MiddleGround Capital

Take-private deals are the "cheat code" for a down market and persistence is KEY. Check out Dyana Baurley's latest blog to learn how YEARS of relationship building helped us seal a deal.

There’s ONE factor that determines whether great employees stay or leave… Their manager. Our portfolio CEOs, Ron Lindsay and Tom Brockley, share tips on improving employee retention beyond pay and benefits. Bottom line: effective #leadership isn't about giving orders; it's about listening, understanding, and supporting your team's growth. When managers master the art of constructive feedback and genuine connection, we see improved retention, higher engagement, and teams that consistently outperform. Listen to our latest #podcast episode for more: https://bit.ly/3Z2zDhD #manufacturing

When we acquired The L.S. Starrett Company, we weren’t just adding an iconic brand to our portfolio or geeking out over their top-tier tools – we were tapping a well FULL of potential. Since then, it's been full steam ahead. With buy-in from the leadership team and successful onboarding of the shop floor, we've focused relentlessly on operational throughput and on-time delivery improvements. Alicia Motomura, our Director of Operations, shared thoughts on how things are progressing: “We're well on our way to improving productivity, starting with their largest NA location in Athol, MA! By implementing a Visual Shop Floor management system and regularly assessing processes, we can identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce waste.” By leveraging Starrett’s deep product knowledge and our operational expertise, we've been able to elevate processes, including cross-selling opportunities within our portfolio, operational Kaizen, supply chain, and inventory optimization. The partnership is already producing exciting results, and we’re just getting started! #manufacturing #privateequity

Bourbon, bidding wars, and cocktail chic! We had an incredible time at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bluegrass’ 2024 Gala... there might have been some bourbon involved ??. Between the live auction and honoring this year's Big of the Year, we were reminded why we love calling the Bluegrass State home??. BBBS is helping kids across Central Kentucky build brighter futures, and we’re happy to support an organization in our #community that’s changing lives, one mentorship at a time. #philanthropy

YOU!!! We have a new "tell all" podcast episode that reveals the secret to building a successful workforce and retaining great talent. (HINT: it's not just about the paycheck)!! 1. Measuring engagement with the Gallup Q12 Survey 2. Building trust and connection 3. Adapting to a tight, post-COVID, labor market If you want to build an engaged and motivated workforce, you have to focus on what REALLY matters—your people! Create an environment where employees feel valued, supported, and excited to stay and grow with a shared sense of purpose Listen to our latest #podcast to hear more: https://bit.ly/3Z3Fy6b #operations #manufacturing

You can talk numbers all day, but there’s NOTHING like learning on the shop floor. Our Director and Head of North American Business Development, Dyana Baurley, spent a week at The L.S. Starrett Company learning Lean basics and applying them. Her mission: improve warehouse picking and labor efficiency, which was accomplished, but they also found clutter (obsolete or excess inventory, old storage boxes, etc.) clogging the warehouse floor, 21 safety concerns, and quality issues. Some solutions were simple - identify clutter and remove it - freeing up ~250 sq. ft. of floor space and securing ~$25,000 annual savings from reducing footprint instantly. Others are more complex - process issues in quality, improvements are proposed but will take employee training and development of a scrap/rework plan to see improvements. The Starrett team’s passion for continuous improvement was clear—it’s part of their DNA, even for employees with 20+ years on the job. Dyana left with a new appreciation for the boots-on-the-ground effort that powers our portfolio. It’s one thing to talk margin improvements in a strategy deck, but there’s no substitute for experiencing where the real work happens. #privateequity #manufacturing

Next in our MiddleGround Made series: Steel Craft, established in 1976, is an end-to-end contract manufacturer that has become a leader in today's steel industry. Why are their services important? Steel Craft’s comprehensive offerings, from #fabrication and welding to coating and stamping, make them a flexible partner for OEM customers with an unshakable commitment to quality (proven by an ISO certification). Steel Craft is known for making good on their motto: "We make it right the first time, every time." What sets them apart? Steel Craft’s vertical integration makes it a one-stop-shop provider of highly customized solutions, from design and prototype to production. Their decades of technical knowledge and extensive in-house capabilities result in some of the most creative engineering solutions in the industry. Learn more about Steel Craft here: https://bit.ly/3NV3VfX

Courage comes in many forms, but few are as powerful as the courage of those who risk their lives for our country. Today, we #honor the men and women who’ve stood on the frontlines to protect our freedom, especially those on our team and across our portfolio. Their leadership, resilience, and dedication leave a lasting impact in the workplace, just as they did in their service to our country. This #VeteransDay, we extend our deepest gratitude to all who have served. We are forever thankful. #veterans

Our vision just got sharper with the acquisition of cutting-edge machine vision #technology leader STEMMER IMAGING! Stemmer Imaging brings advanced industrial and non-industrial artificial machine vision solutions to customers across Europe and beyond. This marks our THIRD majority investment in a public company and a significant milestone in our European expansion, bringing a team that's revolutionizing how machines see and improve the world. John Stewart, our Managing Partner, commented, “Arne Dehn and the STEMMER IMAGING team have built an impressive organization that... [meets] the needs of a broad group of customers... We believe our ability to streamline operations and improve supply chain management will enable the company to focus on evolving its technology and capabilities to meet the needs of customers looking to benefit from machine vision technology." Learn more about the partnership here: https://bit.ly/4hsZQgu #privateequity #manufacturing Alexander van der Have Robert Jonkers Marty Sjoquist Brandon Hamel Melis ?zbek Sarah V. Sebastian Greif Davud Nanic Sebastian Ruff

“Success is built on strategic vision and purposeful execution.” These principles guided our Q4 firmwide as we prepare to close out the year and look ahead to 2025. Every firmwide gathering is an opportunity to drive alignment, reinforce our values, and reflect on our collective progress. We’re focused on the path ahead, energized and united in our purpose, and ready to close 2024 with a bang. ?? ?? #privateequity #collaboration