Lower middle market private equity firm

Guardian Capital Partners

At a glance

Latest fundGuardian Capital Partners Fund IV, $441M (Feb 2026) S5
EBITDA range$5M to $30M S2
Revenue range$25M to $200M S2
Check size$25M to $100M S2
Deal typesPlatform, Add-on S2
GeographyUnited States, Canada S2
SectorsEnvironmental & Waste, Industrial & Manufacturing, Construction Services, Consumer & Food

What Guardian Capital Partners buys

Guardian Capital Partners is a private equity firm in Wayne, Pennsylvania, outside Philadelphia, that has bought control of lower middle market companies since 2008. Its criteria call for roughly $25 million to $200 million of revenue, $5 million to $30 million of EBITDA and equity checks of $25 million to $100 million, in the United States and Canada. Sellers can be founders, families, other sponsors or corporate parents, and deals take the form of buyouts, management-led deals or recapitalizations. Current focus areas are industrial technology, digital infrastructure, essential outsourced services such as safety, environmental and compliance work, food and beverage, and water and wastewater.

Fund IV closed at $441 million in February 2026 and now backs five platforms, from data center power products to a Philadelphia commercial kitchen repair company. An in-house team of operators works with management after closing. Add-ons have no minimum size, so a smaller company is most likely to meet Guardian by selling to a platform such as Nwestco, ForgePoint Services or LINX.

Recent deals

Announced in the 24 months before October 27, 2026.

DateCompanyTypeSectorSource
Oct 2026Cooling SourceLivermore, California maker of heatsinks and liquid cold plates added to Heatscape, bringing owned U.S. manufacturingAdd-onIndustrial & ManufacturingSource
Sep 2026Elmer Schultz ServicesRecapitalization of a third-generation Philadelphia commercial kitchen equipment service company; the owners rolled equity and keep running itPlatformSource
Jul 2026Precision Roll SolutionsSold to American Roller Company after a 2022 investment and five add-onsExitIndustrial & ManufacturingSource
Jul 2026Pro-gard ProductsPolice vehicle partitions and prisoner transport maker added to HavisAdd-onIndustrial & ManufacturingSource
Apr 2026Nügredient SolutionsModesto, California nut-based ingredient maker; the co-founder keeps a stake and stays CEOPlatformConsumer & FoodSource
Feb 2026Guardian Capital Partners Fund IVClosed at its $441 million hard cap seven months after first closeFund closeSource
Dec 2025Illuminati LabsWireless and public safety radio engineering firm added to LINXAdd-onConstruction ServicesSource
Dec 2025IDECO-NVSouthern Nevada fuel system and storage tank testing and compliance firm added to NwestcoAdd-onSource
Nov 2025Raptor Power SystemsMajority recapitalization of a Champaign, Illinois maker of data center power distribution products, alongside EA Advisors and the founding familyPlatformIndustrial & ManufacturingSource
Nov 2025HeatscapeMorgan Hill, California thermal management company; the founders keep leading itPlatformIndustrial & ManufacturingSource
Aug 2025Petro WestRetail fueling equipment and service company in the intermountain region added to NwestcoAdd-onSource
May 2025Building Infrastructure GroupVirginia structured cabling, audio-visual and security installer added to LINX; its owners stay onAdd-onConstruction ServicesSource
Mar 2025Gettler-RyanNorthern California petroleum services provider added to NwestcoAdd-onSource
Dec 2024Team LINXDenver installer and maintainer of network, wireless and security systems for data centers, bought with its management teamPlatformConstruction ServicesSource
Dec 2024HavisSingle-asset continuation fund led by Kline Hill Partners and Barings to keep owning Havis and fund add-onsInvestmentIndustrial & ManufacturingSource
Dec 2024ARC InternationalCharlotte engraving specialist for corrugated packaging added to Precision Roll SolutionsAdd-onIndustrial & ManufacturingSource

Portfolio by sector

From the firm's portfolio page S3.

