Novae Corp., based in Markle, Indiana, acquires Midsota Manufacturing Inc. CLA’s investment banking team served as the exclusive financial advisor during the transaction.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Midsota Manufacturing Inc., a Midwest premier manufacturer of trailers and skid-steer attachments, has been acquired by Novae Corp., based in Markle, Indiana. CLA’s investment banking team served as the exclusive financial advisor to Midsota Manufacturing on the transaction.
The transaction was closed on November 2, 2020. Price and terms were not disclosed. Midsota, based in Avon, Minnesota, is a manufacturer of dump, tilt bed, low profile, deckover flatbed, and utility trailers predominantly to trailer dealers serving commercial contractors in concrete, landscaping, utilities, and other construction-related businesses. The company’s trailers are recognized for exceptional quality and innovation and have a deeply loyal customer base for their products. In addition to trailers, Midsota sells truck attachments and carries a wide line of skid-steer attachments used for grappling, snow blowing, landscaping, utility, and baling. The company was originally founded in 1971 as Sands Welding out of a garage in Albany, Minnesota. By 2005, Midsota moved into a much larger location in Avon, Minnesota. By 2014, the company expanded its footprint again by purchasing additional manufacturing and retail apace in Avon, and in 2018 the company completed an 80,000 square-foot expansion to its current manufacturing site, allowing it to make some of the highest quality trailers in the industry.
Founded in 1995, Novae Corp. is a leading North American manufacturer of utility, dump, equipment, and enclosed trailers under the Sure-Trac®, H&H®, Cam Superline®, Trailerman,® and ITI Cargo® brands. Novae Corp. operates manufacturing facilities in Indiana, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Missouri and distributes its brands through an independent network of dealers throughout North America. Novae also has a custom tool storage line of products under the GridironTM brand. In the last decade, Novae Corp. has been one of the fastest growing companies in the trailer industry and has appeared among the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America.
“Midsota has been an industry leader in terms of product innovation and advanced manufacturing technology,” according to Mark Yde, director of business development for Novae Corp. “We look forward to leveraging that advantage and translating that platform within the Novae portfolio.” Joel Bauer, co-owner of Midsota along with Tim Burg, stated, “We look forward to working with a growth-oriented leader like Novae Corp. We are confident that they will preserve the Midsota value proposition, while investing for the next level in business growth.”
Both Joel Bauer and Tim Burg will remain with Midsota as the company will use Novae’s knowledge and resources to grow the Midsota brand.
“While we had a number of parties put forth extremely compelling offers for our business, we both felt that Novae Corp. provided the best home for our dedicated employees and truly appreciated and respected the legacy of the business we have built here in Avon. Once we began speaking with Chris Storie (president of Novae Corp.) and his team, it became quickly obvious that Novae Corp. was the right fit for Midsota,” stated Tim Burg. “We are extremely happy with this result for Midsota. Novae shared our values and CLA’s investment banking team helped us navigate the process to bring forth what we felt was the best buyer for the entire business.”
Legal counsel for Midsota was provided by Ryan Gerads and Alyssa Brandvold of Lathrop GPM LLP of St. Cloud, Minnesota. Quality of Earnings advisory was provided by Craig Arends, Erin Henseler, and Joe Traxler of CLA’s Minneapolis office. Tax advisory was provided by Aaron Traut of CLA’s St. Cloud office and Michael Britten of CLA’s Minneapolis office.
Paul Novak, the managing director in CLA’s investment banking practice who led the transaction for Midsota, said that the acquisition was a great strategic move for Novae Corp. for many reasons.
“Novae Corp. is not only putting one of the most premier trailer brands in their portfolio, but putting themselves in a great strategic and geographic position to further expand west and into Canada. Add in the great combination of culture, vision, and a shared approach to how they run their businesses; the combination of these two businesses felt right the moment Novae Corp. met with Midsota.” Novak added, “We sincerely appreciated the Novae Corp. team’s ability to always work towards solutions in our negotiations. They are an exceptional group of professionals and we are excited to see how Midsota will grow with the power of Novae supporting them.”
CLA investment banking professionals provide sophisticated corporate finance advisory and investment banking services to middle-market businesses and owners. The practice’s services include mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, and other transaction-related advisory services.
Securities products, merger and acquisition services, and wealth advisory services are provided by CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth Advisors, LLC, a federally registered investment advisor and member FINRA, SIPC.
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