WAYNE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Guardian Capital Partners announced that it invested in Flat River Group, LLC. Guardian partnered with the Flat River Group executive management team, who will continue to operate the Company.
Headquartered in Belding, MI, Flat River Group (www.flatrivergroup.com) is an eCommerce distributor, marketer, and service provider. The breadth of consumer products offered by large eCommerce retailers, along with the logistical complexities of eCommerce distribution, creates challenges for both product vendors and eCommerce retailers. Flat River was founded and has been built to focus solely on solving these eCommerce-specific challenges for both product vendors and their eCommerce retailer customers. The Company leverages its diverse set of relationships to provide effective product sourcing, inventory management, and high volume direct-to-consumer drop-shipping. Guardian and the Flat River Group management team are excited to grow the Company through further investments in infrastructure, capabilities, and add-on acquisitions.
Ryan Northington, Partner at Guardian, stated, “Guardian is tremendously pleased to partner alongside Flat River Group’s first-class management team. Flat River Group’s solutions solve key go-to-market and operational challenges for both consumer products companies and the major eCommerce retail channels.” Matt Stahlin, President and co-founder of Flat River Group, said, “We are excited to tap into Guardian’s vast experience in the consumer products and value-added distribution space. Jim Stahlin, Matt Dean and I firmly believe Guardian is the best partner to help us continue to evolve our operational and market strategies to serve the needs of both our suppliers and eCommerce retail partners.”
The law firm Morgan Lewis advised Guardian. CIBC Bank USA provided senior financing and Centerfield Capital Partners provided additional financing and minority equity. Jones Day provided legal advice for Flat River Group, and Gulfstar Group acted as Flat River Group’s exclusive financial advisor.
Guardian Capital Partners (www.guardiancp.com) is a private equity firm based in suburban Philadelphia that invests in lower middle market consumer products, niche manufacturing, and specialty service companies. Guardian partners with management teams to provide equity capital to fuel the growth of family-owned businesses. The private equity experience and complementary skill sets of the Guardian team provide a unique combination of operating and finance capabilities resulting in certainty of execution and meaningful long-term value creation for its portfolio companies.
