Wynnchurch Capital creates new platform company

ROSEMONT - Wynnchurch Capital, a $2.3 billion middle market private equity firm, today announced the formation of Wynnchurch Industries, LLC, a new platform company established to invest in industrial materials companies.

Wynnchurch Industries will deploy a "buy, grow, and hold" strategy focused on material manufacturers that serve industrial markets. Target business traits include niche market leadership, proprietary competitive advantages, strong barriers to entry, stable core cash flows, and high margins.

The new platform will be led by Chairman and CEO Grant H. Beard, who previously served as CEO of Wolverine Advanced Materials LLC, a subsidiary of Wolverine Automotive Holdings, Inc., a former Wynnchurch investment.

Beard started with Wynnchurch as a chairman of Wolverine Automotive Holdings in 2011. He later stepped into the CEO role in 2012 and recently led the company's successful sale to I.T.T. Corporation for $300 million. Formerly, he was the CEO of Constar International, TriMas Corporation, and Health Media. He has been an investor with Blue Point Capital, The Anderson Group, and The Oxford Group. Grant is an active member of the following boards: U.S. Manufacturing, Advanced Energy Industries, T.A. Systems, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Grant holds an M.A. in International Economics from the University of Detroit and both a B.S. and M.B.A. in Finance from Miami University.

"It is our desire to create a vehicle to deploy capital into high quality materials companies. Grant has demonstrated his leadership skills and value creation abilities throughout his career," said John Hatherly, president and managing partner of Wynnchurch.