Trive Capital Announces Sale of AEVEX Aerospace

PR Newswire

SOLANA BEACH, Calif. and DALLAS, March 9, 2020

SOLANA BEACH, Calif. and DALLAS, March 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Trive Capital (“Trive”) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell AEVEX Aerospace, LLC (“AEVEX” or the “Company”) to Madison Dearborn Partners (“MDP”) and CoVant (“CoVant”). AEVEX Aerospace is a leading provider of full spectrum, airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) solutions for defense and intelligence agencies around the globe. The Company provides mission critical ISR services through three business units focused on engineering & technology, flight operations, and intelligence solutions.

Since Trive’s investment in the AEVEX platform in 2014, the Company has experienced significant growth driven by (i) organic investment in expanded capabilities, (ii) the targeted acquisition of other specialized service providers, and (iii) secular expansion in the collection and dissemination of ISR data to niche intelligence communities. In addition, AEVEX has built an exceptional management team that has, in partnership with Trive, driven improvement in operational execution, sales and marketing focus, capability expansion, systems, and technology innovation. As a result, the Company is well positioned in an expanding sector to service military and other government customers, globally.

David Stinnett, partner at Trive stated, “AEVEX is a unique business with a differentiated service offering that has established itself as a leader in critical ISR missions, globally. The Company’s strong customer relationships, highly specialized capabilities and talented management team, coupled with the organic and inorganic investments made over the last 6 years, have allowed the business to capitalize on significant market opportunities. Trive has appreciated the partnership with management and is excited to see AEVEX continue to succeed and expand under the ownership of MDP and CoVant.”

“Through our relationship with Trive, AEVEX was able to enhance its service offering across all three divisions and expand its global footprint to better serve its customers, employees, and missions,” commented Brian Raduenz, CEO of AEVEX. “We are proud of our successful partnership with Trive which has allowed us to collaboratively build a valuable service offering that leverages the strengths and capabilities of our team. Trive’s operational, financial, and government services sector expertise was critical in strategically positioning the Company for significant growth, and we look forward to continuing this momentum with our new shareholders.”

William Blair served as lead financial advisor to AEVEX, KAL Capital served as financial advisor, and Haynes and Boone provided legal counsel.

ABOUT TRIVE
Trive Capital is a Dallas, Texas based private equity firm managing over $2 billion in capital. Trive focuses on investing equity and debt in what it sees as strategically viable middle-market companies with the potential for transformational upside through operational improvement. We seek to maximize returns through a hands-on partnership that calls for identifying and implementing value creation ideas. The Trive team is comprised of seasoned investment professionals who have been involved in over 100 middle-market transactions representing in excess of $6 billion in revenue across Trive’s targeted industry sectors and situations.