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julian atchia

SJE’s Vice President of R&D Joins Hydraulic Institute Board

SJE is excited to announce that Julian Atchia, Vice President of R&D, was recently selected to serve as a Hydraulic Institute board member. He and two other new members will begin their three-year term at the Hydraulic Institute Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, in March of 2022. “The Hydraulic Institute has been a global authority in creating pump standards since 1917. It is a great honor to serve as a board member,” Atchia said. The Hydraulic Institute is the largest association of pump industry manufacturers in North America. It has served member companies and pump users by providing product standards and a forum for the exchange of industry information. Board members are responsible for maintaining the missions, goals and key strategies of the Institute; ensuring adequate financial, staff and volunteer resources; and providing leadership support to key committees to accomplish Institute goals.

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oec

SJE Acquires Ohio Electric Control in Ashland, Ohio

SJE Inc. is excited to announce that it has purchased Ohio Electric Control, Inc. (OEC), effective December 1, 2021. Located just down the street from SJE’s existing facility in Ashland, Ohio, OEC brings to the partnership world-leading expertise in control solutions and strong customer relationships. Through the purchase, SJE will be able to offer additional technical resources and manufacturing capabilities that will augment OEC’s current capacity and provide access to a broader product offering. “Even though SJE and OEC have been competitors for many years, we have always had mutual respect for each other,” said Dave Thomas, President and CEO of SJE. “OEC has a strong brand, providing control solutions and strong customer relationships, just like SJE.” While the acquisition provides growth opportunities for both companies, in many ways it is business as usual. Bob McMullen, Jennay Cacchio and Leslie Blankenship will remain in leadership roles for OEC.  OEC will continue to operate out of the current facility in Ashland, Ohio, and market under the OEC brand. Additionally, no reductions are planned for either the SJE or OEC Ashland, Ohio, locations. SJE currently has many open positions and is actively hiring. “We were looking for a partner that understands our industry and has the technical resources and commitment to quality to help us continue to grow and serve our customers,” said Jay Dienst, Vice President of Marketing at SJE. SJE looks to partner with companies that have talented employees, opportunities for future growth and a proven track record of strong performance that aligns with SJE’s culture and values. This is SJE’s second acquisition this year, following the purchase of L. W. Allen in Madison, Wisconsin. Ohio Electric Control, Inc. Based in Ashland, Ohio, OEC is a world leader in electric control technology. In 1978, Jack and Martha McMullen started the company from their home’s basement. Today, OEC’s dedication to quality products, timely delivery, fair prices and great customer service has continued through three generations. OEC has excelled across the controls industry, including water/wastewater applications and a diverse range of Original Equipment Manufacturers’ (OEM) Control Systems. To learn more, visit www.ohioelectriccontrol.com. SJE Inc. SJE® was founded in 1975.  Over 45 years later, SJE has grown into a leading controls technology company throughout the United States and Canada, as well as global markets.  SJE, a privately held company, is comprised of well-respected brands — CSI Controls, PRIMEX, SJE Rhombus — all known for their innovation and quality. With corporate headquarters in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, SJE has locations throughout the United States and Asia. SJE offers a wide variety of control products for residential, commercial, municipal and industrial markets, representing the most reliable integration of engineering and manufacturing capabilities in the industry.  To learn more, visit www.sjeinc.com.

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handshake

L. W. Allen LLC acquired by SJE Inc.

L. W. Allen LLC is excited to announce that it has been purchased by SJE Inc. (SJE), a leading controls technology company headquartered in Detroit Lakes, Minn. Based in Madison, Wisc., L. W. Allen and its brand Altronex have a strong tradition of supplying high quality engineered control systems to the municipal wastewater segment in the upper Midwest. Both companies’ strong commitments to customer service align to make this deal advantageous for their customers. “We are excited to join the SJE family. L. W. Allen/Altronex is looking forward to leveraging the resources of the partnership over the years to come. This evolution will definitely enhance our already strong customer service model and allow us to grow as a company to provide more offerings and even better response to customers throughout the region,” said Jim Cook, President & Pump Systems General Manager of L.W. Allen. With approximately 45 employees, L. W. Allen is a significant addition to SJE’s Engineered Products team. The purchase leverages L. W. Allen/Altronex’s control systems expertise and market share in the region to put both companies in a favorable position for growth. In addition to L. W. Allen’s headquarters in Madison, SJE has six locations in the United States and one in Suzhou, China. “When we first met the team at L. W. Allen, it just seemed to be a natural fit with SJE,” said Dave Thomas, President and CEO of SJE. “By leveraging our expertise across multiple locations, we will offer the L. W. Allen customers expanded capacity and additional resources to solve their business requirements.” L.W. Allen LLC L.W. ALLEN serves water and wastewater facilities in Wisconsin and the surrounding states with two divisions. L.W. Allen is a factory-authorized distributor for several leading brands of pumps, motors, slide gates and complete pump stations and accessories. Altronex designs, manufacturers and services state-of-the art controls systems. As a full-service integrator, Altronex can provide custom solutions including SCADA, telemetry, motor control and instrumentation needs. www.lwallen.com SJE Inc. SJE was founded in 1975. Over 45 years later, SJE has grown into a leading controls technology company throughout the United States and Canada, as well as into global markets. SJE is comprised of well-respected brands — CSI Controls, PRIMEX, SJE Rhombus — all known for their innovation and quality. With locations throughout the United States and Asia, SJE offers a wide variety of control products for residential, commercial, municipal and industrial markets. SJE represents the most reliable integration of engineering and manufacturing capabilities in the industry. www.sjeinc.com

