SJE Inc. is excited to announce that it has purchased Horlick Company, effective March 31, 2022. Horlick ownership recognized that, in order to grow the company and meet customer demand, they needed to find a business partner with additional specialized functional skills and financial resources to invest in the business. SJE is excited to be that partner and to work with Horlick in a mutually beneficial relationship. “We are excited to welcome the Horlick team to the SJE family.  They have built a tremendous business, and we look forward to combining our resources to accelerate growth plans for both organizations,” said Dave Thomas, president and CEO of SJE. Over the past twenty years, Horlick has established itself as a leading manufacturer of custom control panels and motor-generator sets.  Horlick’s commitment to quality and excellent customer relationships will help SJE grow their presence in Massachusetts and the surrounding area. In return, SJE offers additional technical resources and manufacturing capabilities that will augment Horlick’s current capacity and provide access to a broader product offering. While the acquisition provides growth opportunities for both companies, in many ways it is business as usual. Horlick will continue to operate out of the current facility in Randolph, Massachusetts, marketing under the Horlick brand. Shawn Hennessey, who has managed the day-to-day business for the past 27 years, will continue as Director of Operations. “We selected SJE due to their similar culture of taking care of their customers, expanded technical resources and their commitment in growing Horlick,” said Hennessey. 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. In 2021, SJE acquired two companies: L. W. Allen, based in Wisconsin, and Ohio Electric Control, based in Ohio. Business Capital Exchange, Robinson & Cole LLP, and Naffah & Company advised Horlick during this transaction. Horlick Company Founder William Horlick started the company in 1936, and was mainly involved in the buying, selling and refurbishment of surplus military equipment, including motors, generators, transformers and switchgear. Today, Horlick Company has transformed into a complete system integrator capable of supplying a range of equipment, from a simple relay-based duplex pumping station to a complex motor control center with custom PLC-based process and SCADA interface. To learn more, visit www.horlick.com.

We’re excited to welcome Jim Felker to SJE as our newest Regional Sales Manager! Jim will be working out of his home in Oxford, Michigan, covering our northeast territory for SJE Rhombus and CSI Controls. Jim Felker has been in the water and wastewater industry for over 20 years. He started his career in outside sales selling water well supplies to contractors. Part of that job was helping contractors’ size and design pump systems to fit their application. He worked for five years at a distributor and manufacturer in the automotive automation business, where his experience helped him understand the electrical operation of a control panel. Most recently, he worked in Outside Sales at Sales Service Plus, a manufacturers rep that represents SJE Rhombus. Working for a manufacturers’ rep for the past seven years has taught him about managing a sales territory. His favorite part of the business is his customers, who he describes as “hardworking, down-to-earth people. Some of the customers I’ve met over the years have become personal friends.” He’s also helped engineer and design pump and controls systems for irrigation. He has attended multiple pump manufacturers training seminars for residential, commercial and engineered systems. He has experience conducting trainings, so he is very comfortable with public speaking and presenting. But ultimately Jim enjoys connecting with customers one-on-one the most. “One of the things I enjoy most is talking to a contractor about a job they may have and discovering a solution that we may have with one of our products,” Jim said. “I think I’m good at what I do because I try to bring a genuine excitement and belief in the products that I’m talking about.” Outside work, Jim and his family enjoy spending time outdoors, camping, hunting and fishing. He and his wife, Lori, have 2 children: Ben (12) and Emily (10). Contact him at jim.felker@sjeinc.com.

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.

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

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.