TSG Consumer Partners has completed the purchase of Rough Country from Gridiron Capital LLC (“Gridiron”),an investment firm focused on partnering with founders, entrepreneurs and management teams. Gridiron Capital and Rough Country management will remain significant investors in the business, and the company will continue to be led by the current management team.
Headquartered in Dyersburg, TN, Rough Country is a provider of branded aftermarket performance-enhancing products and accessories to the truck, Jeep and SUV enthusiast market.
“We have experienced great success through our partnership with Gridiron, which has been defined for the last four years by a shared vision and culture,” said Ken Dunn, chief executive officer of Rough Country. “We look forward to building on that partnership, while also leveraging TSG’s complementary expertise to expand our brand reach, digital presence and new product innovation as we help fulfill our consumers’ passion for off-road and outdoor lifestyles.”
“It has been an honor to work with Ken, Patrick and the entire team at Rough Country to drive significant organic growth across the business, launch innovative new product categories and deepen the loyalty of the Company’s enthusiast consumer base across its target markets,” said Kevin Jackson, managing partner at Gridiron Capital. “Rough Country’s impressive results and exciting future plans have fueled our conviction and excitement to further support the Company’s growth alongside TSG and the management team, and we expect to see Rough Country continue to grow and achieve even greater success.”
“Our partnership with Gridiron has been an important inflection point in the growth of Rough Country,” said Rough Country CFO, Patrick Just. “We are thrilled with Gridiron’s continued conviction to support management and invest in the business going forward as we build upon our iconic brand and bring value to our loyal customer base.”
Ropes & Gray LLP acted as legal advisor and Jefferies LLC acted as financial advisor to TSG. Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP acted as legal advisor and Robert W. Baird & Co. acted as financial advisor to Gridiron Capital.