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SJE Inc. acquired by Audax Private Equity

SJE, a leading manufacturer of control solutions for the water and wastewater industry, has sold a majority equity interest to Audax Private Equity (“Audax”). The investment from Audax comes as SJE aims for continued growth and expansion within the controls industry. Founder, Steve Johnston, started S. J. Electro Systems in 1975 after creating the original version of the Tank Alert alarm in his garage. In 1987, Steve decided he wanted to pass the company on to his employees by establishing an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”), allowing employees to share in the successes that they were helping to create. “For a highly successful employee-owned company, the timing was right for us to transition ownership to ensure the best return for our employees,” said Dave Thomas, President and CEO of SJE. “We had a tremendous opportunity to make the retirement benefit of the ESOP an immediate reality for our team. Following the investment from Audax, we will continue to operate as we have historically, and remain committed to our core values of unity, humility, agility, drive, and ownership.” Over the past 45 years, SJE has grown significantly, bringing a number of innovative products to the market. SJE currently has seven locations worldwide and nearly 500 employees. In 2020, a year of a global pandemic, SJE had a record year in both sales and profitability. “SJE is an amazing success story. From our humble beginnings, we have emerged as a leader in our industry,” continued Thomas. “Study our history, and you’ll see our success derives from a culture that has always driven growth. Now we have the financial resources to make the capital improvements and acquisitions necessary to expand on our position in the industry,” concluded Thomas. SJE will look to benefit from the strategic and financial resources Audax brings to their portfolio companies. These resources will help drive investments in the business, support growth strategy, and enable SJE to continue pursuing acquisitions. “Audax supports strong leadership teams to build companies. We focus on buying and then building market-leading companies that are poised for growth,” said Ryan Bruehlmann, Managing Director of Audax Private Equity. “We see tremendous value in SJE’s culture of teamwork, commitment to purpose and values, and strong desire to succeed.” Learn more about SJE at www.sjeinc.com. About SJE Inc. SJE was founded in 1975 by Steve Johnston. Today, over 45 years later, SJE has grown into a leading controls technology company throughout the United States and Canada, as well as into global markets. SJE is comprised of well-respected brands — CSI Controls, PRIMEX, SJE Rhombus — all known for their innovation and quality. With locations throughout the United States and Asia, SJE offers a wide variety of control products for residential, commercial, municipal and industrial markets. From control panels utilizing embedded circuit board technology, to complete control and monitoring systems designed and built to individual specifications, SJE represents the most reliable integration of engineering and manufacturing capabilities in the industry. About Audax Private Equity Audax Group is a leading alternative investment manager with offices in Boston, New York, and San Francisco. Since its founding in 1999, the firm has raised over $27 billion in capital across its Private Equity and Private Debt businesses. Audax Private Equity has invested over $6 billion in more than 135 platforms and over 950 add-on companies, and is currently investing out of its $3.5 billion, sixth private equity fund. Through its disciplined Buy & Build approach, Audax seeks to help platform companies execute add-on acquisitions that fuel revenue growth, optimize operations, and significantly increase equity value. With more than 250 employees and over 100 investment professionals, the firm is a leading capital partner for North American middle market companies. For more information, visit the Audax Private Equity website: http://www.audaxprivateequity.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

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pino alonzi

Meet Our New Regional Sales Manager for Canada!

Please join is in welcoming our newest regional sales manager, Pino Alonzi, who will now cover all of Canada! Learn more about him below. Pino AlonziRegional Sales Manager for CanadaLocated in Toronto, Ontario Pino has been in the industry for over 20 years and has built name recognition in the Ontario market specifically. He worked with wholesalers from 2009 to 2013, then at a rep agency. He has supported the SJE Rhombus brand for the last 4.5 years and worked on major projects in the Toronto area He is passionate about providing solutions to end users and resolving problems so everyone is happy with the results. He enjoys project challenges, problem solving and being in the field. When he’s not working, Pino likes sports, nature walks, exploring new places and cycling. You can contact him at pino.alonzi@sjeinc.com. Thanks!

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Mainline Sales Joins SJE Rhombus as New Manufacturer’s Rep for Nevada

Effective immediately, Mainline Sales is SJE Rhombus’ new manufacturer’s representative for the state of Nevada. Mainline Sales has nearly forty years of experience as a professional manufacturers’ representative firm covering California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii. They serve the following markets: plumbing (residential and commercial), mechanical, fire protection, industrial, irrigation and waterworks (water and sewer). They operate multiple distribution centers located strategically in Anaheim, San Diego, Sacramento, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Mainline Sales supports manufacturers through excellent field sales coverage, comprehensive regional sales management and dedicated specification, builder, contractor and project management associates. In addition to SJE Rhombus’ complete line of pump control products, Mainline Sales’ line card includes: AB&I Foundry, Anaco-Husky, Centoco, Christy’s, Crispin, World Dryer, Zoeller and others. To learn more, visit www.mlsalesinc.com/. To find your nearest SJE Rhombus rep, please use our interactive map. SJE Rhombus is a leading brand of water/wastewater controls solutions with over 45 years of expertise. SJE Rhombus is marketed by SJE, a 100% employee owned, privately held company. With corporate headquarters located in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, SJE does business globally from multiple locations across the United States and Asia. To learn more, visit www.sjeinc.com.

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