Last May, One In A Row Ventures, LLC acquired AmCoat Industries — longtime provider of high-performance wall, floor and roof coatings. The newly named AmCoat Industrial, LLC will continue to manufacture its popular ultra-performance Rhino Shield and Floor Shield products.
AmCoat’s long-time CEO, Terence Andre, said he and his business partner decided to sell the 21-year-old business when his partner was ready to retire. As part of the asset acquisition, the entire management team stayed on. This provided the continuity of knowledge and customer relationships. It also provides continued deep experience with their products.
Andre said the company is setting its sights on further expanding its Rhino Shield dealer network.
“The infusion of capital has allowed us to aggressively expand our footprint by recruiting new dealers in areas we’d like to serve,” said Andre. “Our Rhino Shield dealers come to us from many different businesses — we’re searching for the brightest and the best. And when prospective dealers learn about our proven formula for success, great margins, high satisfaction from customers, and a best-in-class product, it just makes sense for them to take this next step in their business journey.
“We’re targeting entrepreneurs who want to become a part of a growing national team that’s supported with training and all the tools needed for success,” said Andre. “And many prospective dealers are looking for a high-quality product from a company with an ethical, values-driven culture — and that’s one of things that attracts them to Rhino Shield.”
The role of One in a Row Ventures
One in a Row Ventures is a private equity investment company. The company that saw an opportunity to take AmCoat’s brands Rhino Shield and Floor Shield to the next level. Led by combat-wounded veteran and entrepreneur Jason Crawford, One In A Row is investing heavily in rebranding Rhino Shield and Floor Shield. They are also eager to build a much larger customer and dealer support organization. In addition, the company is investing in new product development and new technology for its coating systems.
Crawford said when he studied the opportunity to purchase AmCoat, he discovered it met One In A Row’s criteria for companies they are looking to acquire.
“We’re wanting to find companies headquartered from Mobile to Panama City that are owner-managed and where the owner is looking for more than just a sale,” said Crawford. “These are owners who are looking for someone to take the legacy they’ve built to the next level— an organization who will take care of their employees and customers.”
One of the things that appealed to Crawford was the fact that AmCoat has been developing, modifying and improving their products over the last 20 years.
“The quality of the products and the fact that Rhino Shield has a national dealership network is very attractive,” said Crawford. “But what really sold me was the people. There’s a lot of experience within the team and a lot of room for growth. The leadership team is very focused and I’m very impressed with their values-driven approach. Many times in the past they have forgone growth to do the right thing — and that’s admirable. It’s no coincidence that one of our own foundational pillars is to create a purpose-driven company that lives by its values.”
The first steps
Crawford’s first focus is to support Rhino Shield’s existing dealer network. They‘re doing that by investing in both product development and improvement.
“Everyone knows quality drives reliability and performance,” said Crawford. “Earlier this year at our national dealer meeting, we rolled out latest product improvements. We invited our dealers from across the country to Pensacola Beach to show off our product differentiations and the testing results of our latest formulation. We have some pretty impressive results— improvements in elongation, tensile strength, permanence and adhesion.”
“The second area of laser focus is our dealers. We asked our dealers how we could improve and then really listened. That feedback led to us strengthening our dealer support organization, starting a rebranding campaign, and producing more materials for their dealerships — just for starters.”
AmCoat anticipates greatly expanding it Rhino Shield dealer distribution network. They also anticipate doubling its Floor Shield dealer distribution network in the next one to two years. For Rhino Shield, AmCoat is setting its sights on Minneapolis, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, New York City, Omaha, Buffalo, Rochester, Los Angeles, Boise, Baltimore and Richmond. You can email [email protected] if you have an interest in learning more about starting up a Rhino Shield dealership.. You can also call (850) 424-6805.
About AmCoat
AmCoat Industrial manufactures high performance coatings for walls, roofs, floors and specialty industrial applications. AmCoat is home to some of the most recognized brands in the U.S. This includes the popular Rhino Shield Ceramic Coating and Floor Shield concrete floor coating products. Through a network of independent dealers, AmCoat distributes its products nationally and internationally. The company coats thousands of homes, buildings and commercial and industrial applications. You can find AmCoat, Rhino Shield and Floor Shield on Facebook and also at www.AmCoatInd.com.
About AmCoat Products
Rhino Shield is a ceramic elastomeric wall coating. The company distributes it through a nationwide network of dealer contractors who market, sell and install it in their geographies. Rhino Shield has been installed in more than 75,000 homes and buildings across the U.S. and in several international markets. For more information, see RhinoShield.com.
Floor Shield is AmCoat’s 100 percent polyaspartic concrete floor coating. This is a newer technology that features rapid curing at a wide range of surface temperatures. It also features bubble-free surfaces, high temperature and abrasion resistance and high solids conten. This, in turn, means low to no VOCs during application. For more information, See FloorShieldCoatings.com.
Rhino Shield and Floor Shield dealerships are highly profitable and self-sustaining. Additionally, many of its Rhino Shield dealers have been with AmCoat for more than 10 years.
About One In A Row Ventures
One In A Row Ventures is a group of operators, entrepreneurs, and founders focused on both acquiring and managing a single small to medium-sized business. They dedicate themselves to preserving a company’s legacy with their employees and customers. After acquiring a company, they join the management team full time to achieve the company’s full potential. They are looking for companies that have an established, recurring customer base, consistent profitability and also an opportunity for growth. Find out more at OneInARow.com.
