Private equity firm secures majority ownership in manufacturer of temporary modular wall containment solutions to continue to fuel innovation and expand into new markets.
Brunswick, Maine – September 12, 2023 – STARC Systems, a manufacturer of reusable temporary modular wall containment solutions for occupied renovations, announced today that it has been purchased by Illinois-based private equity firm North Branch Capital. The acquisition marks a significant investment to continue fueling STARC’s innovation and market expansion serving contractors and facility managers across multiple industries.
Founded by entrepreneur Tim Hebert and led by president and CEO Chris Vickers, STARC has brought three category-leading temporary construction wall solutions to market and experienced 38% compounded annual growth over the past five years. The company holds an 81 Net Promotor Score reflecting strong customer satisfaction and as a result has built a loyal customer base that includes 58 of the top 75 contractors, such as McCarthy, Turner Construction, Gilbane, and healthcare systems like Johns Hopkins and the Cleveland Clinic. Additionally, one in five of STARC’s customers are in renovation markets beyond healthcare, including O’Hare, LaGuardia, Tesla and Liberty Mutual. With North Branch’s investment and STARC's versatility in addressing dust mitigation, noise abatement and fire safety during renovations, STARC will accelerate expansion to other sensitive environments such as data centers, airports, life science labs, offices and more.
“We invest in middle market industrial businesses with strong growth prospects and leadership teams,” said Brian Gleason, Operating Partner at North Branch Capital. “STARC is well-positioned to continue its growth in this emerging category. Since its founding, the organization has developed a keen focus on innovation, providing an excellent value proposition to its customer base, and building a world-class culture.”
As the market leader in temporary modular wall containment solutions, STARC has a long history of disrupting through innovation. Its flagship product, RealWall™, was the first reusable temporary containment system with noise-reducing properties that exceeded ICRA Class IV and V requirements. LiteBarrier™ is the most durable dust barrier in the lightweight category. And FireblockWall™ is the latest, and the first reusable one-hour fire rated temporary containment system. Common among the entire line is a thoughtfully designed, versatile modular system that significantly saves project set-up time, reduces dust and noise around a renovation and meets all safety requirements. STARC’s product durability also helps to minimize the carbon footprint of a project while adding economic value to its customers.
“STARC has always been committed to solving real problems for contractors and facilities teams operating in environments with high stakes,” said Chris Vickers, president and CEO of STARC Systems. “We’re thrilled to partner with North Branch to continue bringing new and innovative temporary wall solutions to our existing customers and to expand into other end uses like airports, data centers and offices. We found renovation projects in these settings require airtight, quiet and good-looking containment solutions to protect staff, visitors and equipment so they continue to run uninterrupted.”
“We would not have reached this significant milestone without many outside partners. We are grateful for the tremendous support from our early customers, MRRA, MTI and BlueHeron Capital and to be a part of Maine’s supportive manufacturing community, ” added Vickers.
About North Branch Capital
North Branch Capital is a complete partner for growing, lower middle market, industrial businesses. We specifically target investments in businesses with outstanding growth prospects, both organically and through add-on acquisitions. We also seek partnerships with strong leadership teams driving tremendous cultures. With 50 years of collective operating experience, our collaboration with management teams is unique. Our goal is to unlock potential and accelerate growth through investment in people, processes and systems.
About STARC Systems
STARC Systems is a leader in reusable temporary containment solutions for occupied renovation. Its temporary wall systems enable compliance to safety standards and are easy to install, move and reconfigure. With high customer satisfaction, leading contractors, healthcare facilities, and owners including McCarthy, Turner Construction, Gilbane, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and the Cleveland Clinic, continue to rely on STARC Systems to solve their temporary containment challenges. STARC Systems’ RealWall™ and FireblockWall™ received the 2019 and 2023 Healthcare Design Award. To learn more, go to www.starcsystems.com.
Interested in More Information on STARC Systems?