Kent Manufacturing LLC, a 70-year-old, family-owned manufacturing company has sold to Sur-Seal Corp., a private equity-backed gasket maker in North Carolina.
Kent Manufacturing makes custom engineered products used in shake and rattle reduction, gasketing and bonding, and thermal control — and will expand Sur-Seal’s medical clean room and automotive market manufacturing capabilities. Sur-Seal plans to use Kent Manufacturing’s Grand Rapids location as its new center for health care excellence and preserve its local employment base, signing a long-term lease on the 69,000-square-foot facility.
Founded in Grand Rapids in 1955 by Ben Cebelak, Kent Manufacturing was most recently owned by his four grandchildren: Mike Muraski, Tom Muraski, Judy Siekman and Mary Rott. Its customers include contract furniture makers MillerKnoll and Steelcase, auto supplier Magna, medical device maker Team Technologies, packaging company Veritiv and SpaceX.
“Sur-Seal ... brings resources, expertise and opportunities that will allow Kent Manufacturing to grow, innovate and thrive in ways we couldn’t achieve on our own,” Mike Muraski said.
Warner Norcross + Judd served as legal counsel to Kent Manufacturing. The Warner transaction team was led by Michael Jones and included Loren Andrulis, Jared Belka, Kurt Brauer, William Dani, Stephanie Grant, Stephen Kretschman, Steve Palazzolo, Andrew Reside and Nathan Steed.
Read the full press release here.
Warner’s Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) Practice Group
As part of one of the largest and most successful law firms in Michigan, Warner’s M&A Practice Group draws upon more than 90 years of experience to successfully and efficiently handle a wide range of M&A transactions for both private and publicly traded businesses, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and strategic business combinations of all types.
