Category: Industry News

BREA, Calif., Dec. 19, 2019 – CoolSys™, a parent of market-leading refrigeration and HVAC companies nationwide, announced it has acquired BRR Refrigeration, a commercial refrigeration and HVAC services company based in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  This acquisition is the company’s first step into the Mid-Atlantic region, where it plans to further expand its market presence. As part of an active M&A strategy, BRR Refrigeration is the second acquisition CoolSys has closed this week.

 

“The acquisition of BRR Refrigeration will establish for the first time a CoolSys presence in the Mid-Atlantic region where we look forward to continued growth and success,” comments CoolSys CEO Adam Coffey.  “We welcome the BRR team to the CoolSys family and are looking forward to supporting and complementing the services they offer to their customers.”

 

For more than 20 years, BRR Refrigeration has been a leading commercial refrigeration and HVAC contractor serving the supermarket, convenience store and cold storage sectors in Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and Delaware.  BRR Refrigeration serves the full spectrum of its clients’ needs with commercial HVAC and refrigeration services, installation services, remodeling services and a full-service electrical department.  

 

“The BRR Refrigeration team is excited about becoming a CoolSys company and sharing our wealth of knowledge and experience in the refrigeration and HVAC field,” comments Joe Roomsburg, owner of BRR Refrigeration.  “Like CoolSys, we are committed to delivering the highest quality services and equipment to our customers, and we look forward to enhancing our services with the expanded resources and capabilities they can offer.” 

Connex, formerly PRSM, the authority on Retail and Multi-site Facilities Management is cooking up something very different for the CONNEX2020 National Conference keynote address.

Johnny Cupcakes – aka Johnny Earle, the king of cult-like brand loyalty, and founder of the world-renowned tee-shirt brand Johnny Cupcakes will be the keynote speaker at the CONNEX2020 National Conference, April 21, 2020 at the Gaylord Palms, Orlando, FL.

Earle lauded in Forbes, WIRED, the New York Times and other major media launched 16 businesses before he was 16 years old. His “T-shirt bakery” tee-shirt shop started in the trunk of a 1989 Toyota Camry, when he was only 19, has crazed customers camping out for weeks before a new store opens. 

Named “America’s No. 1 Young Entrepreneur” by Business Week, “Top Innovator in Retail” by The Boston Globe and featured in INC magazine as CEO of one of the world’s fastest-growing independent businesses, Earle now shares his creative consulting and strategies with clients including Apple, L’Oreal, Disney, IBM, Audi, Harvard University, Wieden+Kennedy, Marriott and P&G.

“CONNEX2020 will be a very special event,” commented Bill Yanek, CEO Connex. “Johnny Cupcakes will take our General Session over the top and inspire attendees to look at how they do business in a very different way!”

Orange, Calif. (Dec. 13, 2019) – Branded Group has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2019 honor by The Orange County Register. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by Energage, LLC, a leading provider of technology-based employee engagement tools. The anonymous survey measures several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection.

“The Top Workplaces award is about much more than recognition and celebration,” said Eric Rubino, CEO of Energage. “Our research also shows that these organizations achieve higher referral rates, lower employee turnover, and double the employee engagement levels. It just goes to show that being intentional about culture delivers bottom-line results.”

 

The Orange County Register’s 12th annual Top Workplaces gala was attended by the 140 honorees, which are comprised of small, medium, and large-size organizations. These thriving businesses, representing a variety of industries, employ nearly 39,000 people in Orange County.

 

“Branded Group is honored to be recognized for this award by the Orange County Register and we congratulate our fellow honorees,” Branded Group CEO Michael Kurland said. “Our entire team is focused on how we can be better for our customers, our community, and each other every day. This dedication has resulted in a 97% employee retention rate and a team that is engaged and driven to deliver best-in-class service.”

 

For more information about Branded Group, contact Michael Kurland at mkurland@branded-group.com.

