Partners Group and Kohlberg & Company Acquire BluSky, a Leading US Provider of Commercial Restoration Services

DENVER & MOUNT KISCO, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, and Kohlberg & Company (“Kohlberg”), a New York-based investment firm with more than 30 years of private equity experience, have jointly acquired BluSky Restoration Contractors (“BluSky” or “the Company”), a leading US provider of restoration services for commercial, industrial, healthcare, and multifamily real estate, on behalf of their clients. Kohlberg and Partners Group acquired equal equity stakes in the transaction, with the Company’s management team also retaining a meaningful ownership stake. BluSky’s previous majority owner, Dominus Capital, retained a minority stake in the Company.

BluSky specializes in real estate damage services that stabilize emergency situations and restore businesses and property back to pre-loss condition. The Company’s restoration, remediation, environmental, and preventative planning services are essential for customers that experience water, fire, wind, environmental damages, or biological contamination at their buildings. BluSky has more than 900 employees and 40 branches across the country. BluSky’s national presence and support team, combined with a local, customer-centric delivery model, ensures consistent, reliable, and comprehensive services for both local and multi-location customers.

Both Partners Group and Kohlberg have extensive experience creating value at leading commercial and facility services businesses. Key management collaboration initiatives will include branch expansion into new markets, growing national accounts, expanding service capabilities, partnering with customers on ESG and workplace safety initiatives, and pursuing acquisitions.

Ahmed I. Wahla, Partner, Kohlberg, comments: “Led by a world-class management team, BluSky has a reputation for quality service across an array of geographies, and a well-recognized brand known for high customer and employee satisfaction. Built on recurring relationships, the Company has a proven growth platform predicated on culture and trusted local relationships. We are excited to bring our shared network, resources, transformational investment strategies, and platform building expertise into partnership with Kent Stemper, Drew Bisping, and the rest of the BluSky team.”

Kent Stemper, Chief Executive Officer, BluSky, comments: “The rapid restoration and future protection of commercial buildings in the US has never been more important as weather patterns become more unpredictable and populations in urban areas densify. At BluSky, we have worked hard to build our platform and culture across the US under Dominus Capital’s stewardship, and look forward to this next step in our growth journey. We think the operational expertise and financial resources of both Partners Group and Kohlberg will be incredibly valuable as we invest in new capabilities and expand into new markets. We are also excited to continue our relationship with Dominus who have guided us to today’s milestone and remain incredibly supportive of our continuing journey.”

Mike Sexton, Member of Management, Private Equity, Partners Group, states: “All stakeholders involved in addressing unplanned-for building damage benefit from timely and high-quality restoration services to protect human safety, mitigate future damages, preserve property value and function, and restore operations and economic activity as rapidly as possible. BluSky is well-positioned to benefit from this increasingly important transformative trend, driven by a team that shares an extraordinary bond of loyalty, teamwork, service excellence, and relentless commitment to provide customers with an exceptional experience.”

Robert W. Baird & Co. and Ropes & Gray LLP advised Kohlberg and Partners Group on the transaction.

About Partners Group

Partners Group is a leading global private markets firm. Since 1996, the firm has invested over USD 150 billion in private equity, private real estate, private debt and private infrastructure on behalf of its clients globally. Partners Group seeks to generate strong returns through capitalizing on thematic growth trends and transforming attractive businesses and assets into market leaders. The firm is a committed, responsible investor and aims to create sustainable returns with lasting, positive impact for all its stakeholders. With USD 119 billion in assets under management as of 30 June 2021, Partners Group provides an innovative range of bespoke client solutions to institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, family offices and private individuals globally. The firm employs more than 1,500 diverse professionals across 20 offices worldwide and has regional headquarters in Baar-Zug, Switzerland; Denver, USA; and Singapore. It has been listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since 2006 (symbol: PGHN). For more information, please visit www.partnersgroup.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

About Kohlberg

Kohlberg & Company, LLC (“Kohlberg”) is a leading U.S. private equity firm based in Mount Kisco, New York. Since its inception in 1987, Kohlberg has organized nine private equity funds, through which it has raised $12 billion of committed equity capital. Over its 34 year history, Kohlberg has completed 88 buyout transactions and more than 200 add-on acquisitions, with an aggregate transaction value of nearly $30 billion. For more information, please visit www.kohlberg.com.

About BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC

Denver, Colorado-based BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC is a full-service national restoration, renovation, environmental, and roofing provider for properties damaged by water, fire, wind, storms, and other disasters across the Continental US and Continental US Island Communities. For more information about BluSky Restoration Contractors, please visit www.goblusky.com.