Leonard Green & Partners to Acquire TenCate Grass from Crestview Partners

TenCate Firmly Established as the Leading Global Artificial Grass Solution Provider for Sports and Outdoor Living

Investment Marks LGP's Entry into the Rapidly Growing Market for Sports and Outdoor Living Surfaces with an Estimated Market Size of More than $12bn Annually

NIJVERDAL, Netherlands and DAYTON, Tenn., Dec. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TenCate Grass Holding B.V. ("TenCate", or the "Company") today announced that a definitive agreement has been reached whereby affiliates of Leonard Green & Partners, LP ("LGP") will acquire a majority stake in the Company by purchasing all of the shares of TenCate currently owned by Crestview Partners ("Crestview") and select other shareholders. The current senior management team of TenCate will remain invested alongside LGP and will continue to lead the Company.

Michael Vogel, Chief Executive Officer of TenCate, said: "We were extremely fortunate to have had Crestview as our partner over the past two years. Crestview was instrumental in supporting our growth ambitions, enabling us to reach global revenues of $1.5 billion and earnings in excess of $200 million. While it is bittersweet to end our very successful partnership with Crestview, we are thrilled to be moving forward with LGP. The team at LGP is clearly aligned with our current strategic thinking. We expect to benefit greatly from their vast experience in investing in market leading companies and brands."

Joe Fields, CEO of TenCate Grass Americas added: "In addition to being strategically aligned, our corporate values mirror those of LGP and we believe that we could not have found a better partner from a cultural alignment standpoint."

Jonathan Seiffer, Senior Partner of LGP, added: "TenCate is precisely the type of company in which we like to invest. We value companies that win with people, a differentiated culture, and multiple levers for growth. We strongly believe that TenCate's best years are ahead. We are thrilled to partner with their broad group of employee owners and to help deliver the next phase of outstanding growth."

Brian Cassidy, Chairman of TenCate and President of Crestview, stated: "TenCate's remarkable performance is a direct result of management excellence and their ability to drive continuous operational improvements while simultaneously executing multiple strategic acquisitions. We extend our sincerest gratitude to the entire TenCate team for our strong partnership and wish them all the best as they embark on their next stage of growth in partnership with LGP."

The transaction is expected to close in February 2024. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Advisors
BofA Securities was Lead Financial Advisor and Baird was Financial Advisor to TenCate. Lincoln International LLC acted as Financial Advisor to LGP. Latham & Watkins LLP and Loyens & Loeff acted as legal advisors to LGP. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP acted as legal advisor to TenCate and Crestview.

About TenCate
TenCate is a leading, vertically integrated manufacturer, distributor and installer of artificial turf and other surfaces for Sports, including those for football, soccer, baseball, softball, field hockey and a variety of smaller Sports as well as for the rapidly growing Outdoor Living segment. Headquartered in the Netherlands with its main manufacturing facilities in the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates, the Company serves customers in more than forty countries. For more information, please visit www.tencategrass.com.

About LGP LGP is a leading private equity investment firm founded in 1989 and based in Los Angeles with over $70 billion of assets under management. The firm partners with experienced management teams and founders to invest in market-leading companies. Since inception, LGP has invested in over 120 companies in the form of traditional buyouts, going-private transactions, recapitalizations, growth equity, and selective public equity and debt positions. The firm primarily focuses on companies providing services, including consumer, healthcare, and business services, as well as retail, distribution and industrials. For more information, please visit www.leonardgreen.com.

About Crestview
Founded in 2004, Crestview is a private equity firm focused on the middle market. The firm is based in New York and manages funds with approximately $10 billion of aggregate capital commitments. The firm is led by a group of partners who have complementary experience and distinguished backgrounds in private equity, finance, operations and management. Crestview has senior investment professionals focused on sourcing and managing investments in each of the specialty areas of the firm: media, industrials and financial services. For more information, please visit www.crestview.com.

Contacts:

For TenCate:
Astrid Busschers
a.busschers@tencategrass.com

For Leonard Green:
communications@leonardgreen.com 

For Crestview:
Jeffrey Taufield / Daniel Yunger
Kekst CNC
212-521-4800
jeffrey.taufield@kekstcnc.com / daniel.yunger@kekstcnc.com

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SOURCE TenCate Grass Holdings; Crestview Partners; Leonard Green & Partners