Construction Services

  • Team LINX
  • ForgePoint Services

Consumer & Food

  • Nügredient Solutions
  • Newair
  • Upper Echelon Products
  • Flat River Group

Environmental & Waste

  • Nwestco

Industrial & Manufacturing

  • Voltz Power Systems
  • Heatscape
  • Havis

Other

  • Elmer Schultz Services

Past investments: Precision Roll Solutions, Western Protective Solutions, CrewBoss, Tactical Medical Solutions, Direct Line, Carson Dellosa Education, Cosmic Pet, Engineered Network Systems, CIS Global, Leg Apparel & Accessories Group, Airhead, Rio Brands, R&D Altanova, PPI-Time Zero, Sure Fit, Corporate Call Center

Greymont’s take

How Guardian Capital Partners fits a seller

Guardian suits owners of founder-led or family companies who want a hands-on partner and plan to stay involved. In its recent platform deals the sellers kept real ownership: the Elmer Schultz owners rolled meaningful equity and kept running the business in September 2026, and the Nügredient co-founder kept a meaningful stake and his CEO role in April 2026. Smaller fuel system, environmental compliance, door and dock, or data center installation companies may fit better as an add-on to Nwestco, ForgePoint or LINX.

Guardian grows each platform through add-ons, and its three latest exits went to industry buyers: Direct Line Global to CBRE and Carson Dellosa to IXL Learning in 2024, then Precision Roll Solutions to American Roller Company in July 2026. An owner who rolls equity should ask how long Guardian expects to hold and what its operating team plans to change in the first year.

Questions owners ask

What size company does Guardian Capital Partners look for?

Its criteria call for revenue of about $25 million to $200 million, EBITDA of about $5 million to $30 million and equity checks of $25 million to $100 million. Add-on acquisitions for its existing platforms have no minimum size.

Does Guardian buy environmental or compliance service companies?

Yes, mainly through Nwestco, its fuel and car wash equipment service platform. Nwestco bought Palmetto Environmental Group in 2023 and Able Clean-Up Technologies in 2024, which do site remediation and storage tank compliance, and added fuel system testing firm IDECO-NV in December 2025.

Do owners keep a stake after Guardian invests?

Often. In the September 2026 Elmer Schultz recapitalization the two owners rolled meaningful equity and kept leading the company, and Nügredient's co-founder kept a meaningful ownership stake and stayed CEO after the April 2026 deal.

How much capital does Guardian have to invest?

Guardian Capital Partners Fund IV closed in February 2026 at its $441 million hard cap, seven months after its first close. Backers include longtime investors plus university endowments, foundations and family offices.

Sources

  1. S1Guardian Capital Partners home page Accessed October 27, 2026
  2. S2Guardian Capital Partners: Investment Criteria and Guardian Priority Sectors Accessed October 27, 2026
  3. S3Guardian Capital Partners: Portfolio Accessed October 27, 2026
  4. S4Guardian Capital Partners: News Accessed October 27, 2026
  5. S5Guardian Capital Partners Secures $441 Million for Oversubscribed Fund IV in Seven Months (February 18, 2026) Accessed October 27, 2026
  6. S6Guardian Capital Partners Announces Recapitalization of Elmer Schultz Services (September 23, 2026) Accessed October 27, 2026
  7. S7North American Door & Dock Evolves into ForgePoint Services (September 16, 2025) Accessed October 27, 2026
  8. S8Guardian Capital Partners Completes Acquisition of Nügredient (April 1, 2026) Accessed October 27, 2026
  9. S9Nwestco Acquires Palmetto Environmental Group (October 17, 2023) Accessed October 27, 2026
  10. S10Nwestco Acquires Able Clean-Up Technologies (February 1, 2024) Accessed October 27, 2026
  11. S11Guardian Capital Partners Fortifies Nwestco's Intermountain Footprint with Acquisition of IDECO-NV (December 9, 2025) Accessed October 27, 2026
  12. S12Guardian Capital Partners Exits Precision Roll Solutions to American Roller Company (July 16, 2026) Accessed October 27, 2026
  13. S13Heatscape Acquires Cooling Source (October 14, 2026) Accessed October 27, 2026
  14. S14Guardian Capital Partners portfolio: Voltz Accessed October 27, 2026
  15. S15Guardian Capital Partners portfolio: Nwestco Accessed October 27, 2026

Compiled by Greymont Advisors from public sources, including the firm’s own website and press releases. Greymont is not affiliated with Guardian Capital Partners. Figures are as reported on the dates shown and may have changed. Request a correction

For business owners

Thinking about selling? Talk to Greymont.

We work for the buyers, so owners never pay us a fee or a share of proceeds. Find out how ready your business is in four minutes, or start a confidential conversation.

Take the Readiness Scorecard Start a Conversation