Spheros Environmental - Recent News

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LRE WATER Acquisition of HydroGeoLogica, Inc,

11/30/2023

DENVER, COLORADO - LRE Water, a Spheros Environmental company, is excited to announce the acquisition of HydroGeoLogica, Inc. (HGL), effective November 30, 2023. HGL is a Golden, Colorado based firm that provides specialized domestic and international mining consulting services in geologic, hydrogeologic, and geochemical sciences with a focus on mine water and mine waste management. HGL has been operating since 2007 and has developed a strong and well respected presence in the global mining industry with on-the-ground project experience on six of seven continents. The combined LRE Water staff spans 14 states and offers some of the deepest domain expertise in water resources of any private firm in the Western United States.

“The acquisition of HGL is a key milestone in LRE Water’s growth plan, which includes the targeted acquisition of specialized water resource consulting firms to expand our service offerings, talent pool, geographic reach, and markets. We have collaborated with HGL staff on challenging projects, and have the utmost respect for their staff and approach to delivering effective solutions to mine water and mine waste management,” states Cortney Brand, President & CEO of LRE Water.

Both LRE Water and HGL staff members have significant geologic and hydrogeologic capabilities. HGL’s specialized mine water and mine waste management services will now be available to LRE Water clients; and LRE Water’s comprehensive suite of water rights, water information technology, groundwater modeling, and environmental characterization and permitting services will be accessible to HGL clients. HGL owners Anita Johnson and Brent Johnson, and talented and experienced staff, will continue to serve clients by leading LRE Water’s newly formed Mining Services group.

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Spheros Environmental Announces Appointment of Andra Kidd as CEO

10/31/2023

Spheros Environmental has appointed Andra Kidd as Chief Executive Officer of the environmental services company. A 27 year veteran in the environmental services industry, Andra’s unique experience in leading operations, growth, and mergers and acquisitions over the course of her career makes her particularly well suited to lead Spheros through its next stage of growth.

We are thrilled to have Andra as our new CEO of Spheros. She is the ideal person to help us capitalize on strategic opportunities, foster organic growth, and promote a culture of empowerment and employee engagement,” said Brian McCafferty, Partner at Union Park Capital. “Her passion for developing teams combined with her multifaceted experiences at top tier environmental firms makes her the perfect leader at the helm of Spheros.”

"I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity to partner with Union Park Capital and the leadership groups at the Spheros Environmental platform companies. We have exceptionally talented teams at both Sonoma Technology and LRE Water who have been helping clients unlock complex environmental problems for decades,” Andra said. “As we begin to evolve together we will continue to expand on our commitment to our people, our clients, and our natural resources”.

Prior to her role at Spheros Environmental, Andra lead operations in US and Canada as the North American Director of Operations for ERM, a 2,100 person environmental consultancy. During her time at HDR, she helped develop the international mining market sector and lead strategic water group initiatives for HDR Engineering. In her most recent role at private equity-backed environmental and engineering company Verdantas, she served as the firms first Chief Operations Officer and later, Chief Growth and Strategy Officer, growing the company from 260 to nearly 1,000 staff in just over 2 years. Spheros will be able to serve our clients in expanded geographies with additional services as we continue to build the company strategically. We are dedicated to helping our clients solve problems through scientific solutions in a perennially changing landscape.

About Spheros Environmental: Spheros Environmental, a holding company formed by Union Park Capital in 2021, is creating a family of companies that provide environmental services and analytics to private and public sector clients. The firm’s premium brands harness technical expertise and science-based application knowledge to solve customers' increasingly complex environmental needs.

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Union Park Capital Announces Investment in LRE Water

4/28/2023

Denver, CO – April 25, 2023. Union Park Capital (“Union Park”), a Boston-based private equity firm focused on lower middle-market industrial technology investments, is pleased to announce it has made a majority investment in Leonard Rice Consulting Water Engineers, Inc. (“LRE Water”). LRE Water will serve as the pillar of water expertise in Spheros Environmental Group (“Spheros”).

As an expert in water resource engineering and environmental management, LRE Water provides integrated water resource strategies, decision support services, and groundwater resource development and management solutions to a variety of end-markets in the Western U.S. Since 1970, LRE Water has solved its clients’ challenges in various water and environmental applications by applying technical skills such as master planning, modeling, financial valuation and technical litigation support for water rights. LRE Water serves as a trusted advisor to a wide range of municipalities, commercial entities, and quasi-governmental agencies for their water resource management challenges. With a focus on applied technology and long-held industry relationships, LRE Water is a leader in the water resources consulting industry.

“LRE Water Management have done a remarkable job building a business with a long-held reputation for excellence in water resources and environmental consulting,” notes Brian McCafferty, a Partner at Union Park and member of Spheros Environmental’s Board of Directors. “We’re delighted to partner with LRE Water and add the business’s deep technical knowledge, enduring industry relationships, and existing management capability to enable the next chapter of growth. We are excited to add LRE Water’s capability and passion around water resources to our Spheros group, which should be complementary to Sonoma Technology and act as a pillar around which we can add additional services and expertise in water resources,” said Brian.

