M&A Deal Summary

Berkshire Hathaway Acquires Charter Brokerage

On December 15, 2014, Berkshire Hathaway acquired transportation company Charter Brokerage from Arsenal Capital Partners, Audax Private Debt and Fifth Street Capital

Acquisition Highlights
  • This is Berkshire Hathaway’s 4th transaction in the Transportation sector.
  • This is Berkshire Hathaway’s 60th transaction in the United States.
  • This is Berkshire Hathaway’s 4th transaction in Connecticut.

M&A Deal Summary

Date 2014-12-15
Target Charter Brokerage
Sector Transportation
Buyer(s) Berkshire Hathaway
Sellers(s) Arsenal Capital Partners
Audax Private Debt
Fifth Street Capital
Deal Type Add-on Acquisition

Target

Charter Brokerage

Norwalk, Connecticut, United States
Charter Brokerage is the premier non-asset based third party logistics provider to the North American petroleum industry offering an integrated array of information-based, port-related logistics services to a diverse group of energy product importers and major airline customers.

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Buyer(S) 1

Buyer

Berkshire Hathaway

Omaha, Nebraska, United States

Category Company
Founded 1998
Sector Diversified
Employees396,500
Revenue 439.3B USD (2023)
DESCRIPTION
Berkshire Hathaway's corporate headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska.
Berkshire Hathaway's corporate headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska.

Berkshire Hathaway and its subsidiaries engage in diverse business activities including property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, utilities and energy, freight rail transportation, finance, manufacturing, retailing and services. Berkshire Hathaway was founded in 1998 and is based in Omaha, Nebraska.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 63 of 69
Sector (Transportation) 4 of 4
Type (Add-on Acquisition) 43 of 47
State (Connecticut) 4 of 4
Country (United States) 60 of 64
Year (2014) 5 of 5
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2014-11-13 Duracell

Bethel, Connecticut, United States

Duracell is a manufacturer and marketer of alkaline batteries. It markets its products throughout North America, China, Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. Duracell was established in 1924 and is based in Bethel, Connecticut.

Buy $4.7B
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2015-02-20 Detlev Louis Motorradvertriebs

Hamburg, Germany

Detlev Louis Motorradvertriebs GmbH is a German motorcycle apparel and accessories retailer.

Buy €400M

Seller(S) 3

SELLER

Arsenal Capital Partners

New York, New York, United States

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor


Category Private Equity Firm
Founded 2000
PE ASSETS 10.0B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

Arsenal Capital Partners is a private equity firm focused on middle-market healthcare, specialty industrial, and financial service companies. Specifically, Arsenal looks to acquire businesses in the areas of specialty chemicals, aerospace/defense, transportation, environmental services, business services, insurance, asset management, financial technology, medical products, healthcare IT, and healthcare contract research/manufacturing. The Firm typically seeks to commit $50 to $300 million per investment in profitable businesses with at least $10 million of EBITDA. Funds are generally used to support buyouts, recapitalizations, growth financings, consolidations, and divestitures. The Firm avoids investing in companies reliant on high levels of technology. Arsenal Capital Partners was formed in 2000 and is headquartered in New York City.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 13 of 35
Sector (Transportation) 1 of 1
Type (Add-on Acquisition) 8 of 17
State (Connecticut) 1 of 1
Country (United States) 13 of 32
Year (2014) 1 of 1
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2014-03-01 Danlin Industries

Thomas, Oklahoma, United States

Danlin Industries, Inc. provides chemicals to support drilling, production, and transportation of oil and natural gas. The company has 24 locations throughout the US and is headquartered in Thomas, OK.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2015-01-01 Polyventive

Calhoun, Georgia, United States

Polyventive is a manufacturer of specialty chemical solutions for the HI&I, Water Treatment, Personal Care, Construction, Soft Floor Covering, and Textile industries. Polyventive’s manufacturing, technical capabilities, applications expertise, and focus on solving customer problems has made it the first choice for industry leading solutions. Polyventive is based in Calhoun, Georgia.

Buy -
SELLER

Audax Private Debt

New York, New York, United States

Investor Investor Investor Investor Investor


Category Mezzanine Finance Firm
Founded 2000
PE ASSETS 5.4B USD
Size Mega
Type Sector Agnostic
DESCRIPTION

Audax Mezzanine is the mezzanine finance arm of the Audax Group. The Firm focuses on investing in both private and public, US-based middle market companies with a strong history of cash flows and consistent revenue growth. Audax will consider subordinated mezzanine debt commitments, second lien or junior secured debt, preferred stock and common stock. The Firm seeks to invest in companies valued between $10 and $60 million. Types of transaction include MBOs, LBOs, growth capital financings, acquisition financings, and recapitalizations.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 30 of 51
Sector (Transportation) 1 of 1
Type (Add-on Acquisition) 15 of 19
State (Connecticut) 2 of 2
Country (United States) 30 of 51
Year (2014) 6 of 6
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2014-09-18 Authority Brands

Columbia, Maryland, United States

Authority Brands is a parent company of two home service franchisors, The Cleaning Authority and Homewatch CareGivers. Together, these brands provide recurring home services through more than 300 franchise locations in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. Authority Brands was formed in 2017 and is based in Columbia, Maryland.

Buy -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2015-02-03 EAB

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

EAB is a provider of best practices research, student success management software and data-enabled enrollment solutions to the not-for-profit higher education and K-12 markets. The Company’s solutions help institutions increase enrollment yield, balance financial aid with revenue generation, drive higher student retention and success, and implement industry best practices derived from benchmarking and research. EAB was founded in 1983 and is based in Washington, Washington DC.

Sell -
SELLER
DESCRIPTION

Fifth Street Capital is a public investment firm focused on providing mezzanine financing to support expansions, acquisitions, recapitalizations, and management buyouts of middle-market US based companies. Fifth Street looks to invest between $5 and $50 million per transaction. Sectors of interest include consumer products, healthcare services, manufacturing, medical device manufacturing, food services, business services, restaurants, speciality retail, logistics, and value added distribution. Fifth Street Capital is based in White Plains, New York.


DEAL STATS #
Overall 23 of 59
Sector (Transportation) 1 of 1
Type (Add-on Acquisition) 12 of 27
State (Connecticut) 2 of 3
Country (United States) 22 of 58
Year (2014) 9 of 9
PREVIOUS DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2014-12-10 DISA

Houston, Texas, United States

DISA specializes in providing a comprehensive suite of employee testing, screening, and compliance management solutions to a diverse set of end markets. DISA was founded in 1986 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Sell -
FOLLOWING DEAL
DATE TARGET DEAL TYPE VALUE
2015-01-20 I Drive Safely

Carlsbad, California, United States

I Drive Safely is a provider of online driver training solutions serving teenagers, adults, senior citizens, and corporations.

Sell -