New York City — Charter Facilities Services Inc. has completed the acquisition of Empire Facilities Management Group Inc. and A-OK Security and Maintenance Inc.
New York City — Charter Facilities Services Inc. has completed the acquisition of Empire Facilities Management Group Inc. and A-OK Security and Maintenance Inc. Charter Facility Services is backed by Charterhouse Group Inc., a New York-based private equity firm.
Benefiting from access to substantial growth equity, Empire will strengthen its position as an industry-leading retail, restaurant and commercial facility maintenance and management company, offering single-source solutions across the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, Canada and the Virgin Islands. A-OK will become a distinct division within Empire focused on retail facility security, specialty doors, gates and locks.
Chris Chapin, an experienced facility management executive and entrepreneur, has been hired to serve as chief operating officer (COO). He will lead a team focused on facility repair and maintenance, refreshes, remodels, energy management and capital projects. Current Empire CEO Joseph Scaretta and Empire COO Moses Carrasco will remain at the company as chief development officer and divisional president, respectively, to ensure service excellence and management continuity. Robert A. Scaretta also will remain as senior vice president of operations. Scaretta and Carrasco launched Empire in 2003 and have built the company into one of the leading providers of facility solutions in the United States.
Woodbridge International represented Empire and A-OK. “From three employees to more than 100 today, Empire has become the industry’s trusted advisor, delivering solutions more than just service,” says Scaretta. “As we continue to experience exponential growth, we remain committed to building upon what our customers appreciate most about Empire: service excellence and dependability.”
Prior to joining Empire, Chapin served as senior vice president of stores and store operations for Big Lots, a Columbus, Ohio-based closeout retailer with more than 1,475 stores in 48 states. Before that, he was CEO/president of FacilitySource Inc.
“The growth that Empire and A-OK have experienced in almost a decade of service is noteworthy,” Chapin says. “I look forward to working with their team as we execute our strategy to deliver continued operational excellence and outstanding customer service into the next decade and beyond.”
Woodbridge International, founded in 1993, is a middle-market M&A firm headquartered in New Haven, Conn.