Hanley Wood, the parent company of Concrete Construction, has changed private-equity ownership.
New York-based MidOcean Partners has purchased the company, which specializes in business-to-business media and information services for the construction and real-estate markets, from Oaktree Capital Management of Los Angeles.
Simultaneously, MidOcean closed a deal with Meyers Research, a provider of real-time market data and advisory services to the home-building industry. The companies will be merged. The transaction creates one of the residential construction industry’s most comprehensive information and advisory services platforms.
“We are excited to bring together two of the premier players in the residential construction data industry,” said MidOcean Managing Director Barrett Gilmer. “This transformational merger creates a significantly expanded offering for customers and provides for greater benefits and growth opportunities than either company could have achieved alone.”
Meyers does not bring a media operation to the transaction. However, both companies include divisions that provide market research and data products. Hanley Wood’s Metrostudy, for instance, issues quarterly reports on new residential swimming pool construction, as well as home building. Through Metrostudy and Meyers Research’s data operation, Zonda, the combined company will offer data spanning the full homebuilding lifecycle, from land acquisition and property development and build, to new home sales and marketing. In addition, customers will benefit from shared insights through Meyers Research’s advisory business, as well as Hanley Wood’s leading business-to-business media portfolio and marketing services capabilities.
Jeff Meyers, founder and president of Meyers Research, will become CEO of the merged company. He brings more than 30 years of industry experience to the role. Prior to forming Meyers Research in 2006, he led Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, the predecessor to Metrostudy.
“Today marks a historic moment for Hanley Wood and Meyers Research,” he said. “I am thrilled that our organizations have come together as one and look forward to working with these talented teams to continue to push the boundaries of innovation in our industry. The combination of these complementary offerings will enable us to accelerate new product development and deliver the most robust capabilities and services in the industry to our customers.”
Said Gilmer of MidOcean: “We are thrilled to partner with a seasoned industry executive in Jeff Meyers, and believe that he is uniquely qualified to drive incremental insights for customers, given his leadership roles at both Metrostudy and Zonda.”
Meyers will be joined by an experienced management team from both Hanley Wood and Meyers Research. Current Hanley Wood CEO Peter Goldstone will work to help ensure a smooth and successful transition.
“My 18 years at Hanley Wood have been incredibly rewarding and exciting,” Goldstone said. “It has been an honor to work with all of the outstanding professionals that have made Hanley Wood a company that is respected by all, both within the construction and design markets, and the broader B2B information and media landscape. The past chapter has been one of growth and transformation, positioning Hanley Wood to thrive and expand in the future.”
MidOcean will be the controlling shareholder of the combined company. Meyers Research's previous majority owner, global real estate investment company Kennedy Wilson, will retain a minority ownership position. Other financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
MidOcean Partners is a premier middle market private-equity firm focused on the business services and consumer sectors. It has maintained a longtime institutional focus on the business-to-business information services space, including through its current investment in global business information company Questex and its prior investment in the media firm Penton.
"MidOcean’s industry knowledge and significant operating resource talent, including David Kieselstein, Chairman of MidOcean’s Executive Board and former CEO of Penton, will be valuable in successfully executing the company’s strategic growth plan,” the company said in a press release.