Mergers and acquisitions were a big part of the K&B landscape this year. Here are some highlights in the Year in Review series, sponsored by Samsung.

By Dianne M. Pogoda

ELKAY, ZURN MERGE: Two leaders in clean and sustainable water-solution products, Elkay Manufacturing Co. and Zurn Water Solutions Corp., merged in a deal worth $1.56 billion, forming Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corp.

KALAMAZOO, URBAN BONFIRE COMBINE: Two big brands in outdoor appliances and entertaining, Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet and Urban Bonfire, united to form Pleina Group, a multi-brand holding company in the U.S. and Canada.

MATERIAL BANK BUYS ARCHITIZER: Design sampling platform service Material Bank acquired Architizer, a global digital architecture database founded in 2009 as a source for architectural and design pros. Architizer operates independently as a subsidiary of Material Bank, a SANDOW company.

HDI ACQUIRES MID-AM: Langley, B.C.-based Hardwoods Distribution Inc., a distributor of architectural-grade building and millwork products, purchased Mid-Am Building Supply, a wholesale distributor of building products in the American Midwest, for $270 million, expanding HDI’s U.S. presence.

DREXEL BUYS MCMAHON: Drexel Building Supply acquired McMahon & Co., a supplier of doors and millwork. The combined entity, based in Wisconsin, is Drexel Doors & Millwork, and employs more than 700 people. It expects to double capacity with a state-of-the-art facility slated to open in 2024.

NEOLITH GROUP ACQUIRED: Private equity platform CVC Capital Partners VIII bought Spain-based Neolith Group, a pioneer in the sintered stone industry that has been controlled by Investindustrial and its founders, the Esteve family. CVC has offices throughout Europe, Asia and the U.S., with approximately $122 billion in assets. 

WHIRLPOOL BUYS INSINKERATOR:  Whirlpool Corp. bought Emerson Electric’s InSinkErator business for $3 billion. InSinkErator dominates the food waste disposer market with a 70 percent share, and produces instant hot water dispensers for residential and commercial use. 

COMPUSOFT + 2020 BUYS AND REBRANDS: Software developer Compusoft + 2020 acquired Logicom, owner of Virtual Worlds, a K&B software provider in the U.K., and Mozaik, a software provider for the custom cabinet market, and rebranded the merged company as Cyncly, an amalgamation of “synchronization” and “simplicity.” 

MORGAN BUYS DAVE’S CABINET: John K. Morgan, CEO of Green Forest Cabinetry in Chesapeake, Va., acquired the ownership interest of Dave’s Cabinet held by David Alderman, CMKBD, who founded the cabinet manufacturing facility, retail division and granite/quartz fabricator in 1980. Morgan and Alderman are both past national presidents of NKBA.