Prairie Capital Advisors, Inc., a middle-market investment bank, acted as financial advisor to Grace Manufacturing in the sale of the company to an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).
Founded in 1966, Grace Manufacturing is a globalized manufacturer and distributor of its own branded Microplane cutting tools, Sweet Dreams & Gotcha Covered bedding products as well as a precision manufacturer of OEM medical products serving the orthopedic and urological instrument markets.
Prairie worked closely with the management team and sellers, providing advisory expertise and managing the preparatory, due diligence and negotiation phases of the transaction as well as structuring the financing for the transaction.
"We started down a path of open book management several years ago to help all our employees understand what was going on in our business units," said Chris Grace, CEO of Grace Manufacturing. "As the third- generation owner, it has been a very satisfying experience to watch their business knowledge and financial literacy increase each year," continued Grace. "Hillary Hughes and her team at Prairie Capital Advisors have the industry knowledge and ESOP expertise that guided us through a complex transaction that consisted of multiple business units over three countries enabling Employee Ownership a reality. Grace Manufacturing has provided a tremendous financial and professional opportunity for three generations of the Grace family. We are now very excited to be able to pass on this opportunity to our most important asset-our employees."
Hillary Hughes, Director at Prairie said, "Grace is a unique company with a diverse array of divisions and operating companies. Chris and Sandra had a very clear vision of the future and how the ESOP can leave a lasting legacy for their employees. It was a privilege to work with the Grace team throughout the entire transaction process. I am very excited to see what the future brings for the new employee owners at Grace."
For more information contact:
Grace Manufacturing
614 SR 247
Russelville, AR 72802
866-968-6665
Sales@GraceMFG.com
www.gracemfg.com
Prairie Capital Advisors, Inc.
One Lincoln Centre, 18W140 Butterfield Rd., Ste 800
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
630-413-5565
www.prairiecap.com