News

US Tarp Inc., a leading manufacturer of tarp systems and aftermarket parts for tarp systems, is pleased to announce the appointment of Thomas J. Bronz as President and CEO.  Tom joins US Tarp with over 20 years of heavy truck industry experience including leadership roles with Sloan Transportation Products, Hadley Products and SAF Holland.  While a mechanical engineer by training, Tom has extensive experience in product development, sales and marketing, and operations management.  Tom is a graduate of Michigan Tech and earned a MBA degree from the JL Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. 

Brighton completed a platform investment in US Tarp, a designer and manufacturer of load covering systems for dump trucks, dump trailers, and other specialized transportation applications.  Based in South Haven, MI, the Company serves a diverse base of distributor and OEM accounts nationwide.  The US Tarp acquisition was completed in May of 2018 and represents the first institutional capital invested in the business.  Brighton will work closely with US Tarp’s founders to invest in systems, people and infrastructure, all in support of accelerated growth.

TruGreen, the nation’s largest lawn care company, has purchased the assets of Lawn Dawg, Inc.

Brighton Partners, an Atlanta-based private equity firm, announces the closing of its first dedicated investment fund. Brighton Micro-Cap Fund, L.P. is a $25 million fund formed to make control equity investments in companies with $10 to $50 million of revenue and less than $5 million of EBITDA. The marketing process for this first fund took approximately two months, from start to finish, with the initial closing taking place on May 8, 2017. In addition to the principals of Brighton Partners, investors in the fund include individuals with private equity experience and founders of Brighton portfolio companies. There are no institutional limited partners in the fund.

Century Resources acquired The Funding Tree, a Dallas-based distributor of fundraising programs to music, cheer and other student groups in the secondary school market.

Brighton completed a platform investment in PSA Worldwide, a leading distributor of health and wellness educational and promotional products.

Brighton completed a platform investment in Century Resources, a leading provider of catalog-based school fundraising programs.

Brighton provided equity in support of Premier Performance’s acquisition of Rally Sport Direct, an on-line retailer and wholesale distributor of aftermarket performance parts for Subaru and other sport compact vehicles.

Brighton sold control of Premier Performance in a recapitalization transaction led by Capital Partners. Brighton continues to own a significant minority equity position in the business.

Working closely with management, Brighton recruited Matt Jordan to become the new CEO of Premier Performance. Rus Michaelson, Premier’s founder, will continue as Chairman. Matt came to Premier from Eckler’s Automotive, a leading retailer and wholesaler of automotive aftermarket restoration parts.