Tenured Private Equity Professionals Launch New Firm Coastal Breeze Partners

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Coastal Breeze Partners, LLC (“Coastal Breeze Partners”), a middle market private equity firm, announced today that it has started operations. Based in Boca Raton, Florida, Coastal Breeze Partners is focused on partnering with management teams and sellers to build great middle market businesses. Coastal Breeze Partners combines deep sector expertise in industrial and business services sub sectors with a proven track record of value creation.

The firm’s founding partners, Brian Urbanek and Matthias Gundlach, have a track record of investing in more than 80 companies over the past 25 years. The team is able to effectively execute its value creation model by being thesis driven, and through the execution of organic growth initiatives, operational transformation initiatives and strategic add-on acquisitions. Coastal Breeze Partners is differentiated through a deep, sector specific sourcing network, a fast and transparent approach to due diligence, and a focus on operational transformation during the ownership period.

Gundlach stated, “We are very enthusiastic about the industrials and business services sector. There is a lot of untapped potential in the middle market with businesses that can benefit from institutional capital and an operationally focused partner.”

Further commenting was Urbanek who said, “This is an exciting time for us to launch Coastal Breeze Partners. Matthias and I have known each other for many years and together we will focus on businesses where we can truly collaborate with management teams, execute identifiable growth strategies, and build long-term value.”

The firm’s strategy is focused on making control investments into companies with over $20 million in revenue and EBITDA of $4 to $20 million, that are either family/founder owned or corporate carve-outs, in the following industry sectors:

• Essential Business Services
• Materials & Chemicals
• Specialty Industrials
• Value-Added Distribution

Coastal Breeze Partners has assembled a core team and partnered with external advisors. The firm is actively reviewing potential investment opportunities.

About Matthias Gundlach:

Matthias is co-founder of Coastal Breeze Partners and has 25 years of investing, merger & acquisition and corporate finance experience. Matthias has completed over 30 transactions for businesses across multiple jurisdictions, sectors and types. Prior to founding Coastal Breeze, Matthias served as Managing Director at OpenGate Capital, a global lower-to-middle-market private equity firm. As Head of OpenGate’s North American industrials investment team, Matthias focused on transformational value creation opportunities in chemicals, ingredients, building products, industrials and distribution. Prior to OpenGate, Matthias was a Vice President at Sun European Partners, the London based investment arm of Sun Capital Partners, a global private equity firm focused on investing in lower and middle market companies. Prior to Sun Capital, Matthias worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs in Frankfurt and at Deutsche Bank in London. As part of a dual degree Matthias received a Master of Business Administration from University of Pittsburgh, KATZ Graduate School of Business and a Master of Business Administration from EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht.

About Brian Urbanek:

Brian is co-founder of Coastal Breeze Partners and has over 25 years of investing, merger & acquisition and corporate finance experience. Brian has completed over 40 transactions for businesses across multiple industries, including business services, industrial, consumer, retail, automotive & heavy-duty, financial services, packaging, chemicals, and healthcare. Brian’s investment activities included control buyout transactions, as well as non-control recapitalization transactions. Brian also completed ongoing work with portfolio companies, including the strategic planning, operational reviews, management recruiting, financing and restructuring needs, add-on acquisitions and exit transactions. Prior to founding Costal Breeze, Brian was the co-founder and managing partner of Harbor Beach Capital, where he continues to actively manage two platform investments. Prior to founding Harbor Beach Capital, Brian served as Managing Director at Sun Capital Partners, a global private equity firm focused on investing in lower and middle market companies. Prior to Sun Capital, Brian was a Vice President in the Corporate Finance group at Stephens, Inc. Prior to that, Brian served as a Vice President with the investment banking group at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., and as Manager of Corporate Development with AutoNation, Inc. Brian received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, cum laude, with dual majors in Economics and Finance from Creighton University's Heider College of Business.

About Coastal Breeze Partners:

Coastal Breeze Partners is a middle market private equity firm based in Boca Raton, Florida. The firm focuses on partnering with management teams, private owners and corporate sellers to build great middle market businesses. Coastal Breeze Partners combines deep sector expertise in industrial and business services sub sectors with a proven track record of value creation. The firm is thesis driven and differentiated through the execution of organic growth initiatives, operational transformation initiatives and strategic add-on acquisitions. For more information, please visit www.coastalbreezepartners.com.