East Range Partners acquires Pure Flow, Inc.

PETERBOROUGH – Pure Flow, Inc., an ultra-pure water purification company serving the medical, manufacturing, commercial and institutional sectors across the Northeast, has been acquired by East Range Partners of Cambridge, Mass.

The acquisition was coordinated by John Howe and Ken Schaefer of Business Transition Strategies, an M&A advisory firm with offices in Pembroke, N.H. and Andover, Mass.

Pure Flow was started in 1982 by Charles Skip Iltis, and has grown consistently through the years under his leadership. It provides specialized water purification services and systems. Its customers include many of the top medical institutions in the Northeast as well as numerous manufacturing and commercial enterprises from Connecticut to Maine.

Ultra-pure water systems are critical in variety of applications, ranging from the production of high tech components to dialysis treatments and beyond.

Mr. Iltis will remain active with the company over the next year working alongside the new management team, Tyler Hogan and Michael Donovan, principals of East Range. “I feel the company is in good hands,’ said Mr. Iltis. “It is great to have two young, energetic and top quality people taking the helm.”

Hogan and Donovan formed East Range while completing the MBA program at Harvard Business School. They plan to retain the entire staff and to keep the business in Peterborough.

“We feel privileged to be taking over for Skip and to be working with such a highly skilled team,” commented Tyler Hogan.

“We both will be reaching out to customers to personally assure them that we are committed to the same high standards put in place by Skip through the years,” added Mike Donovan.

What our clients are saying...

“New Image Coatings, owners of Seal-Once, retained Business Transition Strategies in April of 2015 to locate a strategic buyer for the company. This was successfully completed during April of 2016 when we were acquired by UC Coatings of Buffalo, New York. Working at our side throughout this process were John Howe director, and Ken Schaefer, deputy director, of Business Transition Strategies. From the start of the project, where the information memorandum was developed, to helping us create the management presentation to acquirers, through negotiating the letter of intent and then the definitive agreement, they were there with me and our professional team every step of the way. It took nearly one year to the day to complete the project, but they never lost focus on my best interests and helped me keep my eye on business. This sale was very complex. It included transfer of trade secrets from the product developer, …as well as the transfer of a manufacturing and licensing agreement we had with the core compound producer… John and Ken marketed the company to a range of strategic acquirers, including a number of private equity groups and their platform companies, which ultimately resulted in an agreement with United Coatings… BTS’s level of expertise in the process and close attention to detail enabled us to successfully navigate the deal. I would recommend John Howe and Ken Schaefer to any company owner considering selling.”

- Hank Croteau

New Image Coatings