Watershield Industries Acquired by HKW
Watershield Industries has been acquired by HKW, a middle-market private equity firm that specializes in growing companies.
Watershield Industries is a manufacturer and distributor of fire and rescue equipment with a focus on mission-critical firefighting components such as nozzles and valves, as well as specialty firefighting apparatus. The company's multi-brand portfolio, which includes Weis Fire & Safety, S&H Products, and C&S Supply, serves municipal, wildland and industrial end markets throughout North America.
“Over the past several years we have built Watershield Industries into a platform serving critical fire and rescue applications across North America,” said David Hansen, Chief Executive Officer of Watershield Industries. “We are excited to partner with HKW as we enter this next phase of growth and continue investing in our people, our products and our ability to support our customers that rely on our equipment.”
“Watershield Industries is an attractive investment opportunity serving resilient, mission-critical end markets,” said Laurence Lederer, Partner at HKW. “The Company has built strong positions in niche firefighting vehicles and specialized equipment, and we believe the platform is well positioned for continued growth.”
“We are excited to partner with both David Hansen and Brian Loflin, President, as Watershield Industries enters its next chapter,” said Alex Johnson, Vice President at HKW. “We believe the Company has a strong foundation with differentiated products, long-standing customer relationships and opportunities to expand its product portfolio and pursue add-on acquisitions across the fragmented fire and rescue equipment market.”
The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
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Ryan Baker is a writer and associate editor with prior experiences in online and print production. Ryan is an associate editor for Firehouse with a master's degree in sciences of communication from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He recently completed a year of teaching Intro to Public Speaking at UW-Whitewater, as part of his graduate program. Ryan acquired his bachelor's degree in journalism in 2023 from UW-Whitewater, and operates currently out of Minneapolis, MN. Baker, also writes freelances for the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA) in his free time, while also umpiring baseball for various ages across the Twin Cities Metro Area.