News

Bertram Capital has acquired The Riverside Company‘s stake in Florida-based Spectrio, a provider of customer engagement solutions. No financial terms were disclosed. Lincoln International advised The Riverside Company and Spectrio on the transaction.

PRESS RELEASE

SAN MATEO, Calif., Sept. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Bertram Capital (“Bertram”) today announced its investment in Spectrio LLC (“Spectrio” or the “Company”), a leading full-service provider of customer engagement solutions to a diversified set of enterprise and small to medium sized businesses.

Spectrio offers its customers subscription access to a suite of customized content solutions ranging from on-hold messaging to digital signage and in-store music and messaging, enabling clients to engage and educate their customers, thereby increasing sales and improving customer retention. Spectrio represents Bertram’s seventeenth platform investment and its second investment in marketing services and digital content delivery. Bertram acquired its interest in Spectrio from The Riverside Company, which has been the majority investor since 2014.

“Bertram is extremely excited to partner with the team at Spectrio,” said Jared Ruger, Partner at Bertram. “As a market leader with a vast content library and differentiated content delivery model, proven commitment to customer service, and history of completing accretive add-on acquisitions, Spectrio aligns well with Bertram’s unique buy and build investment strategy. We believe there is a robust add-on acquisition landscape, as well as meaningful opportunities to accelerate organic growth.”

Based in Oldsmar, Florida, Spectrio was founded in 2002 by Aaron Kleinhandler and Mitch Keller, who built the company through 24 acquisitions.

The Riverside Company invested in Spectrio in 2014, and sourced and integrated seven add-on acquisitions that expanded Spectrio’s customer base and geographic footprint while adding new service offerings.

“Riverside has been an outstanding partner, helping Spectrio increase sales and deliver a broader suite of services to an ever-growing customer base,” said Kleinhandler. “Their transacting and operating teams helped bring us to this exciting next phase of growth for our company.”

Bertram’s investment in Spectrio is aligned with its strategy of partnering with founders in highly fragmented industries to implement Bertram’s buy and build strategy, the Bertram High-5TM. A key element of this value creation capability is Bertram Labs, the firm’s in-house software development and digital marketing team, which will be actively involved in helping Spectrio expand its technology platform.

“As we reach an inflection point in our growth, we are excited to partner with Bertram to enhance our technological capabilities through Bertram Labs, invest in new sales and marketing initiatives, and continue to execute add-on acquisitions which have helped establish us as a market leader and the industry’s acquirer of choice,” said Kleinhandler.

Kleinhandler, who will remain as CEO, has led the business through two successful private equity exits and is retaining a meaningful portion of his ownership in the business.

“I would like to personally welcome Aaron Kleinhandler and the entire Spectrio team to Bertram Capital,” said Jeff Drazan, Managing Partner of Bertram. “The firms and founders we partner with are critical to our success.”

Lincoln International advised The Riverside Company and Spectrio on the transaction.

About Spectrio
Spectrio is one of the nation’s leading end to end technology-enabled audio and video marketing companies, providing professional content and managed services on a monthly subscription basis. Our solutions, consisting of On-Hold Messaging, Digital Signage and Overhead Music, enable our clients to engage, educate and entertain their customers, across all digital customer touch points.
Visit www.spectrio.com for more information.

About Bertram Capital
With over $1.2 billion in committed capital, Bertram Capital is a private equity firm targeting investments in lower middle market companies. By supplying flexible investment capital and committing a wealth of operational and strategic resources to each investment, we make it our core objective to move companies, management teams, and employees toward unlocking their full potential. Visit www.bcap.com for more information.

The Riverside Company
The Riverside Company is a global private equity firm focused on making control and non-control investments in growing businesses valued at up to $400 million. Since its founding in 1988, Riverside has invested in more than 480 transactions. The firm’s international portfolio includes more than 80 companies.