CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Riverspan Partners, a private equity firm specializing in the industrials sector, today announced its investment in Barretts Minerals (“Barretts”). Barretts is the inaugural investment out of Riverspan’s first fund.
Headquartered in Dillon, Montana, Barretts is the market leader in high-purity talc mining and processing. Barretts’ mines provide access to premier quality, purity, and brightness talc, and its unique end-to-end processing capabilities provide strategic flexibility within a variety of applications and end markets. With a diverse product portfolio and longstanding customer relationships, the company primarily serves the technical ceramics, paints/coatings, and polymer markets.
As part of its strategic plan for growth at Barretts, Riverspan will invest to help drive product innovation, broaden the product portfolio, and improve process efficiency. Barretts will benefit from Riverspan’s deep roster of seasoned industry executives who bring operational, financial, and strategic expertise, including James and Mary Mooney of The Mooney Group LLC.
“This investment represents a unique opportunity to partner with a vertically-integrated industrial minerals company with significant growth prospects,” said Dave Thomas, Partner at Riverspan Partners. “Barretts has an impressive set of characteristics, including diverse end markets with attractive secular growth drivers, a best-in-class operating team with an outstanding safety track record, and longstanding relationships with blue chip customers. We are committed to providing financial support and operational expertise to enable the company to enhance its product offering and further invest in its mining and processing capabilities for the benefit of customers, employees, and the communities where Barretts operates.”
“We are excited to partner with the Riverspan team, who are aligned with our goal of driving operational excellence while maintaining a deep-rooted focus on safety and risk management,” said Josh Regan, General Manager at Barretts. “This is an exciting new chapter for our company as we continue to expand our operations to meet growing demand and build upon our presence in the state of Montana.”
Riverspan focuses on lower middle market businesses in the industrials sector, including engineered materials and advanced manufacturing. Built on its founders’ cumulative 40+ years of investment experience, the firm brings deep domain expertise, intellectual curiosity, and analytical rigor to its partnerships. Riverspan seeks to work with management teams to accelerate growth and build durable, long-term success through commercial excellence, operational improvements, and digital enablement.
Milbank LLP and McDermott Will & Emery LLP are serving as legal advisors to Riverspan.
About Riverspan Partners
Riverspan Partners is a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on lower middle market businesses in the industrials sector, including engineered materials and advanced manufacturing. Leveraging its deep domain expertise, Riverspan seeks to work with management teams to accelerate growth and build durable, long-term success. For more information, please visit www.riverspan.com.
About The Mooney Group LLC
Founded by James and Mary Mooney, the Mooney Group is a team of experienced industry and legal professionals that specialize in the mining, refining, selling, buying, and processing of industrial minerals to drive value-added performance.
