North Branch Capital Invests in STARC Systems
Private equity firm secures majority ownership in manufacturer of temporary modular wall containment solutions to continue to fuel innovation and expand into new markets
STARC Systems, a manufacturer of reusable temporary modular wall containment solutions for occupied renovations, announced Sept. 12 that it has been purchased by Illinois-based private equity firm North Branch Capital. The acquisition marks a significant investment to continue fueling STARC’s innovation and market expansion, serving contractors and facility managers across multiple industries.
Founded by entrepreneur Tim Hebert and led by president and CEO Chris Vickers, over the last five years, STARC has brought three category-leading temporary construction wall solutions to market and experienced 38 percent compounded growth. The company holds an 81 Net Promotor Score, reflecting strong customer satisfaction, and as a result has built a loyal customer base that includes 58 of the top 75 contractors, such as McCarthy, Turner Construction and Gilbane, and health care systems, like Johns Hopkins and the Cleveland Clinic. Additionally, one in five of STARC’s customers are in renovation markets beyond health care, including O’Hare, Laguardia, Tesla and Liberty Mutual. With North Branch’s investment and STARC’s versatility in addressing dust mitigation, noise abatement and fire safety during renovations, STARC will accelerate expansion to other sensitive environments, such as data centers, airports, life science labs, offices and more.
“We invest in middle-market industrial businesses with strong growth prospects and leadership teams,” said Brian Gleason, operating partner at North Branch Capital. “STARC is well-positioned to continue its growth in this emerging category. Since its founding, the organization has developed a keen focus on innovation, providing an excellent value proposition to its customer base and building a world-class culture.”
As the market leader in temporary modular wall containment solutions, STARC has a long history of disrupting through innovation. Its flagship product, RealWall, was the first reusable temporary containment system with noise-reducing properties that exceeded ICRA Class IV and V requirements. LiteBarrier is the most durable dust barrier in the lightweight category. And FireblockWall is the latest and is the first reusable one-hour fire-rated temporary containment system. Common among the entire line is a thoughtfully designed, versatile modular system that significantly saves project set-up time, reduces dust and noise around a renovation and meets all safety requirements. STARC’s product durability also helps to minimize the carbon footprint of a project while adding economic value to its customers.
“STARC has always been committed to solving real problems for contractors and facilities teams operating in environments with high stakes,” Vickers said. “We’re thrilled to partner with North Branch to continue bringing new and innovative temporary wall solutions to our existing customers and to expand into other end-uses, like airports, data centers and offices. We found renovation projects in these settings require airtight, quiet and good-looking containment solutions to protect staff, visitors and equipment so they continue to run uninterrupted.”
“We would not have reached this significant milestone without many outside partners,” Vickers added. “We are grateful for the tremendous support from our early customers, MRRA, MTI and BlueHeron Capital and to be a part of Maine’s supportive manufacturing community.”
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