Heartwood Partners® (formerly known as Capital Partners®), based in Norwalk, CT, is pleased to announce that Heartwood Partners III, LP, a $600 million committed private equity fund, completed an investment in Patten Seed Company (“Patten Seed” or the “Company”) on September 18, 2020. Patten Seed’s multi-generation family and senior management owners retained a meaningful investment in the Company and look forward to working with Heartwood Partners through the Company’s next chapter of growth.
“Heartwood Partners is different from other private equity groups we considered: different in approach, with lower-debt and longer investment term and different in attitude, bringing additional resources and support. We feel that our partnership will allow us to supercharge the upward trajectory our business was already on,” stated Ben Copeland, Jr., CEO and second-generation owner.
Headquartered in Fort Valley, GA, with farms, retail stores, and an eCommerce platform serving Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, Patten Seed, approaching the market under the “Super-Sod” brand name, brings superior quality, service, and innovation as it produces, markets, and supplies a variety of leading turfgrass products to landscape companies and contractors as well as directly to homeowners, municipal, and institutional customers. Its product offering includes certified sod and seed, as well as other lawn products and accessories such as soil, fertilizer, automatic mowers, and more. Please visit the Super-Sod web site at www.supersod.com to learn more about this Company’s deep family roots and product offering.
“Patten Seed distinguishes itself as an industry-leading producer of high-quality turfgrass products, providing customers a unique combination of operational expertise and a sophisticated commercial offering through its stores and eCommerce platform,” commented Andrea Vandersall, Vice President at Heartwood Partners. “We are excited to build upon Patten Seed’s long history of market leadership as it continues to expand its offering to customers throughout the Southeastern U.S.”
“The talented team at Patten Seed has created a transformative retail showroom and online store experience which guide consumers through the process of selecting the right sod for their home’s unique conditions. Their in-store pick-up and flexible home delivery services are top notch in the sod market,” said James Sidwa, Managing Director at Heartwood Partners. “We look forward to supporting management’s use of advanced farming technologies to drive continuous improvement in crop yields while ensuring the highest quality products for Patten’s customers.”
“Heartwood Partners’ robust capital structure approach is perfect for Patten Seed and allowed us to move forward despite the challenging financing market created by the COVID-19 pandemic,” added John Willert, Managing Director.
Heartwood Partners is focused on partnering with family and management-owners. Our strategy is focused on providing strategic and financial guidance, human resources development, marketing and eCommerce expertise, and operational assistance to support long-term growth, including organic and acquisition-driven expansion into new products, services, and end markets. Please visit the Heartwood Partners website at (www.heartwoodpartners.com) to review our approach and investment portfolio.
Please contact the following members of the investment team at Heartwood Partners with investment or add-on opportunities:
James Sidwa
jsidwa@capitalpartners.com
Andrea Vandersall
avandersall@heartwoodpartners.com
John Willert
jwillert@capitalpartners.com
John Newman
jnewman@capitalpartners.com