About the Transaction
Work Tools International, Inc. (“WTI”) (whizzrollers.com) is a leading manufacturer of professional and DIY paint brushes, rollers, and accessories. WTI, which is best known by its trade name ‘Whizz Rollers’, operates multiple manufacturing facilities in both the US and overseas, and has established long-term relationships with top-tier professional distributors as well as “big box” retailers within the US and Canada including a 20-year relationship with Lowes Home Improvement.
In 2015, Paramax advised the ownership of WTI in the acquisition of Elder & Jenks (“E&J”) (elderandjenks.com), one of the oldest manufacturers of paint brushes in the US. With over 200 years of experience, E&J still offers the art of handcrafted brush products made the traditional way, with mechanical scales, wood pushers, and metal combs as well as providing a full complement of paint rollers, covers, frames and trays.
The buyer, Masco Corporation (“Masco”) (masco.com), which is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MAS), operates a family of companies and is a global leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of branded home improvement and building products. Masco brands include Behr and Kilz along with its broad product offering, operating out of 28 manufacturing facilities in North America & 10 international manufacturing facilities, with over 18,000 employees throughout the world. Masco, and its Behr and Kilz brands, is one of the largest suppliers of architectural coatings and exterior wood care products to the US and Canadian do-it-yourself channels, including product and service offerings for both professional and DIY painters. The acquisition of the WTI and E&J allows Masco to offer this industry-leading paint applicator product line of paint brushes, rollers, and accessories as a complement to its Behr and Kilz divisions.
Paramax Corporation, who served as the exclusive M&A advisor to the ownership of WTI, is a FINRA-registered investment banking firm focused on advising companies and shareholders in sell-side M&A transactions to strategic buyers at after-tax optimized prices. Paramax is headquartered in Williamsville, NY with an International reach through its partnership in Globalscope Partners Ltd., a group of international corporate finance and business advisors operating globally to support M&A transactions.
