CLEVELAND, OH (March 2, 2017) – Blue Point Capital Partners announced today the acquisition of Top of the World, LLC, the leading supplier of collegiate headwear in the United States, and its merger with the Blue Point III platform investment, J. America, Inc. This represents the first transaction for the J. America platform since Blue Point acquired the investment in March 2016.
J. America and Top of the World will operate as business units under the newly formed parent company, Vetta, LLC. “By bringing together these two growing and profitable companies, we are creating a powerhouse in the apparel and headwear industry that will be able to better serve our customers and partners,” said Jeff Robich, a Principal at Blue Point.
Chip Chaikin, a Partner with Blue Point, said, “Top of the World is a highly strategic fit with J. America; the Company has an extremely talented management team and the strongest collegiate headwear program in the industry.”
Top of the World, headquartered in Norman, OK, designs, sources, warehouses and distributes fitted and adjustable caps, knit headwear, visors and other accessories that are embellished with licensed collegiate logos to every major tier of retail distribution across the United States. Top of the World’s business is diversified across 500+ licenses and is the clear industry leader in single-source collegiate headwear licenses, complementing J. America’s leadership in single-source collegiate licenses.
“Blue Point recognized the similar goals of Top of the World and J. America, which is to provide attractive, affordable, high-quality and comfortable products to our customers,” said Scott Shuler, President of Top of the World. “The combined company will clearly benefit from access to the Asian capabilities, e-commerce expertise and operating resources of Blue Point.”
Jeff Fenech, Co-founder of J. America, added, “This merger is really attractive given the synergistic fit of the two companies. We are excited for the continued growth in our headwear segment powered by Top of the World’s strong reputation with both licensees and retail customers.”
Vetta, LLC is the parent company of J. America and Top of the World. J. America, headquartered in Webberville, MI, with additional offices in North Carolina, Ohio and Hong Kong, is a leading designer and distributor of licensed and blank apparel and headwear products, including several collegiate brands; J. America is the exclusive non-sideline supplier of licensed apparel and headwear to The Ohio State University. The Company offers over 30,000 SKUs consisting of a wide range of styles, colors, and sizes across 1,500 styles. J. America’s products are designed in-house and sold through various channels, including department stores, college bookstores, farm and fleet stores, outdoor equipment dealers, specialty stores and large wholesale distributors.
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Blue Point Capital Partners is a private equity firm managing over $825 million in committed capital. With offices in Cleveland, Charlotte, Seattle and Shanghai, Blue Point’s geographical footprint allows it to establish relationships with local and regional entrepreneurs and advisors, while providing the resources of an international firm. The Blue Point group has a 26-year track record of partnering with companies in the lower middle market to facilitate growth and transformative change. It is one of only a few middle market private equity firms with a presence in both the United States and China, which provides a distinct advantage for its portfolio companies. Blue Point typically invests in manufacturing, distribution and service businesses generating between $20 million and $300 million in revenue.
For more information, contact:
BLUE POINT CAPITAL PARTNERS
Partner
Blue Point Capital Partners, LLC
127 Public Square, Suite 5100
Cleveland, OH 44114
(216) 535-4706
VETTA
Jeff Fenech, Scott Shuler, Pete Ruhala
Vetta, LLC
1200 Mason Court
Webberville, MI 48892
Jeff Fenech: (517) 521-1105
Scott Shuler: (800) 896-8978; Ext. 313
Pete Ruhala: (517) 521-2525