Orange, Calif. (Dec 12, 2019) – Branded Group Founder and CEO Michael Kurland has announced that his company has been ranked #5 on the 2019 List of Orange County’s Fastest Growing Private Companies by the Orange County Business Journal. For business leaders, this list serves as a comprehensive source of information on the region’s top companies.

 

“Branded Group is honored, once again, to be recognized for this award by the Orange County Business Journal,” Branded Group CEO Michael Kurland said. “I share this award with our valued customers, vendor partners, and growing team, all of whom contribute to the continued success of Branded Group.”

 

Eligible companies for the award must be headquartered in Orange County, Calif. with annual revenues of at least $300,000 in the prior year. Company rankings are based on revenue growth, which is measured by year-over-year sales during the specified ranking period.

 

For more information about Branded Group, contact Michael Kurland at mkurland@branded-group.com.

NEW YORK CITY – (December 3, 2019) – CS Hudson – a leader in experiential pop-ups, shop-in-shops and marketing activations – is pleased to announce the second installment of its holiday Pop-Ups for Good event: Live. Love. Laugh. Pop-Ups for Good is an innovative program that provides a platform to leverage the company’s retail expertise, strategic partnerships and national reach to help support socially-charged initiatives. Along with the support of its vendors and partners, CS Hudson creates short-term retail pop ups to benefit various philanthropic causes. This year’s Live. Love. Laugh. theme is “Winter Wonderland” and the team is excited to once again spread holiday cheer for over 100 homeless children as they share the company’s vision and hope for the future.

 

“Pop-Ups for Good is closing out its first full year of making a difference and we couldn’t be more grateful,” said CS Hudson co-founder and co-CEO, Joseph Scaretta. “The program allows us to use contemporary retail technology and practices to drive customer experience and awareness for each nonprofit we select. Pop-up shops have gained quite a bit of momentum this year, and we’re thrilled to be able to use this concept to raise awareness for nonprofits and give back to the community in an impactful way. The entire team is looking forward to seeing the smiles and joy as the kids enter our Winter Wonderland. We’re pleased to give them a special opportunity, and also hope they adopt a pay-it-forward mentality, while appreciating the value of being involved and giving back to their communities.”

 

Live. Love. Laugh. will offer an immersive holiday experience to over one hundred children ranging from ages 2 to 18 from HELP Suffolk – a homeless housing facility. In mid-December, these deserving children will be bussed in to the event location at the Tanger Outlets in Riverhead, NY for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grab their favorite toys, experience a variety of interactive activities and enjoy a day of just being a kid.

 

CS Hudson and its strategic partners including: Medallion Retail, FASTSIGNS of Upper Saddle River, Fire Up Marketing, Tanger Outlets, Monster XP and IRG Management are delighted to bring the children from HELP Suffolk an abundance of holiday happiness in this year’s “Winter Wonderland” themed pop-up. 

 

This is the second year that CS Hudson has created a whimsical toy shop experience giving children a chance to pick out their own toy and enjoy a fun-filled day of holiday-themed activities. Many of these children won’t receive other gifts this year, and for several of them this will be the first time they are able to pick out a brand-new toy just for themselves or a family member. There will also be multiple interactive elements including e-sport games, a hands-on sensory table, a selfie station and so much more!

 

Pop-Ups for Good is a year-round program. Next year, in addition to spreading holiday cheer, CS Hudson plans to host up to four additional pop-ups, the first of which includes Getting Heroes Hired—a veteran-focused pop-up experience slated for February.

 

To learn more about the program or partnership opportunities available, please contact cs4good@cs-hudson.com. For more information, visit www.cs-hudson.com/cs4good.

 

About CS Hudson: CS Hudson is a leading facility, project and program management firm headquartered in Hauppauge, New York. CS Hudson serves nationwide facilities, capital projects, and immersive activations for the retail, restaurant, healthcare, industrial, and commercial sectors. CS Hudson partners with companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500s throughout the U.S. to provide a tailored approach – not only meeting but exceeding the needs of its clients – with unique concepts, brands, budgets, challenges and goals process. Industry-renowned experts at CS Hudson design customer-centric, value-engineered service and solution programs driven by a deep understanding of the brands the company serves. In addition to the company’s core services, CS Hudson experts provide project development, implementation and management programs that streamline processes, reduce expense and mitigate risk through a commitment to understanding individual client needs. With deep roots in retail, facilities and construction, CS Hudson has a passion for giving back to the community, which has made CS Hudson a trusted advisor and partner to some of the world’s most successful enterprises. For more information, please visit www.cs-hudson.com.

 

Media Contact:
Leslie Licano
leslie@beyondfifteen.com
(949) 733-8679 ext. 101

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Editor’s Note: Media interested in covering a regional “Pop-Ups for Good” event, can email cshudson@beyondfifteen.com for information on available dates, times and locations.

GI Partners, a leading private investment firm, today announced that it has completed the sale of Kellermeyer Bergensons Services, LLC (“KBS” or the “Company”) to an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L. P. (“Cerberus”). 

 

Headquartered in Oceanside, California, KBS is a leading provider of technology-enabled, integrated facility management services to customers across North America. With its differentiated technology and comprehensive suite of facility services, the Company delivers high-quality and cost-effective solutions to customers in the industrial, commercial, logistics, retail, and grocery sectors. 

 

GI Partners acquired KBS in 2014 and, during the last five years, the Company has experienced significant growth through both organic and M&A initiatives. Organically, the Company drove record new wins and maintained industry leading customer retention while diversifying its customer base into high growth end markets. Bolstering KBS’ best-in-class delivery model, the Company developed and launched KBSForce, a proprietary and purpose-built labor management and business intelligence tool, to drive industry-leading operational efficiencies and technology enablement. Additionally, GI Partners supported the establishment of KBS’ successful M&A platform, as the company completed seven strategic acquisitions, accelerating growth into highly attractive end markets while generating meaningful operational synergies. 

 

“We are very pleased with the outcome of our investment in KBS and grateful for the strong partnership with the management team,” said Hoon Cho, Managing Director at GI Partners. “It has been a pleasure partnering with Mark and the team to build an industry-leading facilities management platform. We look forward to following KBS’ continued success during the Company’s next stage of growth and its partnership with Cerberus.” 

 

Mark Minasian, Chief Executive Officer of KBS, commented, “I am very proud of the outstanding performance our team delivered, and we are grateful to GI Partners and Hoon in particular for his unwavering support and strategic engagement during our partnership. We have undergone a dramatic transformation over the past five years, driving large share gains in our traditional end markets while expanding rapidly into new ones. Today’s KBS is a scaled, structurally advantaged, technology enabled North American service platform uniquely positioned to deliver our current and future customers world class service solutions for years to come. As we enter the next chapter of our evolution, we are thrilled to be partnering with Cerberus and are confident that its deep expertise and operational and technological resources will further accelerate the pace and scale of organic and inorganic value creation.” Robert Warden, Co-Head of Private Equity and Senior Managing Director at Cerberus,
added: “We are excited to partner with KBS and build on the foundational initiatives that GI Partners has implemented over the past five years. We look forward to working with Mark and the KBS team to deliver on the significant opportunities ahead.”

 

 

About KBS
Kellermeyer Bergensons Services, LLC is a leading North American provider of technologyenabled,
integrated facility management services to the industrial, commercial, logistics,
retail, and grocery sectors. With more than 64,000 active customer locations in all 50 U.S.
states, Canada, and Puerto Rico, KBS sets the industry standard for delivering consistently
high quality and cost-effective facility service solutions. For more information on
Kellermeyer Bergensons Services, please visit www.kbs-services.com.

