 offices (New York, Cleveland, Dallas, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago, Budapest, Prague, Warsaw and Munich), and long-standing relationships with partner lenders. The firm has produced top quartile returns for its investors, which are among the world’s leading pension funds, endowments, funds-of-funds, insurance companies and banks.
Water Resource Solutions, Inc.
Based in Cape Coral, Florida, Water Resource Solutions, Inc. is a consulting firm specializing in groundwater resources development and management issues. The Company offers expertise in the areas of finding, treating, storing, delivering and maintaining adequate groundwater supplies for communities throughout Florida. Approximately 90% of WRS’s work is in the form of consulting on various water resource projects, with the balance comprising some construction work, primarily investigative drilling. More information on WRS can be found at www.wrsolutions.com.
ENTRIX, Inc.
Based in Houston, Texas, ENTRIX is an environmental consulting firm that specializes in water resources management, environmental risk management, natural resources management and facility permitting and compliance. Its staff includes experts in environmental sciences, geosciences and environmental engineering. Founded in 1984, ENTRIX has offices throughout the U.S., as well as in Canada and Ecuador. For more information on ENTRIX, please visit www.entrix.com.