Centerra makes good on growth strategy
By
Nick Wakeman
Centerra Group makes a deal to create a new division and expand its security platform in the federal market.
The private equity firm Alvarez & Marsal Capital Partners hasn’t wasted any time in expanding its platform in the government market.
In November, the investment company acquired G4S Government Solutions from its British parent and renamed it Centerra Group LLC. At the time of that $135 million deal, Centerra CEO Paul Donahue said that the plan was to make more investments in the federal sector.
“This transaction opens an exciting new chapter for us as a corporation and gives the company significant financial and operational flexibility to enter several new markets and invest deeper in existent ones,” he said at the time.
As March came to an end, he took the first step in making that plan a reality with the acquisition of Gregg Protection Services, which specializes in the protection of nuclear and biological assets as well as other high threat national security targets.
Gregg was founded in 1997 and provides services such as safeguards and security, training and performance solutions, staff augmentation and vulnerability assessments. Major customers include the U.S. Energy Department and several national laboratories.
The terms of the deal for Gregg are undisclosed. The company will become a new division for Centerra and will be led by David Bradley.
“This addition to the Centerra family brings a team of uniquely qualified professionals with unmatched technical skills and experience in the highly specialized arena of global non-proliferation and threat reduction support” Donahue said in a statement.
The acquisition is a signal to the market that Centerra is “prepared to move forward with an important part of its growth strategy, which is strategic acquisitions,” said Nat Fogg, Centerra’s senior vice president for mergers and acquisitions and corporate development.
Gregg joins other core competencies of Centerra including national security protection, fire and emergency services, base operations support and training and facilities maintenance. Some of its customers include the Defense, Energy, Justice, Homeland Security and State departments.
The Chertoff Capital, the investment banking subsidiary of the Chertoff Group, served as an advisor to Gregg in the transaction.