GulfStar Group Wins Twice at ACG Houston’s 8th Annual Deal of the Year Awards Ceremony

HOUSTON, May 6, 2025 – The Association for Corporate Growth (“ACG”) Houston announced GulfStar Group (“GulfStar”) as a winner at the 8th Annual Deal of the Year Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at the Houston Country Club. GulfStar was awarded Deal of the Year in two categories: Building Products & Construction Services and Consumer Products & Services.

The Acquisition of AHI Supply by High Street Capital won Building Products & Construction Services Deal of the Year. AHI Supply is a leading manufacturer and distributor of masonry cements and related construction products for the Texas market, selling both directly to customers and through third-party building products distributors. The GulfStar team was led by Managing Directors Bryan Frederickson and Charles Craig with support from Associate Billy Conner and Analyst Stephen Harrigan. Porter Hedges provided transaction counsel and Calvetti Ferguson provided seller quality of earnings and other transaction accounting services to AHI Supply.

The Acquisition of Texas Tool Traders by U.S. LBM, a portfolio company of Bain Capital Private Equity and Platinum Equity won Consumer Products & Services Deal of the Year. The deal was also recognized as a finalist for Industrial Services Deal of the Year. Texas Tool Traders is a leading retailer of fasteners, tools and other supplies serving the single and multi-family residential construction market across Texas. The GulfStar team was led by Managing Directors Cliff Atherton and Tom Hargrove along with support from Vice President Ashley Pappas, Associate Alan Sheppard and Analyst Alex Britz. Glynn Nance at Nance and Simpson served as legal counsel and Jimmie Williams and Stephen Ripper at Moss Adams provided accounting services to Texas Tool Traders.

“We are truly honored to be recognized by ACG Houston and our industry peers for these transactions, both of which fall within the fast-growing building products and contracting industries,” 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 – lawyers, accountants, lenders, insurers and private equity groups – for their considerable efforts on these transactions.”

In addition, The Majority Recapitalization of Victory Energy by Main Street Capital, led by Managing Directors Colt Luedde and Alex Pette, was nominated as a finalist for Industrial Manufacturing Deal of the Year and Houston Private Equity (Acquisition) Deal of the Year.

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 were reviewed and ranked by an independent panel of judges of top business leaders and educators, including Gustavo Grullon, PhD, Professor of Finance at the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University; Frances Powell Hawes, Independent Director for Vital Energy, Inc. and Archrock, Inc.; Ernest Hunter, Chief Executive Officer of The Frenchy’s Companies; 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 8th 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. Our 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 www.acg.org/houston.

About GulfStar Group
GulfStar is one of the leading middle market investment banking firms in the United States, with a proven track record of delivering exceptional results in mergers and acquisitions, private placements and strategic advisory services. We advise private business owners and corporate clients with revenues ranging from $25 million to $350+ million across a variety of key industry sectors. Founded in 1990, GulfStar has completed more than 750 transactions in 38 states and 18 foreign countries.