“We are excited to partner with investors that share our passion for water, and value the importance of leading with science. The compounding effects of increasing demand and supply vulnerability make water development and management increasingly complex. LRE Water’s clients rely upon us to navigate these complexities, and the Union Park partnership provides the resources we need to rise to the challenge.” says Cortney Brand, President and CEO of LRE Water. “The two organizations are deeply aligned, and Union Park is committed to accelerating the growth of our business. Union Park invested in LRE Water because of our experience, employees, and leadership, believing that we have the right team to positively impact the environment on a much larger scale.”

Union Park has committed its support to LRE Water’s existing leadership team who will continue in their current roles. “The transaction is in line with the long-term strategy of LRE Water to build a national leader in water resources consulting. Through our partnership with Union Park Capital, we have secured the necessary resources and expertise to continue to expand into new geographies and service areas,” notes Cortney of LRE Water. “Our customers will continue to see the same company and people that they have always known, but we will have a greater service capacity and expanded solution set to serve their needs – which is critically important to us. We’re excited to begin the next phase together.”

About Leonard Rice Consulting Water Engineers, Inc. (d/b/a LRE Water)
LRE Water was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. LRE Water specializes in providing technical expertise in water resources with a particular focus on water rights, ground/surface water management and planning, and environmental management. For more information visit https://LREwater.com/.

About Union Park Capital
Union Park Capital is a private equity firm solely focused on lower middle-market industrial technology companies. Union Park takes a long-term perspective to help stakeholders build value over time and drives value creation through profitably growing a business, not financial engineering. Union Park Capital is based in Boston, MA, and has extensive investments and expertise in the environmental sector. For more information visit www.union-park.com.

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Union Park Capital Announces Investment in Sonoma Technology, Inc.

9/29/2021

Petaluma, CA – September 29, 2021. Union Park Capital (“Union Park”), a Boston-based private equity firm focused on lower middle-market industrial technology investments, is pleased to announce it has made a majority investment in Sonoma Technology, Inc. (“Sonoma Tech”). Sonoma Tech will serve as the core and initial asset in Union Park’s newly created holding company, Spheros Environmental Group (“Spheros”).

As an expert in air quality and atmospheric sciences, Sonoma Tech provides innovative environmental consulting, software, and monitoring services to a wide variety of end-markets. Since 1982, Sonoma Tech has solved their customers’ challenges in various applications areas by applying technical skills such as designing, installing, and operating emissions monitoring systems for industry or producing accurate air quality forecasts and models to support public health-based decisions. With a focus on innovative technology and customer satisfaction, Sonoma Tech is a leader in the environmental sciences and services market.

“Sonoma Tech Management have done a fantastic job building a business with a great reputation for delivering valuable products and services,” notes Peter McGuire, Partner and Founder at Union Park. “We’re excited to partner with Sonoma Tech and will look to build upon the business’s deep technical knowledge, strong culture of customer service, and existing management capability to embark on the next phase of growth. We are enthused to begin the journey with such a strong foundation and look forward to working with the Sonoma Tech team,” said Peter.

“The Union Park Capital team has extensive experience investing in companies that focus on the environment,” says Clinton MacDonald, President of Sonoma Tech. “The two organizations are deeply aligned, and Union Park is committed to accelerating the growth of our business. Union Park invested in Sonoma Tech because of our experience, employees, and leadership, believing that we have the right team to positively impact the environment on a much larger scale. Union Park is investing capital and resources to drive our growth initiatives forward, and the result will be a wealth of new products and services for our customers and clients.”

Union Park has committed their support to Sonoma Tech’s existing leadership team who will continue in their current roles. “The transaction is in line with the long-term strategy of Sonoma Tech to strategically and sustainably grow the business. Through our partnership with Union Park Capital, we have secured the necessary resources and expertise to expand our product and service capabilities,” notes Lyle Chinkin, CEO of Sonoma Tech. “Our customers will continue to see the same company and people that they have always known, but we will have a greater service capacity and expanded product line to serve their needs – which is critically important to us. We’re excited to begin the next phase together.”

About Sonoma Technology, Inc.
Sonoma Tech was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Petaluma, California. Sonoma Tech specializes in providing environmental solutions with a particular focus on air quality and meteorology. For more information visit http://www.sonomatech.com/.

About Union Park Capital
Union Park Capital is a private equity firm solely focused on lower middle-market industrial technology companies. Union Park takes a long-term perspective to help stakeholders build value over time and drives value creation through profitably growing a business, not financial engineering. Union Park Capital is based in Boston, MA, and has extensive investments and expertise in the environmental sector. For more information visit www.union-park.com.