National Trench Safety and Trench Plate Rental Co. Agree to Merger

National Trench Safety and Trench Plate Rental Co., two leading providers of trench safety solutions in the U.S., announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge. The combined company will be majority-owned by Tailwind Capital. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

NTS, based in Houston, was founded by president and CEO Ronald Chilton, who has led the business since 2003. NTS provides mission-critical safety solutions to more than 4,000 customers, who look to NTS to provide premier trench shoring products and solutions for complex, highly engineered projects.

Founded in 1979, TPRC is led by Phil Mason, president and CEO. TPRC provides a wide range of trench safety solutions including slide rail systems, trench boxes, aluminum shores as well as trench plates, and traffic control equipment. TPRC focuses predominantly on the infrastructure-related end-markets.

The combined company will operate under the National Trench Safety brand and will be led by Mason as president and CEO. The business will offer a full suite of trench safety solutions, with unparalleled national reach and service capabilities. “I look forward to joining forces with National Trench Safety, as we bring together our complementary businesses to drive unmatched customer service and continued growth,” said Mason. “The merger will allow the combined company to better serve our customers on a national scale with enhanced fleet, improved service capabilities, and expanded footprint.”

TPRC chairman and Tailwind operating executive Bruce Dressel said, “Over the last 18 years, Ron Chilton has built a nationally-renowned trench safety solutions platform with a stellar reputation. We are pleased to partner with the NTS team and look forward to driving long-term sustainable growth via new greenfields and additional M&A. We believe that the combined platform will allow us to better serve our customers and will provide exciting opportunities for our employees. I look forward to welcoming Ron to our board, where his deep industry knowledge and strategic insight will help further define our growth aspirations.”

Dressel joined Tailwind Capital in 2020 as an operating executive. He became TPRC chairman in January 2021 and is the former chief operating officer of Herc Holdings Inc. and former CEO and president of Sunbelt Rentals.

Based in Houston and founded in 2003, NTS is one of the leading independent national providers of trench shoring and safety solutions in the U.S., with a differentiated business model that targets projects requiring a high level of consultative, construction services expertise. NTS services a wide range of infrastructure maintenance and expansion activities across a diverse set of markets. NTS has an international network of 33 U.S.-based and two U.K-based branches.

TPRC is based in Artesia, Calif., and was founded in 1979. It serves more than 5,000 customers through a network of 37 branch locations across the United States.

Tailwind Capital is a middle market private equity firm focused on growth-oriented investments in targeted sectors within industrials, technology & business services and healthcare. Tailwind partners with experienced management teams and entrepreneurs to transform businesses through organic growth initiatives, acquisitions, and operational and strategic investments. Since its inception, Tailwind has managed $3.7 billion of committed equity capital, and has invested in 47 portfolio companies and more than 125 add-on acquisitions.