Wynnchurch Capital Makes Growth Investment in Premier Franchise Management
Rosemont, IL and New York, NY – February 2, 2022 – Wynnchurch Capital, L.P. (“Wynnchurch”), a leading middle market private equity firm, announced that it has made a growth investment in Premier Franchise Management, (“Premier” or the “Company”).
Founded in 1988, Premier is the nation’s leading residential pool-build and pool-service franchisor. In the last year alone, Premier generated more than $500 million in system wide sales and added 30 build franchise locations as well as 17 service franchise locations, bringing its current number of franchise locations to 140 across 38 states. The Company utilizes world-class training, a robust lead generation system, and decades of experience to empower its franchisees to be the best in the pool industry. System wide sales have experienced year-over-year growth of approximately 35% over the past five years and Premier franchisees have built more than 80,000 pools since the Company was founded.
Paul Porter, founder and CEO of Premier, said, “We are thrilled to partner with Wynnchurch Capital. Working with Wynnchurch will only further accelerate our growth plan and increase our market penetration. They bring a wealth of experience that will better position our company to service our customers, support our franchisees, and attract new business.”
Joining the board of Premier will be Russ Gehrett, Partner, and Carl Howe, Principal, at Wynnchurch. Russ noted, “Since founding the business in 1988, Paul has done a tremendous job transforming Premier into one of the nation’s preeminent franchisors. We are excited to work with Paul and his team to continue to drive growth and further strengthen a best-in-class brand name in the pool industry. Premier’s unique value proposition and leading market position directly align with the top qualities that have driven Wynnchurch’s most successful partnerships over the past 22 years.”
Lowenstein Sandler LLP served as legal counsel while Jefferies LLC served as financial advisor to Wynnchurch.
About Premier Franchise Management:
Based in Roseville California, Premier Franchise Management (“Premier”) is the largest U.S. residential pool-build and pool-service franchisor. In the last year alone, Premier added 30 build franchise locations and 17 service franchise locations, bringing its current number of franchise locations to 140. Premier has won several industry awards; notably, Premier Pools & Spas was recently recognized as one of the nation’s top franchises in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500®. For more information, please visit: Premier Franchise Management.
About Wynnchurch Capital:
Wynnchurch Capital, L.P., headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, with offices in New York, California, and an affiliate in Canada, was founded in 1999, and is a leading middle-market private equity investment firm. Wynnchurch’s strategy is to partner with middle market companies in the United States and Canada that possess the potential for substantial growth and profit improvement. Wynnchurch Capital manages a number of private equity funds with $4.2 billion of committed capital under management and specializes in management buyouts, growth capital, recapitalizations, corporate carve-outs and restructurings. For more information, please visit: https://www.wynnchurch.com.
Wynnchurch is actively seeking investment opportunities for its $2.277 billion Fund V. In December, Wynnchurch made a strategic growth investment in Mattress Warehouse, a leading independent mattress retailer with over 300 locations. Other recent Wynnchurch investments include: Appvion, a leading provider of specialty and high performance direct thermal coatings; Owen, a leading provider of critical infrastructure equipment, aftermarket parts and services; Trimlite, a leading manufacturer and distributor of residential doors and related door products; and Northern Wholesale Supply, a leading provider of RV and marine parts and accessories.