About GI Partners
Founded in 2001, GI Partners is a private investment firm based in San Francisco,
California. The firm has raised $19 billion in capital from leading institutional investors
around the world to invest in private equity, real estate, and data infrastructure
strategies. The private equity team invests primarily in companies in the Healthcare, IT
Infrastructure, Services, and Software sectors. The real estate team invests across a broad
range of platforms and strategies. The data infrastructure team invests primarily in hard
asset infrastructure businesses underpinning the digital economy. For more information
on GI Partners and its entire portfolio, please visit www.gipartners.com.

About Cerberus
Founded in 1992, Cerberus is a global leader in alternative investing with over $40 billion
in assets across complementary credit, private equity, and real estate strategies. We
invest across the capital structure where our integrated investment platforms and
proprietary operating capabilities create an edge to improve performance and drive longterm
value. Our tenured teams have experience working collaboratively across asset
classes, sectors, and geographies to seek strong risk-adjusted returns for our investors.
For more information about our people and platforms, visit us at www.cerberus.com/.

MaintenX team members traveled from coast to coast this October to attend Connex’s first year of Connexion events in Southern California, Ohio and New York. Connex, formerly PRSM, reorganized their midyear show into three intimate and interactive events across the U.S.

MaintenX team members met one-on-on with facilitity managers in Long Beach, Columbus and New York City to share how MaintenX’s self-performing technicians can assist with preventative and reactive maintenance needs. Each session began with a productive breakfast networking session, followed by one-on-one meetings with multi-site facility managers, lunch and a key note speaker. Attendees in all locations benefitted from unique, regionally-focused facilty-management industry updates. In all, the new program allowed attendees to be more engaged and involved than in past years’ larger format event. Also, by having three events, Long Beach, Columbus and NYC, it was much easier for Connex Multi-Site facility managers to travel and attend.

“MaintenX is proud to have been a Platinum sponsor of the inaugural Connexion event in Long beach and a participant at all three events ,” said Bill Schaphorst, MaintenX’s VP of Business Development. “We enjoyed the time with facility managers and the ability to learn about regional issues, developments, and topics that are critical to our clients.”

Connex is an industry leader in retail and multi-site facilities management, with a focus on providing best practice, education, forums and partnerships to their more than more than 950 member companies. Facility management professionals will come together again with Connex at the Connex2020 National Conference in April 2020 in Orlando, Fla.

For more than 40 years, MaintenX has been a trusted name in self-performing facilities maintenance. With an unwavering focus on customer satisfaction and safety, MaintenX is trusted by clients from coast to coast.

Whether a company needs a personalized preventative maintenance schedules, reactive or emergency maintenance services, MaintenX is ready to provide top-notch service. For more information about MaintenX, visit http://www.maintenx.com.

ABOUT MAINTENX INTERNATIONAL:
MaintenX International is a fully licensed, facilities repair company. As one of the largest national self-performing facility maintenance and repair companies in the U.S., MaintenX has created a wide network of knowledgeable and professional technicians throughout the country. With their team of well-trained technicians, MaintenX self-performs and manages facility maintenance for their clients. In the event there is not a MaintenX technician in an area, the company has established a network of preferred vendor partners throughout the country for continued superior service for their clients. For more than 40 years, MaintenX has been expertly serving multi-location retail stores, restaurant chains and Fortune 500 companies nationwide.

Meg Buckley, Senior Manager, Content & Research, recently passed the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) test managed by the Project Management Institute.

“This is a distinguished achievement that provides Meg and the Education & Resources team credibility and effectiveness working on or with project teams,” said Bill Yanek, Connex CEO. “We’re excited for Meg to use her knowledge and proven project management skills here at Connex.”

The three-hour certification exam includes 150 questions that cover a broad spectrum of project management. Additionally, the certification requires 23 hours of project management education. To maintain the CAPM certification, you must retake the exam every five years.

For more information about the CAPM exam or project management credentials, click here.