Igneo Infrastructure Partners, a global infrastructure investment manager with more than US$15 billion in assets, announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire a 100 percent equity share of US Signal Company, LLC, a data center and network solutions provider based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year subject to customary regulatory approvals.
Founded in 2001, US Signal is an IT solutions provider who provides network, data center, connectivity, cloud hosting, colocation, data protection, and disaster recovery services to regional enterprise customers and large national telecommunications carriers, powered by its wholly owned and operated robust fiber network.
The company operates a 9,500 route mile fiber network and eight data centers across nine states in the upper Midwest U.S.. It has approximately 185 employees.
Operating since 1994, Igneo Infrastructure Partners is an autonomous investment team in the First Sentier Investors Group. It invests in high-quality, mid-market infrastructure companies in the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
US Signal represents Igneo's first investment in the US telecommunications sector and the fourth asset in North America. During the last three years, Igneo has invested more than US$1.5 billion of capital in Terra-Gen, Rialto Bioenergy Facility and Patriot Rail, which recently announced the acquisition of Pioneer Lines.
US Signal was advised by Bank Street and Dickinson Wright. Igneo was advised by KeyBanc Captial Markets and Mayer Brown.
QUOTES
"Over the past two decades, US Signal has built an outstanding reputation for its client service and responsiveness, attracting customers in the healthcare, finance and telecommunications sectors that require a high degree of data security and reliability. We believe US Signal has substantial growth opportunities and is a great fit for our investment portfolio, which focuses on high-quality, mid-market, core infrastructure businesses and geographic and sector diversification." -- John Ma, partner and co-head of Igneo North America
"Igneo is an experienced investor that is positioned to support and expand US Signal's data center presence and fiber network infrastructure to serve our regional enterprise customers. I am confident that the partnership with Igneo will enhance the US Signal experience for existing customers and allow the company to deliver this high standard of excellence to additional customers across our expanding footprint." -- Richard Postma, chairman and CEO of US Signal.