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February 01, 2018

The Sterling Group Completes the Sale of Safe Fleet to Oak Hill Capital Partners

The Sterling Group, an operationally focused middle market private equity firm, has completed the sale of Safe Fleet to funds managed by Oak Hill Capital Partners.  Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Belton, Missouri, Safe Fleet provides a wide variety of safety solutions for fleet vehicles, including the following end markets: bus, rail, RV, truck and trailer, work truck, law enforcement, emergency, waste, industrial and military end markets. In 2013, Sterling created Safe Fleet by simultaneously acquiring ROM Corporation and Specialty Manufacturing, Inc., two distinct businesses that made components for different types of fleet vehicles. Sterling and a strong management team led by John Knox have transformed the business strategically, operationally and commercially from two small component suppliers to a leader in safety solutions for fleet vehicles with attractive growth and margin profiles and significant scale.  The company completed ten strategic acquisitions under Sterling’s ownership.

“The creation and sale of Safe Fleet, a business that didn’t exist before Sterling’s initial acquisitions, is a case study in how Sterling rapidly implements its strategic, operational and commercial improvement strategies to build winning businesses in the industrial sector,” said Gary Rosenthal, Partner at The Sterling Group.  Four of the last six Sterling acquisitions have been comprised of simultaneous acquisitions to create a new platform.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and Harris Williams & Co. served as financial advisors to Safe Fleet.   Willkie Farr & Gallagher acted as legal counsel.

About Safe Fleet

Headquartered in Belton, MO, Safe Fleet owns a portfolio of brands that provide safety solutions to fleet vehicle manufacturers and operators around the world.  These brands serve several major markets including: Bus, Rail, RV, Truck & Trailer, Work Truck, Law Enforcement, Emergency, Waste, Industrial and Military.  With over 1,100 employees and 10 manufacturing locations, Safe Fleet targets markets with increasing demand for operator, passenger, and pedestrian safety. For more information about Safe Fleet and our portfolio of brands please visit www.safefleet.net.

About The Sterling Group

Founded in 1982, The Sterling Group is a private equity investment firm that targets controlling interests in basic manufacturing, distribution and industrial services companies. Typical enterprise values of these companies range from $100 million to $750 million. Sterling has sponsored the buyout of 52 platform companies and numerous add-on acquisitions for a total transaction value of over $10.0 billion. Currently, Sterling has over $2.2 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit www.sterling-group.com.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results and all investments are subject to loss.

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