Matrix Announces the Sale of Santmyer Companies, Inc.’s Convenience Retail and Branded Dealer Wholesale Businesses

RICHMOND, Va. and BALTIMORE, Md., Dec. 18, 2023 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Matrix Capital Markets Group, Inc. (“Matrix”), a leading, independent investment bank, announces that it has advised Santmyer Companies, Inc. (“Santmyer” or the “Company”) on the sale of its Red Rover convenience retail stores to Par Mar Oil Company and its branded dealer wholesale business to Countywide Petroleum Company (subsidiaries of Croton Holdings Co.). Santmyer is a leading privately-owned and family operated full-service distributor whose primary offerings include diesel, gasoline, propane, lubricants, diesel exhaust fluid and logistics services.

Image Caption: Matrix Capital Markets Group.

Santmyer was founded in 1952 when Myron Santmyer opened a Gulf service station in Dalton, OH, and became a Gulf distributor. In 1980, Terry Santmyer (Myron’s son) purchased the business, which at the time was comprised of just two tank wagons and four employees. Terry began building the Company into a leading full-service petroleum marketer that today employs more than 175 Ohioans. Santmyer purchased a Marathon jobbership in 1999, and in 2012, Zach Santmyer (Terry’s son) became president of the Company. Under Zach’s leadership, Santmyer expanded into propane, developed the Red Rover brand, became a Chevron-branded lubricants distributor, added the Sunoco and Exxon brands to offer customers a more comprehensive slate of fuels, and leveraged technology to modernize the Company.

In 2021, Zach engaged Matrix to perform a strategic review of the Company to assess capital allocation and the return on investment between business segments. With that analysis, the Company decided to focus on the distribution of propane, commercial fuels, and lubricants. In early 2023, Santmyer purchased the commercial fuels and propane assets of Cole Distributing and made the strategic decision to divest its convenience retail and branded wholesale businesses.

Matrix provided merger and acquisition advisory services to Santmyer, which included valuation advisory, marketing the business through a confidential, structured sale process, and negotiation of the sale. The transaction was managed by Andrew LoPresti, CPA, CFA, Vice President; Spencer Cavalier, CFA, Co-Head of Matrix’s Downstream Energy & Convenience Retail Investment Banking Group; and Kyle Tipping, CFA, Senior Associate.

Zach Santmyer, President of Santmyer, stated, “We are committed to evolving and growing our Company based on our core competencies, and we engaged Matrix years ago as an advisor in that planning and evaluation process. Based on our strategic goals, we decided to divest our convenience retail and branded dealer wholesale businesses to narrow our strategic focus on commercial fuels, propane, lubricants, automated cardlocks and car washes. This transaction puts Santmyer in a great position to pursue future growth opportunities that align with these segments going forward. The Matrix team ran a very structured process that yielded an outstanding result, and I would like to thank them for the expertise and dedication they provided throughout this transaction.”

Mr. Cavalier added, “We have had the honor of working with Santmyer’s talented management team for years. Zach and Nate have made a series of strategic decisions to grow the Company’s core distribution business. We are thankful to be their advisor.”

Christopher Pycraft and Easton Saltsman of Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston served as legal counsel for Santmyer.

About Matrix’s Downstream Energy & Convenience Retail Investment Banking Group:

Matrix’s Downstream Energy & Convenience Retail Investment Banking Group is recognized as the national leader in providing transactional advisory services to companies in the downstream energy and multi-site retail sectors including convenience retailing, petroleum marketing & distribution, propane distribution, heating oil distribution, lubricants distribution, petroleum logistics, terminals, car washes and quick service restaurants. Group members are dedicated to these sectors and draw upon complementary experiences to provide advisory services to complete sophisticated merger and acquisition transactions, debt and equity capital raises, corporate valuations, special situations and strategic planning engagements. Since 1997, our Downstream Energy & Convenience Retail Investment Banking Group has successfully completed over 300 engagements with a total transaction value of more than $15 billion.​​​​​​​

About Matrix Capital Markets Group, Inc.:

Founded in 1988, Matrix Capital Markets Group, Inc. is an independent, advisory focused, privately-held investment bank headquartered in Richmond, VA, with additional offices in Baltimore, MD and New York, NY. Matrix provides merger & acquisition and financial advisory services for privately-held, private-equity owned, not-for-profit and publicly traded companies. Matrix’s advisory services include company sales, recapitalizations, capital raises of debt & equity, corporate carve outs, special situations, management buyouts, corporate valuations and fairness opinions. Matrix serves clients in a wide range of industries, including automotive aftermarket, building products, car washes, consumer products, convenience retail, downstream energy, healthcare and industrial products.

For additional information or to contact our team members, please visit https://matrixcmg.com/.

Securities offered by MCMG Capital Advisors, Inc., an affiliate of Matrix Capital Markets Group, Inc., Member FINRA & SIPC

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News Source: Matrix Capital Markets Group Inc.