July 9, 2018. (Salisbury, North Carolina). Carolina Color Corporation (“Carolina Color”) announced today it has acquired Chroma Corporation, based in McHenry, Illinois. Chroma Corporation (“Chroma”) is a leading specialty color and additive concentrate business serving packaging, electronics, and many other markets. With this acquisition, Carolina Color continues to grow its manufacturing footprint throughout the U.S. to leverage its growing suite of colorant and additive technologies to better serve existing and prospective customers. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“We are pleased to see Chroma, with its solid reputation in the Midwest, join our incredibly strong color businesses, Carolina Color, Breen, and Hudson, which were combined last year into Carolina Color,” stated George Abd, Chair of the Board of the company. “By combining these businesses that bring great product technology and reputations in the industry, we continue to execute our strategy of building the finest colorant company serving our markets. We are especially pleased to add the Chroma facility and team in McHenry, IL to our company as a strong base from which to grow and better serve our Midwest customer base.”
“We will continue to acquire key businesses with the capabilities and resources in locations that complement our current portfolio with the singular goal of meeting the colorant needs of both large and small plastic converters,” added Howard DeMonte, President of Carolina Color.
Chroma has provided total color solutions from its corporate headquarters in McHenry, Illinois, for more than 50 years. Chroma produces custom formulated masterbatch colors, dry colors, additive concentrates, and pre-color compounds for the packaging, electronic, safety, automotive, recreational, medical, and consumer products industries.
“We are exceedingly pleased to become part of this exceptional business,” added Chroma CEO Tom Bolger. “We were not considering a sale when approached, but we quickly warmed to the idea after meeting the team, hearing the vision, and reviewing Carolina Color’s considerable progress. Additionally, I worked with several of the key executives at Carolina Color earlier in my career and know them to be very talented, high-caliber people. I could not be more excited to remain with the company and I look forward to working with the entire Carolina Color team as we move the company forward together.”
About Carolina Color Corporation
Carolina Color Corporation is composed of four leading specialty color and additive concentrate supplier brands in the plastics marketplace. The brands include: Breen, Chroma, Hudson, and Carolina Color. This combined business, with sales of greater than $150 million, currently has an extensive manufacturing footprint throughout the U.S. Carolina Color was acquired by Arsenal Capital Partners in late 2017.
About Arsenal Capital Partners
Established in 2000, Arsenal is a leading private equity firm that specializes in investments in middle-market specialty industrials and healthcare business services companies. Since inception, Arsenal has raised institutional equity investment funds of approximately $3 billion. Arsenal invests in industry sectors in which the firm has significant prior knowledge and experience and seeks companies typically in the range of $100 – $500 million of initial enterprise value. The firm works with management teams to build strategically important companies with leading market positions, high growth, and high value-add. For more information, please visit www.arsenalcapital.com