Valiant Energy Management announced that it has acquired VanDeMark Chemical, a Lockport, New York-based specialty chemical manufacturer with a 75-year operating history.
The acquisition preserves VanDeMark’s ongoing operations and establishes a foundation for future investment, growth, and expansion. VanDeMark serves customers across several critical sectors, including defense, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, industrial applications, biotechnology, and specialty chemicals.
Founded in 1951, VanDeMark is one of North America’s most established producers of phosgene derivatives and specialty chemical intermediates. The company has built a strong reputation for technical expertise, manufacturing excellence, safety, quality, and customer service. Its capabilities make it an important part of the domestic specialty chemical supply chain, particularly for industries that rely on specialized and difficult-to-produce chemical inputs.
Through the acquisition, Valiant intends to maintain and grow operations at the Lockport facility. The company also plans to work closely with employees, customers, and suppliers to strengthen operations, invest in manufacturing capabilities, support innovation, develop new products, and expand VanDeMark’s capabilities over time.
Valiant said the deal aligns with its active ownership approach, which focuses on acquiring and growing industrial and energy businesses with strong underlying fundamentals, skilled workforces, and long-term expansion opportunities. The company intends to take an active operating role in VanDeMark while supporting the next phase of the business.
The transaction also ensures the continuation of one of North America’s most unique specialty chemical manufacturing platforms and preserves domestic production capabilities serving important end markets such as defense, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, agriculture, and specialty industrial applications.
Peter Young and Stephen Floyd of Young & Partners served as financial advisors to Valiant in connection with the acquisition. Valiant was represented by Blank Rome LLP, with Ryan Haddad serving as lead transaction counsel. Balmoral Advisors, led by Chris Cerimele, served as financial advisor to the sellers.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are incredibly excited to welcome VanDeMark Chemical to Valiant. Throughout this process, we developed a tremendous amount of respect for the people, capabilities, and history of the business. We believe VDM possesses a unique combination of technical expertise, manufacturing infrastructure, and market opportunities that position it for long-term success. Most importantly, we believe in the people who have kept this business operating through challenging circumstances. We are excited to keep this important facility operating and to work alongside the talented men and women who have made VanDeMark successful. Our commitment is simple: to be active owners, work alongside the team, invest in the business, solve problems, and help create the conditions for long-term growth.”
Nigel Solida, Chief Executive Officer of Valiant Energy Management
“This transaction is highly consistent with Valiant’s investment philosophy. We seek businesses with strong underlying fundamentals, talented people, and opportunities that can benefit from active ownership and long-term investment. VanDeMark represents exactly that type of opportunity. The company possesses unique technical capabilities, longstanding customer relationships, a highly skilled workforce, and significant opportunities for growth. We believe VanDeMark is exceptionally well positioned to benefit from favorable trends across defense, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and specialty industrial markets, and we are excited to support the next phase of its development.”
Scott Bernstein, Chief Financial Officer of Valiant Energy Management
