Madison Street Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Star Seismic in its majority sale to Vopne Capital, a private equity firm based in San Francisco. Star Seismic is the international leader in the design, engineering and manufacture of buckling restrained braces, making seismic regions across the globe safer places to work and live. The company’s co-founders, Argan Johnson Jr. and Steve Powell, will remain as shareholders in the company and continue to lead the company in the future.

“We are pleased that we were able to assist the management team with their objective of finding a new equity partner who would be a great fit in terms of providing capital for growth and building a great future for the company. We believe we found that in Vopne Capital.”

“We are excited to partner with Argan and Steve as they continue to lead Star Seismic in the company’s next phase of growth and expansion,” stated Jim Bloom, Managing Partner at Vopne Capital, who joins Star Seismic as its Chairman.

Client Description

Star Seismic, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Park City, Utah, is the world-leading designer, engineer and manufacturer of Buckling Restrained Braces. From steel and concrete to wood structures, Star Seismic BRB systems play a key role in a wide range of award-winning construction projects throughout the world. With over 22,000 braces and 450 projects in 11 countries, the company’s BRBs deliver superior seismic performance and are a cost-effective alternative to other braced or moment frames. Star Seismic’s braces provide safety, stability, and reliability in structures located in seismic regions throughout the world.

Counterparty Description

Vopne Capital is a San Francisco-based private equity firm investing in growing, profitable, lower middle market companies. Vopne undertakes investments, recapitalizations and acquisitions of companies with strong management teams, outstanding customer service and unique products. Vopne targets a broad range of industries including: manufacturing, industrial, business services and healthcare.