Key Takeaways
- • IMB Partners, a Bethesda-based private equity firm, completed the acquisition of Strategic Land Services (SLS), a Georgia-based heavy civil contractor, in late May 2026, with Lamar Warren of IMB Partners leading the transaction.
- • Strategic Land Services provides critical site-preparation and civil groundwork services for electric utility infrastructure, including land development, grading, erosion control, stormwater management, right-of-way clearing, and pad construction for substations and transmission lines.
- • SLS, founded in 1998 and headquartered in Oakwood, Georgia, has operated as a regional contractor serving Georgia electric utilities for over two decades, with Randall Humphrey continuing as president post-acquisition.
- • IMB Partners plans to leverage the acquisition as a foundation for a regional site-preparation platform, drawing on portfolio experience with utility services businesses including LaFata Contract Services, Carr & Duff, and Farwest Corrosion Control.
- • IMB Partners targets utility, infrastructure, information technology, cybersecurity, and food companies with annual revenues between $10 million and $250 million, positioning SLS within its core investment thesis around essential infrastructure services.
Summary
IMB Partners, a private equity firm headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, has acquired Strategic Land Services (SLS), a Georgia-based heavy civil contractor specializing in utility infrastructure site preparation. The transaction closed in late May 2026, with Lamar Warren, a director at IMB Partners, overseeing the deal execution.
Strategic Land Services operates as a specialized contractor focused on the civil groundwork essential to utility infrastructure development and expansion. The company's core service offerings include land development, grading, erosion control, stormwater management, right-of-way clearing, and access-road and pad construction—all critical prerequisites for building and expanding electric substations and transmission lines. Founded in 1998 and based in Oakwood, Georgia, SLS has built a two-decade track record serving Georgia electric utilities, establishing itself as a regional operator with deep expertise in the utility services sector.
Under IMB Partners' ownership, Randall Humphrey will continue leading SLS as president. IMB Partners intends to use the acquisition as a cornerstone for constructing a regional site-preparation platform by leveraging its existing portfolio of utility and infrastructure service businesses. The firm's current utility services holdings include LaFata Contract Services, Carr & Duff, and Farwest Corrosion Control, providing operational synergy opportunities and a template for platform expansion.
IMB Partners focuses its investment strategy on utility, infrastructure, information technology, cybersecurity, and food companies with annual revenues ranging from $10 million to $250 million. This acquisition aligns with the firm's infrastructure-focused investment thesis and positions SLS within a growing portfolio designed to capture consolidation opportunities in fragmented, essential service verticals.
Strategic Land Services operates as a specialized contractor focused on the civil groundwork essential to utility infrastructure development and expansion. The company's core service offerings include land development, grading, erosion control, stormwater management, right-of-way clearing, and access-road and pad construction—all critical prerequisites for building and expanding electric substations and transmission lines. Founded in 1998 and based in Oakwood, Georgia, SLS has built a two-decade track record serving Georgia electric utilities, establishing itself as a regional operator with deep expertise in the utility services sector.
Under IMB Partners' ownership, Randall Humphrey will continue leading SLS as president. IMB Partners intends to use the acquisition as a cornerstone for constructing a regional site-preparation platform by leveraging its existing portfolio of utility and infrastructure service businesses. The firm's current utility services holdings include LaFata Contract Services, Carr & Duff, and Farwest Corrosion Control, providing operational synergy opportunities and a template for platform expansion.
IMB Partners focuses its investment strategy on utility, infrastructure, information technology, cybersecurity, and food companies with annual revenues ranging from $10 million to $250 million. This acquisition aligns with the firm's infrastructure-focused investment thesis and positions SLS within a growing portfolio designed to capture consolidation opportunities in fragmented, essential service verticals.
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