Boston, MA – Capstone Partners LLC, a leading investment banking firm, is pleased to announce that it has successfully represented Synergy Sportz, dba Yukon Charlie’s, in its sale to Kwik Tek Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Yukon Charlie’s is a branded recreational products company that designs and develops winter sports and outdoor lifestyle products, specializing in snowshoes and complementary products such as sleds, trekking poles, winter apparel, gaiters and traction products, and shovels. Yukon Charlie’s has established a leading position in the market backed by a recognizable brand name and a reputation for quality, technologically superior products that offer reliable performance at a value price point. The company’s products are sold through big box, outdoor and sporting goods retailers.
Kwik Tek Inc. is a designer and distributor of branded consumer goods for the outdoor recreation industry. Kwik Tek offers a broad collection of marine water sports products and is a leading manufacturer of inflatable tow tubes, floats and tubing accessories. The Company’s product line includes towables and other inflatables, wakeboards, water skis, kneeboards, life jackets, personal watercraft accessories, waterproof cases, protective fenders and bumpers, tow ropes and other miscellaneous items marketed under various brands, including Airhead and Sportsstuff. Kwik Tek is a portfolio company of Guardian Capital Partners (GCP), a private equity firm that makes control investments in lower middle market manufacturing, consumer products and service companies.
Dan Roy of Yukon Charlie’s stated, “We set out hoping to find a partner with certain attributes, including complementary products and market recognition, distribution channel access, sourcing and supply chain expertise and a dedication to the future innovation of our product and preservation of our brand. In Kwik Tek we have found the ideal partner to help expand our business.”
Commenting on Capstone Partners’ latest transaction in the recreational products sector, John Ferrara, Founder & President of Capstone, added, “We are proud to have represented Yukon Charlie’s, a recognized market leader in the industry. The company’s management built a leading brand and a scalable business that, now as part of a larger entity, has enhanced growth opportunities. This transaction is representative of the robust M&A activity we are seeing in the recreational products space. Both corporate and private equity buyers are active, with many employing a buy vs. build strategy in order to quickly gain access to growing niches or well-known brands, new sales and distribution channels and expanded geographic markets. We expect continued activity in the industry in the year ahead.”
