Closed Deal Announcement – Peakstone Advises Clarke Group on Sale Transaction


M&A Advisor

September, 2015. Peakstone served as exclusive financial advisor to Clarke Engineering Services and Acquire Automation (collectively, “Clarke Group”) on its sale to Red Oak Growth Partners, a growth-oriented private investment firm, and management.

Founded in 1997 in Fishers, Indiana, Clarke Group is a leading provider of mission-critical engineering, machine vision and validation solutions to blue-chip clients in the life sciences, food and beverage, consumer products, packaging, and industrial end-markets. The Company leverages its in-house expertise, deep understanding of automation systems, collaborative partnerships with leading equipment suppliers and extensive experience resulting from prior project work to develop highly customized solutions for manufacturing processes that require world-class quality control. Click here to learn more about Clarke Group.

Clarke Group’s existing management team, led by President John Duffin, will continue to lead Clarke Group and oversee the day-to-day operations of the business.

“This transaction accomplished all of my objectives, enabling the team that worked so closely with my husband to partner with an equity team that understands engineering and automation services.  I am appreciative of the efforts of The Peakstone Group to identify the ideal partners and craft a transaction that achieved the objectives of the company, management and my family, in a manner attractive to Red Oak and its co-investors,” said Jane Clarke, owner of Clarke Group.

Peakstone served as exclusive financial advisor to Clarke Group in connection with this transaction. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

For additional information about this transaction, contact:
Nick Clementi, Managing Director, 763-478-1777, nclementi@peakstone.com
Eric Dziedzic, Managing Director, 312-346-7314, eric@peakstone.com

About Peakstone

Peakstone is a leading investment bank that specializes in mergers and acquisitions advisory and capital raising for middle market clients.  Our team is comprised of senior investment banking professionals who have decades of experience and have executed hundreds of transactions totaling billions of dollars.  For additional information, visit www.peakstone.com.