Key Takeaways
- • StoneTree Investment Partners, a lower middle-market PE firm with $200 million AUM, has acquired Wilbar Group, a premium aboveground and semi-inground pool manufacturer founded in 1961 and headquartered in Hauppauge, New York.
- • Wilbar Group operates three brands—Wilbar International, Trendium Pool Products, and Crystal Water Investments—producing steel, resin, hybrid, and aluminum pool systems distributed across the United States, Canada, and international markets.
- • Kelly Grindle remains chief executive officer post-acquisition, with StoneTree partners Joel Stanwood and Chris Dupré leading the transaction, signaling continuity in operational management.
- • Capstone Partners served as financial advisor to Wilbar Group, while McGuireWoods and Stikeman Elliott provided legal counsel to StoneTree, reflecting typical lower middle-market deal structure.
- • The investment reflects StoneTree's focus on niche manufacturing and industrial companies with established market positions and multi-jurisdictional operating footprints.
Summary
StoneTree Investment Partners has completed an investment in Wilbar Group, a manufacturer of premium hard-sided aboveground and semi-inground swimming pools with over six decades of operating history. The Cohen family founded Wilbar International in 1961, and the business has expanded to include Trendium Pool Products and Crystal Water Investments under a unified corporate structure. The company manufactures multiple pool system types—steel, resin, hybrid, and aluminum variants—marketed through a dealer and distributor network serving residential and commercial customers across North America and select international markets.
Wilbar maintains dual headquarters and manufacturing operations spanning Hauppauge, New York and two facilities in Quebec, positioning the company for efficient distribution across key North American markets. The acquisition preserves operational continuity with Kelly Grindle remaining in the CEO role, a typical feature of lower middle-market private equity transactions targeting established family businesses with experienced management teams. StoneTree partners Joel Stanwood and Chris Dupré led the acquisition process, indicating board-level focus on the deal.
StoneTree Investment Partners operates as a specialized PE platform targeting lower middle-market industrial and niche manufacturing companies, currently managing approximately $200 million in assets under management. The firm's investment thesis centers on established manufacturing businesses with defensible market positions and operational improvement opportunities. The transaction involved Capstone Partners, a Boston-based middle-market investment bank, serving as financial advisor to Wilbar Group, with McGuireWoods and Stikeman Elliott handling legal counsel duties for StoneTree. This advisor composition reflects standard practice in lower middle-market transactions of this scale.
Wilbar maintains dual headquarters and manufacturing operations spanning Hauppauge, New York and two facilities in Quebec, positioning the company for efficient distribution across key North American markets. The acquisition preserves operational continuity with Kelly Grindle remaining in the CEO role, a typical feature of lower middle-market private equity transactions targeting established family businesses with experienced management teams. StoneTree partners Joel Stanwood and Chris Dupré led the acquisition process, indicating board-level focus on the deal.
StoneTree Investment Partners operates as a specialized PE platform targeting lower middle-market industrial and niche manufacturing companies, currently managing approximately $200 million in assets under management. The firm's investment thesis centers on established manufacturing businesses with defensible market positions and operational improvement opportunities. The transaction involved Capstone Partners, a Boston-based middle-market investment bank, serving as financial advisor to Wilbar Group, with McGuireWoods and Stikeman Elliott handling legal counsel duties for StoneTree. This advisor composition reflects standard practice in lower middle-market transactions of this scale.
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