StoneTree Investment Partners, a private equity firm focused on lower-middle-market industrial businesses, announced that it has completed a strategic investment in Wilbar Group, a leading North American designer and manufacturer of premium aboveground and semi-inground swimming pools. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Wilbar Group comprises Wilbar International, Trendium Pool Products, and Crystal Water Investments. The company is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York, and operates two additional manufacturing facilities in LaSalle and Longueuil, Quebec.
Founded by the Cohen family in 1961, Wilbar has developed a broad portfolio of steel, resin, hybrid, and aluminum pool systems. Its products are distributed through an established network of dealers and distributors across the United States, Canada, and international markets.
The investment brings together Wilbar’s longstanding manufacturing capabilities and recognized pool brands with StoneTree’s experience supporting niche industrial and manufacturing businesses. StoneTree plans to work alongside Wilbar’s management team to invest in its employees, brands, manufacturing operations, and customer service capabilities.
Wilbar’s North American manufacturing footprint was an important factor in StoneTree’s investment decision. Maintaining production operations in the United States and Canada gives the company greater control over product quality, supply chain management, delivery times, and customer responsiveness.
The company’s domestic manufacturing capabilities may also provide an advantage as dealers and distributors seek dependable suppliers that can manage changing demand while reducing their exposure to lengthy international supply chains.
Wilbar has built its market position through product durability, manufacturing expertise, and long-term relationships with dealers and distributors. The company offers pool systems across multiple materials, configurations, and price points, enabling its channel partners to serve a diverse range of residential customers.
StoneTree believes Wilbar’s established brands, production infrastructure, and relationships with channel partners create a defensible position in the aboveground pool industry. The private equity firm plans to support Wilbar’s next phase of growth while preserving the product quality and service standards that have contributed to its reputation.
StoneTree was founded by professionals with backgrounds as operators, engineers, and investors. The firm has approximately $200 million in assets under management and focuses on established niche manufacturing and industrial companies where its team can work directly with employees and management.
Its investment model centers on developing a business transformation agenda for each portfolio company. These plans may include operational improvements, investments in people and equipment, commercial expansion, product development, and other initiatives intended to strengthen a company’s long-term competitive position.
For Wilbar, the partnership is expected to provide additional resources for expanding its brands and operational capabilities while continuing to support dealers, distributors, and pool owners. The existing management team will work with StoneTree to identify opportunities for growth in both the U.S. and Canadian markets.
Capstone Partners, a Boston-based middle-market investment bank, advised Wilbar Group on the transaction. McGuireWoods and Stikeman Elliott served as legal counsel to StoneTree.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are excited to partner with StoneTree, whose industrial focus and hands-on approach align closely with Wilbar Group’s culture and long-term vision. StoneTree’s experience scaling businesses like Wilbar will help us invest further in our people, brands, and operations while maintaining the product quality and service our customers and end users have relied on for decades.”
Kelly Grindle, Chief Executive Officer of Wilbar Group
“Wilbar Group is the leader in the aboveground pool industry, with a long history of providing high-quality products and differentiated capabilities to its customers, channel partners, and consumers. This combination makes Wilbar Group exactly the type of business we seek to partner with to pursue StoneTree’s mission and purpose of Transforming Industrials. Investing in People.”
Joel Stanwood, Partner at StoneTree Investment Partners
“Wilbar Group’s North American production footprint and portfolio of leading aboveground pool brands create a highly defensible position in both the Canadian and U.S. markets. Together with the Wilbar Group team, we see significant opportunities to drive the company’s next phase of growth with a focus on providing world-class products and service to Wilbar’s customers and end users.”
Chris Dupré, Partner at StoneTree Investment Partners
