APPLIED Adhesives Acquires Heigl Adhesives

MINNETONKA, Minn., [May 16, 2023] – APPLIED Adhesives, a premier custom adhesive solutions provider in North America, today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Heigl Adhesives. Based in Eden Prairie, MN, Heigl has over 30 years of adhesive and adhesive dispensing equipment experience across a broad range of industries. The acquisition strengthens APPLIED’s commitment to providing industry-leading products, technical expertise, and relentless service to its customers.

“We are excited to expand APPLIED’s offerings through the acquisition of Heigl Adhesives as we share the same dedication to providing outstanding service, innovative solutions, and the highest quality products to our customers,” said John Feriancek, President and CEO of Applied Adhesives. “We are pleased to welcome the Heigl team and its customers to APPLIED Adhesives and look forward to continuing to deliver industry-leading custom adhesive solutions.”

“I couldn’t be more excited about Heigl joining the APPLIED team. We looked hard at the core values and culture of both companies and it’s a great fit on so many levels,” said Dustin Heigl, CEO, Heigl Adhesives. “Coming together with APPLIED is going to give us even more resources to support all of our valued customers, which will always be our highest priority.”

About APPLIED Adhesives
APPLIED Adhesives, founded in 1971, is a premier custom adhesive solutions provider in North America. Our experts source the adhesives, equipment, and parts you need while providing maintenance services that help you run at optimum efficiency. APPLIED offers customized solutions with a cost-in-use approach that saves you time and money. For more information, please visit appliedadhesives.com.

About Heigl Adhesives
Heigl Adhesives is a leading supplier of industrial adhesives and dispensing equipment based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company has been in business for over 30 years and has long-standing relationships with top adhesive and equipment manufacturers. Heigl uses its decades of adhesive expertise and strong industry partnerships to help manufacturing companies of all sizes find the right adhesive solutions for their needs, keep costs low, and keep production running smoothly. For more information, please visit www.heigladhesives.com.

Source:
APPLIED Adhesives Media Contact:
David Posadas
Vice President of Marketing
dposadas@appliedproducts.com

Lindenwood Education System Acquires Dorsey College

Lindenwood University and Dorsey College Will Continue to Operate as Separate Education Institutions

Lindenwood Education System, the non-profit parent entity of Lindenwood University, has completed its acquisition of Dorsey College, a nationally accredited institution that provides career-focused education in the healthcare, skilled trades, culinary arts, emergency medical services, and beauty and wellness fields. Lindenwood Education System is now the parent organization of both Dorsey College and its existing Lindenwood University, a regionally accredited university with a 190-year history and more than 75,000 alumni.

Under Lindenwood Education System, Dorsey College and Lindenwood University will operate as separate education institutions, and Dorsey will maintain its name and career-focused programs. Lindenwood University will continue as a regionally accredited, NCAA Division I, liberal arts college offering on-campus and online education.

“This is a historic moment for both institutions which have a shared vision for providing learner-centric education,” said Dr. John Porter, president and CEO of both Lindenwood Education System and Lindenwood University. “A key part of our strategy is to expand into the ‘just-in-time’ learner space, and Dorsey’s 89-year history of providing exceptional career-focused education is a perfect fit.”

Dorsey is the oldest career college in Michigan serving more than 1,800 students across eight campuses in the state. The college offers more than 20 programs and certificates running from six to 24 months in length. It is also Michigan’s largest educator of practical nurse and emergency medical service graduates. Lindenwood University offers 70 undergraduate and 30 graduate programs to more than 7,000 students from all 50 states both on-ground at its 500-acre campus and online.

This is the first step in the plan of the Lindenwood Education System to build a network of schools with complementary educational programs that can provide life-long education leading to career advancement. Immediately following completion of the transaction, Dorsey College will hold tax-exempt status for corporate and tax purposes. In the coming months, Dorsey anticipates pursuing recognition as a non-profit institution of higher education with the U.S. Department of Education.

“This is the natural next step for Dorsey College,” said John Barnes, CEO and president of Dorsey College, who will remain in his leadership role. “We believe our career-focused curriculum and our deep commitment to developing the whole person to promote their long-term success aligns perfectly with Lindenwood’s learner-centric mission. These commitments will only grow stronger as a member of the Lindenwood family.”

The Lindenwood Education System represents an innovative and forward-looking approach to growth in the increasingly competitive higher education market which has seen historic enrollment declines in recent years. “We believe the Lindenwood Education System is the beginning of a new network of schools that will attract students by providing them with a solution for lifelong learning that will enable them to achieve their personal and professional goals,” Porter said.

• For more information about Dorsey College, visit www.dorsey.edu.
• For more information about Lindenwood University, visit www.lindenwood.edu/about.

SOURCE: https://www.lindenwood.edu/

SOURCE: https://www.mesagroup.org/

Auxo Investment Partners acquires SOS Manufacturing

SOS Manufacturing has announced that it has been acquired by Auxo Investment Partners, a Michigan based private equity firm. This transaction marks Auxo’s fourth acquisition in the space as the firm builds out its wire harness platform.

