Acquisitions are a key element of RPM’s overall growth strategy. The company actively pursues acquisitions of free-standing entrepreneurial companies and product lines that complement its portfolio of specialty coatings and sealants businesses. Over the last 30 years, RPM has completed more than 170 acquisitions, with over 70 of these transactions being completed during the last decade.
RPM creates shareholder value by attracting successful entrepreneurial companies and applying a disciplined approach to investing in their continued growth.
During the first quarter of fiscal 2018, RPM has acquired Key Resin, a leading manufacturer of polymer flooring and coating systems with annual net sales of $25 million. Primarily serving the North American market, Key Resin manufactures and markets terrazzo and resinous flooring, wall coating systems, concrete repair materials and maintenance products for industrial, institutional and commercial applications. It is based in Batavia, Ohio.
RPM’s acquisition philosophy, initiated by Thomas C. Sullivan, who ran RPM from 1971 until 2002 and retired from the board in 2016, is to “Seek good companies. Create an atmosphere where the founders and managers stay with their companies. Then, get out of their way.”
This entrepreneurial culture has been a key attraction to business owners in the industry as demonstrated by the fact that today the majority of RPM’s operating companies are managed by their founders, second- or third-generation family members or the managers they trusted to lead their companies. For this reason, RPM is considered to be the “best home for entrepreneurial companies” in the industry.