Denver, CO – Platte River Equity (“Platte River”), a Denver-based private equity firm that makes control investments in North American industrial companies, announced today that it has made an investment in Chemtech-Ford Laboratories (“Chemtech”). Chemtech is an environmental and analytical services provider, offering drinking water, wastewater, soil and surface water analysis and lab testing services.
Platte River’s thesis in environmental consulting, testing and services targets subsectors with recurring, compliance-driven demand and strong resilience through economic cycles. Within that framework, water testing emerged as a focus due to its important role in public health and regulatory compliance, with stable demand driven by routine testing, audits and long-term service needs.
“We are excited to welcome Chemtech to the Platte River family. Its reputation for data quality, rapid turnaround times and customer service has created a sustainable competitive advantage,” said Peter Calamari, Managing Director of Platte River.
“We identified environmental testing as a pillar of public health and regulatory stability through our environmental services thesis,” said Mike Reilly, Principal of Platte River. “Chemtech represents an excellent foundation to build a platform that delivers essential testing to a broad customer base.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Platte River,” said Rex Henderson, President of Chemtech. “The firm’s industry understanding and support will enable us to expand our footprint, invest in new capabilities and continue delivering the quality and responsiveness our customers rely on.”
“Platte River’s collaborative, long-term mindset and entrepreneurial spirit make it the perfect fit to help us build on our culture and to continue delivering the trusted testing services our clients depend on,” added Paul Ellingson, Vice President of Chemtech.
Bartlit Beck LLP served as legal counsel, and Raymond James served as financial advisor to Platte River.
