Chartwell is pleased to announce Blackstone has successfully completed a minority equity investment in Salas O’Brien, a leading employee-owned engineering and technical services firm. The new investment provides shareholders of Salas (or the “Company”) with meaningful liquidity for continued growth. Additionally, Blackstone will enhance Salas’ access to resources and talent to better service clients and support the Company’s proven acquisition strategy.
Chartwell served as Blackstone’s financial advisor for the transaction, providing valuation and structure insight as well as serving as strategic counsel as Blackstone considered multiple facets of this opportunity. Through the transaction, Blackstone gains a partnership with a fast-growing company positioned to accelerate growth via strategic growth initiatives and capitalize on industry tailwinds. Blackstone is excited to take part in the next chapter of Salas O’Brien’s history.
About Blackstone
Blackstone (NYSE: BX) is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. Blackstone seeks to create positive economic impact and long-term value for investors, relying on extraordinary people and flexible capital to help strengthen the companies invested in. Blackstone has over $1 trillion in assets under management including investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, infrastructure, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis.
About Salas O’Brien
Founded in 1975, Salas O’Brien is an employee-owned engineering and technical services firm focused on advancing the human experience through the built environment. The team is engineered for impact™, helping clients achieve critical goals, advancing team members through growth and opportunity, and operating at the center of important global issues, including sustainability and decarbonization. Salas is a top firm as ranked by Engineering News-Record and Consulting-Specifying Engineer and has appeared for the past eleven years on the Inc. 5000 list of North America’s fastest-growing private companies.
About Chartwell Financial Advisory
Chartwell provides comprehensive financial advisory solutions to companies across the full spectrum of the middle market. With substantial corporate finance and capital markets expertise, the Chartwell team works with clients to deliver independent, solutions-based advisory services that are unbiased to outcome, free from conflicts, and focused on optimizing client objectives. For additional information on this transaction and Chartwell’s corporate finance capabilities, please contact Greg Fresh.
About Chartwell’s AE Industry Vertical
Primarily serving employee-owned firms and investors, Chartwell’s architecture and engineering (AE) industry vertical has counseled some of the largest and most well-known AE firms in the U.S. Providing a full complement of financial advisory services, Chartwell has advised on more than 250 AE mandates over the past three years. For more information about Chartwell’s AE practice and capabilities, please contact Joe Skorczewski.