Operations-focused middle market private equity firm
Speyside Equity
- HeadquartersAnn Arbor, MI S1
- Founded2004 S2
- Websitespeysideequity.com
- Last verifiedOctober 20, 2026
At a glance
| Assets under management | $937M (as of Oct 2026) S1 |
|---|---|
| Latest fund | Speyside Equity Fund II, $300M (Oct 2025) S4 |
| Revenue range | $50M to $500M S1 |
| Check size | Up to $75M S1 |
| Deal types | Platform, Add-on S1 |
| Geography | North America S1 |
| Sectors | Industrial & Manufacturing, Distribution |
What Speyside Equity buys
Speyside is a Michigan firm, founded in 2004, that buys control of manufacturing and value-added distribution companies that have made money in the past but are not reaching their potential. It is drawn to complicated deals: divisions sold by large corporations, family businesses with no clear successor, bankruptcies and workouts, take-privates, and roll-ups of fragmented industries. Its focus areas include foundries and metal forming, specialty chemicals and minerals, plastics, building materials, food ingredients and engineered products. After closing it runs a hands-on plan it calls Fix and Build, first lifting EBITDA margins and then growing through add-ons.
Target platforms have $50 million to $500 million of revenue and are based in North America, and Speyside writes equity checks of up to $75 million, more with co-investors. It closed its $300 million Fund II in late 2025. Add-ons can be any size and anywhere in the world, so a smaller company is most likely to meet Speyside as a bolt-on for Reed Minerals, GSC Technologies or Opta Group.
Recent deals
Announced in the 24 months before October 20, 2026.
| Date | Company | Type | Sector | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | U.S. MineralsMineral abrasives producer added to Reed Minerals, widening its processing and distribution network | Add-on | Industrial & Manufacturing | Source |
| Oct 2025 | Speyside Equity Fund IIFinal close at its $300 million hard cap; the firm's third investment vehicle | Fund close | Source | |
| Jun 2025 | F&M Tool & PlasticsPlastic home storage products maker added to GSC Technologies | Add-on | Industrial & Manufacturing | Source |
| Jan 2025 | GSC TechnologiesQuebec maker of plastic storage and organization products; the second Fund II platform | Platform | Industrial & Manufacturing | Source |
Portfolio by sector
From the firm's portfolio page S3.
Building Products
- CP Distributors
- McGregor & Thompson Hardware
- Shanahan's
Chemicals / Minerals
- Opta Group
- Opta Minerals
- SKW
Foundry
- Ashland Foundry
- Sawbrook Steel Castings Company
Manufacturing / Minerals
- Reed Minerals
Manufacturing / Plastics
- GSC Technologies
Plastics
- F&M Tool & Plastics
Past investments: Avon Gear Co., Block, Craftsman Custom Metals, Dalton Corporation, Golden West Fruit Company, Magic Valley Frozen Foods, Midland Stamping & Fabricating, Motor Castings Co., Oxxynova, Pacific Steel Casting Company, Stahl Specialty Company, Sweet Ovations, Syrgis Performance Initiators, United Initiators, Western Industries EPG, Western Industries Plastic Products
Greymont’s take
How Speyside Equity fits a seller
Speyside suits owners of manufacturing or industrial distribution businesses that are profitable but have slipped behind their industry, or that come with a complication other buyers avoid: a corporate parent selling a division, a family with no successor, labor or environmental issues, or a stretched balance sheet. It takes control and says it uses low leverage so management can focus on the turnaround plan. Expect a hands-on owner. The firm runs a step-by-step improvement system built from twenty years of fixing plants, and its partners chair portfolio company boards.
An owner who wants to stay should ask what changes Speyside's plan calls for in the first year and what role current managers will keep. A smaller company that fits an existing platform, such as mineral abrasives for Reed Minerals or plastic housewares for GSC, can ask about joining as a bolt-on, since Speyside sets no size floor for those.
Questions owners ask
What size companies does Speyside buy?
For new platforms it targets $50 million to $500 million of revenue and writes equity checks of up to $75 million, more with co-investors. Bolt-on acquisitions for existing platforms can be any size.
Will Speyside buy a struggling business?
Yes, as long as the company has been profitable before. Speyside looks for underperforming businesses and is comfortable with corporate carve-outs, bankruptcies, workouts and other special situations, then works to bring margins back to industry norms.
Does Speyside invest outside the United States?
Its platforms must be headquartered in North America, and several are Canadian, such as GSC Technologies in Quebec. It will look at bolt-ons anywhere in the world, and its portfolio operates in 19 countries.
What is Speyside's most recent fund?
Speyside Equity Fund II closed at its $300 million hard cap in late 2025. Its first platforms were Reed Minerals, carved out of Enviri in 2024, and GSC Technologies in January 2025.
Sources
- S1Speyside Equity home page (target investment criteria, at a glance) Accessed October 20, 2026
- S2Speyside Equity: About Us Accessed October 20, 2026
- S3Speyside Equity: Investments Accessed October 20, 2026
- S4Speyside Equity Raised $300 Million for Oversubscribed Fund II (PR Newswire, October 28, 2025) Accessed October 20, 2026
- S5Reed Minerals Completes Strategic Acquisition of U.S. Minerals (August 4, 2026) Accessed October 20, 2026
- S6AccessSMT and CP Distributors Merge Accessed October 20, 2026
- S7Speyside Completes Carveout of Reed Minerals (September 2024) Accessed October 20, 2026
- S8Speyside Equity news releases on PR Newswire Accessed October 20, 2026
Compiled by Greymont Advisors from public sources, including the firm’s own website and press releases. Greymont is not affiliated with Speyside Equity. Figures are as reported on the dates shown and may have changed. Request a correction