Ridgemont Equity Partners, a middle-market buyout and growth equity investor, announced the closing of a majority equity investment in Abrasive Products & Equipment (“AP&E” or “the company”), a leading, value-added specialty distributor of surface preparation, remediation, abatement, safety, environmental, and waterjet cutting products and solutions. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

BlackArch Partners served as exclusive financial advisor to AP&E. Debt financing partners for this transaction included Madison Capital Funding, NXT Capital, TIAA-CREF and Stellus Capital Management. Alston & Bird, LLP served as legal counsel to Ridgemont..

“AP&E is a natural fit for Ridgemont’s portfolio,” said John Shimp, Partner at Ridgemont. “There is a lot of exciting activity around the petrochemical complex in the Gulf Coast and this investment is a continued evolution of Ridgemont’s broader thesis around these attractive market dynamics. Our team is able to couple our experience in industrial distribution with our extensive knowledge of the oil & gas revolution in the US.”

Abrasive Products & Equipment is headquartered in Deer Park, Texas, and operates through four brands – AP&E, BKW, SharpJet and Safety Pros – out of 14 locations throughout the Gulf Coast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The company provides abrasive material and equipment and safety, maintenance and environmental supplies for surface preparation demands of contractors across a variety of industrial markets. AP&E serves petrochemical infrastructure, offshore drilling, shipyard operators, oil & gas pipeline infrastructure, waterjet cutting solutions, and general manufacturing, healthcare, and government sector.