SOS Manufacturing makes specialized wire harnesses for business customers all over the world. The company was organized in 2001 and is currently headquartered and builds product in its facility in Roberts, Wisconsin.  Major sectors served include automotive, aerospace, computer, electronic, networking and security.  In addition, the Company offers engineering assistance, CAD drawings, complete box builds/product assembly and part kitting.

“We first met the Cherry Tree team a few years ago.  Their early advice was helpful in our decision not to sell then but rather continue growing and strengthening our business.  When we were ready to sell, we engaged Cherry Tree.  They led a disciplined process that created a competitive situation among multiple qualified buyers.  The Cherry Tree team provided invaluable advice during the process and was with us every step of the way through closing. Cherry Tree worked closely with our financial and legal advisors and provided the overall project management to get a successful transaction completed.  The result was a great outcome for our shareholders, employees, and customers.” — Ray Stoner and Steve Oakins, Owners

Cherry Tree’s Role:
Cherry Tree was engaged to advise SOS Manufacturing and its shareholders in identifying the best partner to help SOS achieve its next phase of growth through a sale of the business. The objectives were to maximize shareholder value and terms of a transaction, while managing an efficient closing process. Cherry Tree’s role included preparing evaluation materials, identifying and screening buyers, soliciting proposals, negotiating terms, supporting due diligence, and facilitating the closing of a transaction. It was especially important to the shareholders and management team that the process was well planned and efficiently executed, to not disrupt the core business operations, and to complete the transaction in a timely manner.

About Auxo Investment Partners:
Auxo Investment Partners is a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based private investment firm that partners with owners and management teams of companies at transition points in their history. Auxo’s flexible capital model allows for long-term, growth-oriented decision-making without artificial deadlines. The structure was specifically designed for family businesses facing a generational transition or management teams seeking a partner to fuel growth and achieve their full potential with a long-term investment approach. Auxo’s unique philosophy aligns the interests of its companies, their employees, the communities in which they are located and its investors to achieve optimal outcomes for all. For more information, please visit www.auxopartners.com.

7 Mindsets Continues Rapid Growth with Acquisition of xSEL Labs

Move strengthens company’s ability to help educators understand students’ social and emotional strengths and needs

ROSWELL, Ga., Jan. 31, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — 7 Mindsets, the leader in PreK-12 mindsets-based learning and well-being solutions, today announced the acquisition of xSEL Labs, a creator of scalable systems to assess and address the social and emotional needs of children. This acquisition further solidifies 7 Mindsets as the most comprehensive social and emotional learning solution for schools and districts across the country and strengthens the company’s offering of high-quality, multi-tiered SEL instruction and assessment supporting teaching, learning, and student success.

“Today SEL is embedded into the work of school districts more than ever before and it’s critical we continue helping district administrators provide comprehensive social and emotional learning solutions for all members of their school communities,” said Mark Belles, CEO of 7 Mindsets. “The acquisition of xSEL Labs bolsters our high-quality assessment offerings and we’re thrilled to provide educators more insight into their students’ SEL skills as well as help them identify areas for improvement and inform the development of more targeted interventions.”

xSEL Labs’ core assessments directly measure students’ social and emotional learning strengths and needs. Assessment results help educators decide what to teach to whom, and measure student learning in response to instruction. xSEL Labs also offers brief climate surveys and educator surveys.

The combination of xSEL Labs, 7 Mindsets, and the recently acquired BASE Education, a social and emotional learning and mental health platform, will enable the company to offer a flexible and highly effective range of SEL assessment and instructional resources to address children’s social and emotional strengths and needs and achieve better outcomes for all students.

“This is an exciting milestone for xSEL Labs,” said company Founder and President Clark McKown. “We believe in 7 Mindsets’ vision for bringing together Tier I instruction, Tier II and Tier III intervention, and assessment. This is a combination that is greater than the sum of the parts, and I’m excited about what we can do together. Having 7 Mindsets, BASE, and xSEL Labs under one roof, we can offer fantastic assessment and instructional resources individually or together in ways that flexibly meet the needs of our district partners.”

7 Mindsets is a portfolio company of Gauge Capital. xSEL Labs marks the company’s third acquisition since Gauge’s investment in December 2021. In addition to its acquisition of BASE Education earlier this month, the company acquired the Better Together adult SEL program in August 2022.

To learn more about 7 Mindsets, visit www.7mindsets.com.

7 Mindsets
Founded in 2009, 7 Mindsets is a comprehensive social-emotional learning and mental health solution provider for schools and districts across the country, offering high-quality, multi-tiered SEL instruction that supports teaching, learning, and student success. The company’s flexible and highly effective programs have been shown to improve student engagement, behavior, and academic success, and have been used by over 5 million students and educators in all 50 states. Find out more at www.7mindsets.com.

About xSEL Labs
xSEL Labs partners with K-12 schools and districts across the country to assess and address social and emotional learning (SEL) outcomes. xSEL Labs’ core assessment, SELweb, is a reliable and easy-to-use direct assessment of the social and emotional competencies that are reflected in the CASEL framework, state standards, and evidence-based SEL programs. For more information, please visit www.xsel-labs.com

Source: 7 Mindsets