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Houston, TX December 03, 2021

The Sterling Group Completes the Sale of Time Manufacturing Company

The Sterling Group, a middle market private equity firm, announced today that it has completed the sale of Time Manufacturing Holdings, LLC (“Time Manufacturing Company”, or “Time”) to an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital (“H.I.G.”).  Headquartered in Waco, Texas, Time Manufacturing Company is a global designer, manufacturer, and distributor of vehicle-mounted aerial lifts for electric utility, telecommunications, infrastructure, and forestry end markets.

Sterling acquired Time in 2017 from a family who had owned the business for over forty years. Sterling recruited key additions to a strong team, led by Curt Howell, to lead Time during its next phase of growth. Over the past five years, Sterling has invested heavily in team additions, technology improvements, manufacturing efficiencies, and commercial initiatives. Through nine acquisitions, Time also entered new end markets, expanded the company’s presence in Europe, and improved its aftermarket service capabilities. Time has been transformed into a global leader with stronger margins and a proven track record of growth.

“Time is a great example of a classic Sterling investment,” said Brad Staller, a Partner at The Sterling Group. “We partner with management teams and family sellers across all aspects of a business to drive growth and build winning businesses. We would like to thank Curt and the entire management team for their exceptional leadership and execution.”

“Sterling’s partnership and support enabled Time to reach new levels of profitability,” said Curt Howell, CEO of Time Manufacturing Company. “We are excited to continue building on the company’s success in partnership with H.I.G.”

The Sterling Group has decades of experience partnering with management teams to execute family-owned business transitions, like Time. Approximately 75% of Sterling platform investments in the last five years have involved partnerships with family or entrepreneur owned or operated businesses.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP served as legal counsel, and Baird acted as the lead financial advisor to Sterling and Time, with D.A. Davidson & Co. also serving as a financial advisor to Sterling and Time.

About Time Manufacturing Company

Time Manufacturing Company is a global manufacturer of bucket trucks, digger derricks, cable placers, truck bodies, buckets, and other specialty equipment for electric utility, telecommunications infrastructure, bridge inspection, tree care, and other fleet-supported industries. Selling via the Versalift, BrandFX, Aspen Aerials, Ruthmann, Steiger, Ecoline and Bluelift brands, the Company employs more than 2,000 associates worldwide. For more information, visit https://timemfg.com.

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 at initial formation range from $100 million to $750 million. Sterling has sponsored the buyout of 61 platform companies and numerous add-on acquisitions for a total transaction value of over $14.0 billion. Sterling recently closed its fifth investment fund with $2.0 billion in commitments and currently has over $5.7 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit sterling-group.com.

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