Private equity firm Lindsay Goldberg has reached an agreement to acquire EMCO Chemical Distributors, distributor of industrial chemicals serving the Midwestern United States.

The acquisition brings one of North America’s largest independent chemical distributors under Lindsay Goldberg’s portfolio, positioning the firm to capitalize on EMCO’s extensive infrastructure, deep customer relationships, and long-standing reputation for operational excellence.

EMCO is one of the largest independent chemical distributors in North America. With over 500 employees, EMCO distributes, blends, and packages more than 5,000 SKUs to over 4,000 customers across a wide range of end markets. The company operates eight distribution and packaging facilities, an application lab, an environmental services facility, and a dedicated delivery fleet that enables just-in-time distribution.

“Our investment in EMCO is the culmination of a multi-year relationship with EMCO founder Edward Polen,” said John Holland and Eric Fry, Partners at Lindsay Goldberg. “EMCO stands out for its stellar reputation, enduring supplier relationships, loyal employee base, and unmatched infrastructure in the region. We believe these strengths underpin EMCO’s position as a market leader, and we look forward to working with EMCO’s management team to support its future growth.”

EMCO’s founder and CEO, Edward Polen, remarked, “Building EMCO over the last 54 years has been the greatest privilege. From the start, I set out to build a company where people matter – where we are true partners to our suppliers and customers and where our employees are empowered to make a difference. I’m proud of the culture we’ve built at EMCO. It is critical to our success, and I know that Lindsay Goldberg is the right partner to carry our culture forward.”

Frank Bergonzi, a Lindsay Goldberg Affiliate Partner and seasoned chemicals industry executive, will be appointed Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of EMCO upon Edward’s retirement at the closing of the transaction, as per a release.