Long-term investment partnership (permanent capital holding company)
Kanbrick
- HeadquartersCharlotte, NC S5
- Founded2020 S5
- Websitekanbrick.com
- Last verifiedNovember 3, 2026
At a glance
| EBITDA range | $5M+ S2 |
|---|---|
| Deal types | Platform, Add-on, Minority S2 |
| Sectors | Distribution, Industrial & Manufacturing, Consumer & Food |
What Kanbrick buys
Kanbrick is a long-term investment partnership started in 2020 by Tracy Britt Cool and Brian Humphrey. Both grew up in family businesses in Kansas and later worked at Berkshire Hathaway, where Cool was CEO of Pampered Chef and Humphrey was its CFO. The firm has offices in Charlotte and Nashville. It buys into family and founder companies and plans to own them indefinitely, with no fund deadline forcing a sale. Its six current companies work in industrial services, distribution, light manufacturing and consumer products, and together they passed $350 million of revenue in 2025.
Kanbrick wants durable businesses with a record of growth and profit and more than $5 million of annual earnings. It usually takes a majority stake but has also bought minority positions, as with Alchemy Analytical Group in 2025 and Depatie in 2026. It adds only one to three new companies a year. A business below its size bar is more likely to meet Kanbrick as an add-on, the way several calibration firms have joined JM Test Systems.
Recent deals
Announced in the 24 months before November 3, 2026.
| Date | Company | Type | Sector | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | AlltiteCalibration business added to JM Test Systems, widening its reach in the central US | Add-on | Source | |
| February 2026 | Depatie Fluid Power GroupGrowth partnership with the owner-led Kalamazoo, Michigan maker and distributor of hydraulic and pneumatic components, founded in 1956 | Minority | Distribution | Source |
| February 2026 | Keep SupplySpringfield, Missouri distributor of industrial refrigeration parts; its owner-CEO first met Kanbrick through the Build with Kanbrick program | Platform | Distribution | Source |
| Apr 2025 | Laboratory Testing Inc. (LTI)Third-generation family materials testing and calibration lab in Hatfield, Pennsylvania serving aerospace, defense and power markets; bought in partnership with the McVaugh and Hiller families | Platform | Source | |
| Apr 2025 | Alabama Scale & Instrument (ASI)Testing and calibration provider founded in 1972, added to JM Test Systems to grow in the Southeast | Add-on | Source | |
| Mar 2025 | BHD InstrumentationCanadian instrumentation and calibration company added to JM Test Systems, its first move into Canada | Add-on | Source | |
| Feb 2025 | Alchemy Analytical Group (AAG)Minority partnership with a maker and distributor of reference materials and consumables for spectroscopy labs in the US and UK | Minority | Industrial & Manufacturing | Source |
Portfolio by sector
From the firm's portfolio page S3.
Partnered 2022
- Marine Concepts
Partnered 2023
- JM Test Systems
Partnered 2025
- Alchemy Analytical Group
- Laboratory Testing (LTI)
Partnered 2026
- Depatie
- Keep Supply
Greymont’s take
How Kanbrick fits a seller
Kanbrick fits the owner of a profitable industrial, distribution or niche manufacturing company who wants liquidity or a succession plan but does not want a buyer that will resell in a few years. Families have stayed involved after its deals: at LTI, CEO Brandon McVaugh stayed to lead growth while other family members stepped back. Several owners, including AAG's managing director and Keep Supply's owner-CEO, got to know Kanbrick first through its free Build with Kanbrick program.
Because Kanbrick adds only a few companies a year and plans to hold them indefinitely, an owner who keeps a stake should ask how and when that stake could be sold later, what say the family keeps on the board, and how growth and add-on purchases will be paid for. An owner below $5 million of earnings should ask whether one of its companies, such as JM Test Systems, buys businesses in their field.
Questions owners ask
How big does a company need to be for Kanbrick?
Its criteria call for more than $5 million of annual earnings, a history of growth and profit, and a strong culture. Smaller companies have joined as add-ons, such as BHD Instrumentation and Alabama Scale & Instrument, which JM Test Systems bought in 2025.
Does Kanbrick always buy a majority stake?
No. It says it most often makes majority investments but shapes each deal around the owner's goals. Its February 2025 partnership with Alchemy Analytical Group was announced as a minority investment.
Will Kanbrick sell my company after a few years?
That is not its plan. Kanbrick says it has no fund clock and intends to be a long-term owner, and it contrasts itself with private equity funds that are built to exit in three to seven years.
How long does a deal with Kanbrick take?
Kanbrick says it agrees on goals, ownership, roles and valuation with the owner before a letter of intent is signed, and that moving from that point to closing usually takes 60 to 90 days.
Sources
- S1Kanbrick home page Accessed November 3, 2026
- S2Kanbrick: Partner With Us (criteria and process) Accessed November 3, 2026
- S3Kanbrick: Our Partner Companies Accessed November 3, 2026
- S4Kanbrick: News and press releases Accessed November 3, 2026
- S5Kanbrick: Our Team (founders, offices) Accessed November 3, 2026
- S6Kanbrick 2025 Annual Letter Accessed November 3, 2026
- S7Kanbrick Announces Growth Partnership with Alchemy Analytical Group (February 24, 2025) Accessed November 3, 2026
- S8Kanbrick Acquires Laboratory Testing Inc. (April 22, 2025) Accessed November 3, 2026
- S9JM Test Systems Acquires Alabama Scale & Instrument (April 2, 2025) Accessed November 3, 2026
- S10JM Test Systems Expands to Canada with Acquisition of BHD Instrumentation (March 20, 2025) Accessed November 3, 2026
Compiled by Greymont Advisors from public sources, including the firm’s own website and press releases. Greymont is not affiliated with Kanbrick. Figures are as reported on the dates shown and may have changed. Request a correction