The Watkins family of companies is a privately-held conglomerate with approximately $500 million in annual revenue. The enterprise encompasses several operating companies in a variety of industries.
Lakeland, Florida
Tampa Maid Foods imports frozen shrimp, performs value-added processing, and sells the end product through food service distributors, multi-unit chains, and retail channels, serving a nation-wide market.
Tampa, Florida
Cox’s Wholesale Seafood purchases domestic & wild-caught shrimp, performs limited seafood processing then packages the shrimp for sale. Serving a nation-wide market with primary distribution through multiple grocery store chains.
Atlanta, Georgia
NOVA Engineering and Environmental is an industry leader providing environmental consulting, geotechnical engineering, construction materials testing and inspections, plan review and code compliance, municipal/ government outsourcing, and facilities/building envelope consulting services.
Knoxville, Tennessee
Highway Transport provides bulk transportation of chemicals with terminals in Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana and Chicago. It serves customers primarily in these footprints.
Atlanta, Georgia
Watkins develops and owns garden-style apartment communities in metro Atlanta. WREG also develops, owns, and manages grocery-anchored shopping centers in the southeast with four operating centers in its portfolio.
Monroe, Georgia
Tucker Door & Trim’s main business lines include assembling door jams and pre-hanging doors, custom millwork, and manufacturing windows. All products are distributed through building supply wholesalers, serving the entire southeast.
Atlanta, Georgia
Centerline provides custom insurance solutions that enable our clients to grow their business while effectively managing their cost of risk. They partner with clients to develop solutions for their most challenging risk management issues.
Atlanta, Georgia
Biltmore Insurance Services is an independent insurance agency, writing policies with a variety of major insurance providers. Their products include coverage for auto, home, business, health, life, boat, motorcycle, trucking/fleet, and aviation insurance.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Lexington Manufacturing, operating out of Minneapolis, MN, is a full-service window, door and structural millwork component parts supplier, providing a wide variety of machining and fabrication services to meet specific customer needs.
Through innovation and commitment, we are dedicated to turning our strong history of growth into a successful future. We seek to leverage our operational expertise to grow new businesses into market leaders.
VALUE PROPOSITION
- As a multi-generational family-owned business, we understand the issues of ownership transitions and know how to acquire family owned businesses responsibly.
- We seek opportunities where we can leverage our core competencies in new areas and industries.
- We take a long-term view as we identify businesses with attractive future growth prospects and a management team with a desire to remain involved.
OUR APPROACH
- We strive for a win-win situation with every deal.
- Long-term capital allows us to invest in the future.
- We have no obligations to sell any business in a predetermined time period.
- We allow presidents of our businesses to operate independently, though our philosophy calls for a close-knit organizational structure.
- We have a strong financial track record and significant credit capacity and can close a transaction with readily available financial resources.
INVESTMENT CRITERIA
TRANSACTION SIZE: $15M – $50M
FINANCIAL CRITERIA
- Revenue from $30M – $100M
- Growth of 5% or better
- EBITDA margin of 10% or better
- Modest capital investment requirements.
- Industries of scale with opportunities for consolidation.
CONDITION
- Established company operations.
- Rapid growth, low capital intensity with moderate barriers to entry.
- Companies with solid business prospects in a variety of markets.
- Stable management team that will stay on post acquisition.
GEOGRAPHY
Primarily interested in opportunities in existing or adjacent markets (Southeastern U.S.) but will explore nationally in the U.S.
DEAL TYPES
- Established operating companies/platforms with associated industry consolidation potential.
- 100% ownership highly preferred with some flexibility for seller to maintain minority interest.
SELLER TYPE
Entrepreneur owned, family-owned, private-equity backed, or corporate sellers interested in ownership transition.
DURATION
Long-term focus with no obligation to sell at any time.
