Highlander Partners Successfully Exits its Investment in Popular Ink
October 9, 2019 – Dallas, TX – Highlander Partners, L.P. (“Highlander”) has successfully exited its investment in Popular Ink, LLC (“Popular Ink”) through a sale of the company to PPC Flexible Packaging, LLC (“PPC”). Headquartered in McKinney, Texas, Popular Ink prints and converts multi-colored flexible packaging products including gel packs, stand-up bags, pouches and stick packs. Popular Ink primarily focuses on small, fast growing food & beverage, nutraceutical and health & beauty consumer brands, helping them meet their flexible packaging needs. The combination of Popular Ink’s specialization in working with smaller start-up companies and PPC’s pioneering status in cleanroom packaging for healthcare and medical applications, “better for you” snack organic brands, produce, pet food and bakery, brings a wealth of capabilities to meet future customer needs.
Highlander, in partnership with Popular Ink’s management team, acquired the company in January 2015, and successfully partnered with Dru Riess, the founder and CEO of Popular Ink, to build out its management team, increase and upgrade its production capabilities, and grow revenue by 91%.
John Beckert, Highlander Operating Partner and lead director of Popular Ink, commented, “We have enjoyed having the opportunity to work with Dru Riess and the Popular Ink management team, who did an excellent job dramatically growing and improving the business over the last five years and positioning the company for a successful sale to PPC, which we believe represents a strong partner to support Popular Ink’s continued growth in the future.”
Dru Riess added, “Both Popular Ink, as a company, and I, personally, have benefitted greatly from our strong relationship with the team at Highlander and the guidance they provided to our management team in successfully developing and executing our growth strategy and exploiting the exciting opportunity in the flexible packaging space over the last five years.”
Mesirow Financial served as the exclusive advisor to Highlander and Popular Ink in the transaction.
About Popular Ink, LLC
Popular Ink is a Texas-based leading provider of custom printed flexible packaging for the consumer products market throughout the United States. Product capabilities include stick packs, single serve liquid/gel packets and pouches, and single serve dry powder packets. In addition, the Popular Ink has the ability to produce stand-up bags, labels, shrink sleeves and boxes. Popular Ink functions as an extension of its clients’ organizations by offering single source solutions with complete prepress, printing, finishing along with complete inventory management and fulfillment capabilities. For more information, visit www.popular-ink.com.
About Highlander Partners, L.P.
Highlander Partners, L.P. is a Dallas-based private investment firm with over $2 billion of assets under management. The firm focuses on making investments in businesses in targeted industries in which the principals of the firm have significant operating and investing experience, including basic manufacturing, food, chemicals, building materials, consumer products, and others. Highlander Partners uses a “buy and build” investment approach, creating value by helping companies grow organically and through acquisitions. For more information, visit www.highlander-partners.com
About PPC Flexible Packaging, LLC
Based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, PPC Flexible Packaging is a leading provider converted flexible packaging for the healthcare, medical, organic snack, pet food, bakery and produce markets. The company excels in the design and manufacture of value-added printed, laminated and stand up pouch packaging for the most demanding applications. Recognized for its focus on exceptional speed to market, it excels in delivering service, quality and technology to its valued customer base. The company is privately owned by management and Morgan Stanley Capital Partners. To learn more, please visit www.ppcflex.com.
About Mesirow Financial
Mesirow Financial is an independent, employee-owned firm founded in 1937. As specialists in investment, risk management and advisory services, we are committed to helping our institutional, corporate and individual clients achieve their objectives. Our professionals are inspired by an entrepreneurial desire to develop tailored solutions that deliver measurable results. To learn more, please visit mesirowfinancial.com.