CA-OPENGATE-CAPITAL
5.5.2021 08:02:11 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
OpenGate Capital , a global private equity firm, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of the North American and European amphoteric surfactant business from Solvay (Euronext: SOLB). As part of this transaction, the business has been renamed Verdant Specialty Solutions (“Verdant”), representing a new chapter of innovation and growth for the company. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Under the leadership of newly appointed Chief Executive Officer John Foley, Verdant will reenergize its commercial strategy and accelerate growth while continuing to focus on safety, compliance, and reliability. The company will expand its portfolio of sustainable solutions for the personal care, home and hygiene, industrial, and other markets by pursuing an accretive acquisition strategy in existing and adjacent technologies and markets. Mr. Foley is a proven executive in the specialty chemicals sector and brings more than 30 years of experience to Verdant.
OpenGate Capital’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Nikou stated, “There has been a notable increase in demand across the personal care, and home and hygiene markets particularly for natural-based products, which have accelerated over the last year in light of the ongoing pandemic. The potential for Verdant and the chemicals sector in terms of growth and innovation makes this acquisition appealing. One of the first steps in positioning Verdant for continued success was bringing in John Foley as the new leader for the business.”
John Foley, Chief Executive Officer of Verdant, stated, “OpenGate Capital’s deep operational expertise and collaborative approach will be critical as Verdant continues to create and deliver high quality, secondary surfactants and specialty chemicals that meet our customers’ evolving needs.”
Serving more than 100 customers in 30 countries, Verdant is an important supplier for some of the world’s most recognizable personal care, and home and hygiene brands. Verdant intends to further diversify its customer base by serving more small- and mid-size manufacturers in a wider range of market segments.
The company has approximately 175 employees across three main production sites in University Park, Illinois USA, Halifax, UK, Genthin, Germany, and a tolling business in Turkey. Verdant’s new headquarters will be in Houston, Texas.
About OpenGate Capital
OpenGate Capital is a global private equity firm specializing in the acquisition and operation of businesses to create new value through operational improvements, innovation, and growth. Established in 2005, OpenGate Capital is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with a European office in Paris, France. OpenGate’s professionals possess the critical skills needed to acquire, transition, operate, build, and scale successful businesses. To date, OpenGate Capital, through its legacy and fund investments, has executed more than 30 acquisitions including corporate carve-outs, management buyouts, special situations, and transactions with private sellers across North America and Europe. To learn more about OpenGate, please visit www.opengatecapital.com .
About Verdant Specialty Solutions
Verdant is a global specialty chemical company that supports human well-being through the power of science and nature. With a growing portfolio of sustainable solutions, the company is a leading provider of amphoteric surfactants for the personal care, home and hygiene, and industrial markets. Verdant’s international team of dedicated professionals are committed to quality, safety, and reliability. Verdant delivers best-in-class solutions while creating value for all stakeholders. The company’s headquarters are in Houston, Texas. Visit www.verdantspecialty.com to learn more.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210504005040/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Quaise Energy Raises $134 Million in Initial Close of Series B to Build World’s First Superhot Geothermal Power Plant7.7.2026 14:01:00 CEST | Press release
Prelude Ventures led the round, with participation from JERA Co., Inc., Japan's largest power generation company, and Idemitsu Kosan, one of Japan's largest integrated energy companies Series B equity is the first component of a diverse financing that includes project-level capital and debt Quaise's millimeter wave drilling system is approaching one kilometer of depth at its Central Texas field site Series B proceeds fund Project Obsidian in Central Oregon, the world’s first commercial superhot geothermal power plant Quaise Energy, a leading developer of utility-scale superhot geothermal energy, today announced the first close of its Series B financing, raising $134 million with additional equity and debt capital expected to close imminently. The round was led by Prelude Ventures, with strategic investments from JERA and Idemitsu, two of Japan's largest energy companies. Nearly all existing investors, including Safar Partners, participated in the round. This press release features mult
UMA Unveils Its Vision for the Next Generation of Humanoid Robots7.7.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
At Machina Summit, UMA unveils the design of its first humanoid robot and introduces Real-Time Learning, a new AI architecture that enables robots to learn new skills through demonstration rather than programming. At Machina Summit, UMA, a Physical AI company, unveiled the design of its first humanoid robot and introduced Real-Time Learning, a learning architecture that enables robots to acquire new skills through demonstration instead of manual programming. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260707215927/en/ The announcement comes as aging populations, industrial reshoring, and the energy transition place increasing pressure on labor markets across advanced economies. According to Korn Ferry, the global economy could face a shortage of 85 million workers by 2030, representing as much as $8.5 trillion in unrealized economic output. Against this backdrop, UMA is developing a new generation of intelligent robots bu
Biocytogen and Whitehawk Therapeutics Enter Global Collaboration for Bispecific Antibody ADC Development7.7.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
Biocytogen (SSE: 688796; HKEX: 02315) and Whitehawk Therapeutics, Inc. (“Whitehawk,” Nasdaq: WHWK) today announced a global collaboration to develop bispecific antibody-drug conjugates (BsADC). Biocytogen will provide access to up to five bispecific antibodies using its proprietary RenLite® platform, and Whitehawk will evaluate these in combination with its ADC linker-payload platform technologies. Whitehawk then has the option to advance any resulting BsADC candidates as part of its pipeline. Based on a common light-chain design, RenLite® supports the discovery, screening, and optimization of fully human bispecific antibodies across diverse target combinations, while reducing the risk of light-chain mispairing and providing a robust molecular foundation for subsequent BsADC development. By bringing together the complementary capabilities of Biocytogen and Whitehawk, the collaboration aims to identify BsADC candidates with differentiated targeting profiles and therapeutic potential. “W
Bregal Milestone III Closes at its Increased Hard Cap of €915 Million7.7.2026 13:00:00 CEST | Press release
Oversubscribed fundraise with global institutional backing Bregal Milestone (“Milestone” or the “Firm”), a leading European software private equity firm, today announced the final close of its third fund, Bregal Milestone III (“Fund III” or the “Fund”), at its increased hard cap of €915 million. The Fund was oversubscribed and marks a significant broadening of the Firm’s global investor base. Completed in eight months from first close and achieved against a challenging fundraising environment, the result reflects the strength of Milestone’s AI-centric approach and demonstrable track record. Jan Bruennler, Philippe Lautenberg and Cyrus Shey, Co-Founders and Managing Partners at Bregal Milestone, commented: “Bregal Milestone III reflects strong conviction in our approach to investing in mission-critical European software, AI and cybersecurity businesses and helping them scale. We are thankful for the support and confidence shown by our limited partners, both longstanding and new, and rem
HTEC and Embotech Partner to Scale Deployment of Autonomous Driving Solutions for Industrial Logistics7.7.2026 12:39:00 CEST | Press release
HTEC, a global technology and AI engineering company headquartered in Silicon Valley, and Embotech, a global leader in safety-certified Level 4 autonomous driving solutions for industrial logistics, today announced a strategic partnership to scale deployment of Embotech's autonomous driving solutions across vehicle platforms, customer programmes and industrial sites. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260707870943/en/ HTEC, a global technology and AI engineering company headquartered in Silicon Valley, and Embotech, a global leader in safety-certified Level 4 autonomous driving solutions for industrial logistics, today announced a strategic partnership to scale deployment of Embotech's autonomous driving solutions across vehicle platforms, customer programmes and industrial sites. The partnership comes as Embotech’s proven autonomous driving solutions are being adopted across a growing number of vehicle platforms
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom