Family-owned operating company investing its own permanent capital

Harbour Group

At a glance

EBITDA range$4M to $50M S3
Deal typesPlatform, Add-on S3
SectorsIndustrial & Manufacturing, Distribution

What Harbour Group buys

Harbour Group is a family-owned operating company in St. Louis. Sam Fox started it in 1976 by buying a small fiber manufacturer, and Jeff Fox now leads it as chairman and CEO. It does not raise outside funds. It invests its own after-tax money, so no fund clock forces a sale. The firm buys product businesses that make or distribute what they sell, and it names five areas of special interest: flow control and measurement, industrial controls and automation, engineered components, specialty chemicals, and specialty building products. It wants healthy margins that come from a distinctive product or a strong position with distributors, and it counts more than 235 acquisitions since it began, over 185 of them add-ons.

To enter a new industry it looks for $4 million to $50 million of EBITDA. Add-ons can be any size and in any location if they fit one of its ten operating groups, which include Symmons, SpotSee, Cattron, Americo, DecksDirect and Groomer's Choice. For a smaller owner, joining one of those groups is the realistic way in.

Recent deals

Announced in the 24 months before October 19, 2026.

DateCompanyTypeSectorSource
Jul 2026American Packing & Gasket (APG)Houston master distributor of O-rings, gaskets and couplings joined the SHF flow components groupAdd-onDistributionSource
Jul 2026SymmonsMassachusetts maker of specification-grade plumbing products, family owned since 1939; a third-generation family member is CEOPlatformIndustrial & ManufacturingSource
Nov 2025Fusion ChemicalFounder-owned Indiana maker of metalworking fluids added to Americo Chemical ProductsAdd-onIndustrial & ManufacturingSource
Nov 2025Pagani (Dycomet)Mexico City maker of plastics granulators and recycling wash systems added to ACS GroupAdd-onIndustrial & ManufacturingSource
Aug 2025Showseason GroomingGeorgia maker of pet shampoos and coat care products added to Groomer's ChoiceAdd-onSource
Apr 2025TelatempCalifornia supplier of shipping temperature sensors, indicators and data loggers added to SpotSeeAdd-onIndustrial & ManufacturingSource
Dec 2024Senproco and Groomer's Choice Pet ProductsSouth Dakota maker and distributor of pet grooming supplies; the founder kept a meaningful ownership stakePlatformSource

Portfolio by sector

From the firm's portfolio page S4.

Companies seeking acquisitions

  • Symmons
  • Groomer's Choice Inc.
  • Americo Chemical Products
  • DecksDirect
  • Stainless Hose Fittings (SHF)
  • SpotSee
  • Cattron
  • Phillips & Temro
  • CPS Products
  • ACS Group

Greymont’s take

How Harbour Group fits a seller

Harbour Group suits the owner of a manufacturing or specialty distribution business who cares about what happens after closing. Because it uses its own capital, it can hold a company for many years, and it says it sells only when that makes business sense. Two-thirds of its team are full-time operating staff, so expect hands-on work on systems, inventory, pricing and sales teams once the deal closes. Founding families have stayed involved: the July 2026 Symmons announcement names a third-generation family member as CEO, and the founder of Senproco kept a meaningful stake in December 2024.

Most of its deals are add-ons, so an owner should ask which operating group would own the company and how much of the current team and brand would stay. If keeping a stake matters, ask how a minority holder can eventually sell, since Harbour has no fixed exit date.

Questions owners ask

Does Harbour Group have to sell my company within a set number of years?

It publishes no holding period. Harbour Group says it does not raise funds and invests its own after-tax money, which lets it sell when that makes business sense rather than on a fund schedule.

How big does a company need to be for Harbour Group?

To enter a new industry, Harbour Group looks for $4 million to $50 million of EBITDA. Add-ons for its existing operating groups have no size or geographic limit, only a need for strategic fit.

What kinds of businesses does Harbour Group buy?

Product businesses that manufacture or distribute, whether production is in-house or outsourced. Its stated interests are flow control and measurement, industrial controls and automation, engineered components, specialty chemicals and specialty building products.

Can a founder keep an ownership stake after selling to Harbour Group?

It has happened. When Harbour Group bought Senproco and Groomer's Choice Pet Products in December 2024, the founder said he kept a meaningful ownership position and a path for his children to stay involved.

Sources

  1. S1Harbour Group home page Accessed October 19, 2026
  2. S2About Harbour Group Accessed October 19, 2026
  3. S3Harbour Group: Investment Criteria Accessed October 19, 2026
  4. S4Harbour Group: Companies Actively Seeking Acquisitions Accessed October 19, 2026
  5. S5Why Harbour Group Accessed October 19, 2026
  6. S6Harbour Group: Our Capabilities Accessed October 19, 2026
  7. S7Harbour Group: News & Press Accessed October 19, 2026
  8. S8Harbour Group Acquires Symmons (July 1, 2026) Accessed October 19, 2026
  9. S9Harbour Group acquires Senproco, LLC and Groomer's Choice Pet Products, LLC (December 2024) Accessed October 19, 2026

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

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