Brightstar Capital Partners has acquired a majority interest in Material Handling Group USA, a technician-led provider of material handling equipment, aftermarket parts, and service operating across Michigan, New York, and the Mid-Atlantic region.
Material Handling Group, or MHG, operates through the Fraza, Vitan Equipment, Matthai Material Handling, and Buffalo Lift Trucks brands. The company provides new, used, and rental material handling equipment along with aftermarket maintenance, parts, and service.
CEO Roger Runyan will continue leading MHG and, together with the management team, will retain a meaningful ownership stake in the business.
Brightstar is also partnering with industry veteran Jonathan Dawley, former President and CEO of KION North America, who will serve as Executive Chair of Material Handling Group. Dawley brings more than two decades of experience across the material handling equipment industry.
Material Handling Group traces its roots to a single-location forklift repair business founded in Detroit in 1938. Aftermarket services have remained central to the company’s operations as it expanded into a broader regional equipment and service platform.
Runyan acquired the business in 2017 after working at the company for more than 20 years and subsequently expanded it into its current multi-brand structure.
The company’s service, parts, and rental operations support warehousing, logistics, manufacturing, and other businesses that depend on material handling equipment to maintain operations.
Brightstar said the investment aligns with its lower middle market strategy, which focuses on partnering with founder-, family-, and entrepreneur-led businesses. The firm sees opportunities for MHG to grow organically and through selective acquisitions as demand for material handling services increases.
Brightstar also plans to support investments in MHG’s technician workforce and technology infrastructure. The firm sees potential applications for AI and other digital tools across technician onboarding, equipment diagnostics, service dispatch, and predictive maintenance.
The companies believe trends including distribution network expansion, reshoring, and greater adoption of automated warehouse systems will increase the installed base of material handling equipment requiring specialized service and maintenance.
MHG is headquartered in Canton, Michigan, and serves customers across a broad range of industries through its regional network and relationships with material handling equipment manufacturers.
KEY QUOTES:
“We’ve spent years building MHG into a business our customers and employees can count on, and this partnership gives us the resources to take it to the next level. Brightstar brings real experience with technician-led, service-based businesses like ours, and I’m excited to put that expertise and their resources to work to accelerate our growth.”
Roger Runyan, CEO Of Material Handling Group
“MHG is the kind of owner-led, service-driven business our lower middle market strategy was designed to partner with. Distribution buildout, reshoring, and the shift toward automated warehouses are expanding the equipment base that needs skilled service, and MHG’s technician-led model is suited for that. We believe the Company is well positioned for continued growth, both organically and through selective M&A.”
Charles Yoon, Partner At Brightstar Capital Partners And Managing Partner Of The Firm’s Lower Middle Market Strategy
“MHG’s success is built on its technician workforce and the trust it has earned with customers over decades. We see a meaningful opportunity to invest in that workforce and bring practical technology and AI to the front line, from technician onboarding and diagnostics to smarter service dispatch and predictive maintenance that keeps customers’ fleets up and running. We look forward to working with Roger and his team to build on the Company’s strong foundation.”
Sean Courtney, Managing Director At Brightstar Capital Partners
