LINCOLNSHIRE MANAGEMENT SELLS AMPORTS, INC.,
A LEADING PORT TERMINAL OPERATOR
Company Aggressively Pursued Growth in Acreage and Volumes
NEW YORK — April 3, 2018 — Lincolnshire Management, Inc. today announced the sale of AMPORTS, Inc., a leading North American port terminal operator, to a group of investors led by InstarAGF Asset Management, Inc. AMPORTS controls portside acreage at many of the top roll-on, roll-off ports across the United States and Mexico, including in the San Francisco Bay Area, Baltimore, Jacksonville and Altamira, Mexico. Terms of the private sale were not disclosed.
Based in Jacksonville, Florida, AMPORTS provides customers with seamless logistical and portside services in vehicle processing, including rail loading and unloading, inspection, storage, accessory installations, and customizations, repairs and regulatory homologation services. Throughout its 60-year history, the company has developed valuable processing expertise and a reputation for industry-leading quality of service resulting in strong relationships with a majority of the largest global automotive manufacturers, including Volkswagen, Land Rover/Jaguar, Toyota, GM, Mazda, Chrysler and Honda.
Lincolnshire Equity Fund IV acquired AMPORTS in 2014, and the firm worked closely with management to increase acreage in and around the company’s core locations and optimize its customer mix by leveraging AMPORTS’ strong customer relationships.
“AMPORTS serves as a vital link in the global transportation supply chain for many of the world’s largest OEMs, and we had a focused vision for helping the company leverage and expand its access to important distribution channels,” said Tom Callahan, a Managing Director and co-head of the AMPORTS deal team at Lincolnshire. “Together with Jim Davis, Steve Taylor and the outstanding management team, Lincolnshire helped AMPORTS grow processing volumes by 20 percent, increase controlled acreage by nearly 40 percent and more than double earnings. We enhanced the company’s presence in an important segment of North American infrastructure and built a formidable force in the industry going forward,” said Philip Kim, a Managing Director and the other co-head of the AMPORTS deal team.
“Lincolnshire Management has been instrumental in helping AMPORTS continue to expand its dominant position in North America, and we thank them for their strategic and operational support in building our business. We look forward to working with InstarAGF to grow our operating footprint and continue to provide excellent service to our customers,” said Mr. Taylor, President and Chief Operating Officer of AMPORTS.
UBS Investment Bank and Kirkland & Ellis LLP advised AMPORTS.
About AMPORTS, Inc.
AMPORTS is a leading North American port terminal operator focused on automotive processing and portside services. The company serves as an integral link in the global automotive supply chain, providing critical services such as pre-delivery inspection, quality assurance, accessory installation, vehicle storage, warranty and repair and body shop. AMPORTS controls portside land at leading roll-on, roll-off ports across the United States and Mexico, allowing the company to benefit from rapidly growing automotive imports and exports. For more information: www.amports.com.
About Lincolnshire Management, Inc.
Lincolnshire Management, founded in 1986, is a private equity firm focused on investing in and acquiring growing middle-market companies across an array of industries. Headquartered in New York, Lincolnshire invests in acquisitions of private companies, recapitalizations, corporate divestitures, management buyouts and growth equity for public and private companies. Lincolnshire manages over $1.7 billion of private equity funds including the most recent, $835 million Lincolnshire Equity Fund IV. For more information: www.lincolnshiremgmt.com.