GulfStar Group Takes Top Honors at ACG Houston’s Seventh Annual Deal of the Year Awards Ceremony

HOUSTON, May 2, 2024 – GulfStar Group celebrated wins in three categories at the Seventh Annual Deal of the Year Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at the Houston Country Club. The Association for Corporate Growth (“ACG”) awarded GulfStar with Industrial, Power & Infrastructure (Add-On) Deal of the Year, Industrial, Power & Infrastructure (Platform) Deal of the Year and Business Services Deal of the Year.

The Acquisition of Forged Components by Westbrook Energy Group, a portfolio company of SCF Partners, led by Managing Directors Cliff Atherton, Tom Hargrove and Ben Stanton, won Industrial, Power & Infrastructure (Add-On) Deal of the Year. Forged Components is a vertically integrated provider of high-quality forged, heat treated and machined pressure control connection products for the downstream, midstream, upstream, LNG, marine, aerospace and defense markets.

The Acquisition of PurgeRite by Milton Street Capital, led by Managing Director Colt Luedde and Senior Vice President Alex Pette, won Industrial, Power & Infrastructure (Platform) Deal of the Year. PurgeRite is the leading provider of mechanical flushing and filtration services for water-based HVAC and geothermal systems.

The Acquisition of Champions Hydro-Lawn by Westco Grounds Maintenance, a portfolio company of Evolution Strategy Partners as well as Gemini Investors and Genesis Park, led by Managing Director Scott Winship, won Business Services Deal of the Year. Champions Hydro-Lawn is the leading commercial erosion control and turf establishment specialist in the greater-Houston market.

“We are truly honored to be recognized by ACG Houston and our industry peers,” said Tom Hargrove, co-founder and managing director of GulfStar. “We would like to congratulate our clients on this recognition and acknowledge their tremendous impact on the Greater Houston area. I’d also like to thank the outstanding deal participants – accountants, lawyers, lenders, insurers and private equity groups – for their considerable efforts on these transactions.”

In addition, the following GulfStar deals were nominated as finalists: The Acquisition of Texcel by Harbour Group; The Acquisition of ZymeFlow, a portfolio company of Thompson Street Capital Partners, by ShawKwei and Partners; The Acquisition of Farmers Copper (Four Winds Investments, Inc.) by Wieland Group; The Acquisition of Miller Integrated Solutions, a portfolio company of Trinity Hunt Partners, by KHL Capital; The Acquisition of Enduro Composites by Hill and Smith; and The Acquisition of Mat Tech by Allied Industrial Partners.

ACG Houston’s event celebrated the city’s booming middle-market deal community, honoring the deals and dealmakers who drive middle market growth and their success in generating job growth, capital formation and the advancement of meaningful business relationships in the Houston community. The finalists and winners were selected by an independent panel of esteemed judges and top business leaders and educators, including: Mark Frates, Executive Vice President of Glencoe Diversified Holdings, LLC; Gustavo Grullon, PhD, Professor of Finance at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University; Ernest Hunter, Chief Executive Officer of The Frenchy’s Companies; Amy Nelson, President and Founder of Greenridge Advisors, LLC; Jennifer Whalen, Chief Financial Officer of The Bristow Group Inc.; and Ken Wiles, PhD, CFA, Executive Director of Hick, Muse, Tate & Furst Center for Private Equity Finance and a Clinical Associate Professor of Finance at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.

To view a list of ACG Houston’s Seventh Annual Deal of the Year Award winners, please CLICK HERE.

About ACG Houston
ACG Houston is the region’s premier association focused on middle market corporate growth. Their goal is to help business professionals in the M&A community do more business with the right partners. ACG Houston hosts a variety of events throughout the year to provide our local business leaders an opportunity to gain visibility and connect with people and ideas to strategically grow companies. To learn more or become a member visit acg.org/houston.

About GulfStar Group
GulfStar is a leading middle market investment bank headquartered in Houston. GulfStar specializes in providing mergers and acquisitions, private capital placement and strategic advisory to companies with revenues generally ranging from $25 million to $350 million. Since its formation in 1990, GulfStar has completed more than 750 transactions in 38 states and 18 foreign countries across a variety of industries.