Institutional Partnership with Southfield to Further Metric’s Expansion and Acceleration of Global Footprint as a Market Leader in the Specialist Search & Recruitment Space Greenwich, CT – March 24, 2026 – Southfield Capital (“Southfield”), a premier lower middle market private equity firm, today announced that it has made a majority investment in Metric Search, Ltd. (“Metric,” or the “Company”), a leading specialized provider of talent solutions and human capital placement services for niche, high-growth sectors, including MedTech, life sciences, engineering, and data centers. Founded in New York in 2019, Metric has quickly established itself as an industry leader in the executive search and talent solutions space with over 130 consultants globally across seven offices in the U.S. and UK. The Company, which delivers senior and executive-level search through four specialist sub-brands – Metric Geo (Engineering and Infrastructure), Metric DCX (Data Centers), Metric Bio (Life Sciences and MedTech), and Metric Exec (C-suite and PE-backed executive search) – has been recognized in the Financial Times FT1000 list of fastest-growing companies in both 2025 and 2026. Metric Founder & CEO, Joe Jani, will remain in his position as part of the firm’s management team and work alongside Southfield to continue executing on the next phase of the Company’s ambitious growth strategy. Joe Jani commented, “This is a defining moment, not because of the capital, but because of what it represents. Every decision we have made since 2019 has been about staying disciplined, staying specialist, and earning the trust of the clients and candidates we work with. Our sectors, Data Centers, Life Sciences, Infrastructure, and Engineering, are at the center of the most important capital flows in the global economy, and the cost of getting talent wrong in those markets is high. Metric exists to solve that problem, and with Southfield’s backing we now have the platform, the resources, and the team to do it at scale.” Metric’s strong management team, specialized micro niche-focused service strategy, unique internal recruitment and training model, and strong client value proposition, position it to continue capitalizing on the emerging imbalances across the labor market. Partnering with Southfield now provides Metric with significant runway and support for both organic and inorganic growth within the highly fragmented industry, while also expanding its service offerings to better serve their current and future clientele. “We were immediately impressed by the differentiated offering Metric has created since its founding in 2019, especially in a market that is often commoditized,” said Chris Grambling, Partner at Southfield Capital. “Their focus on sectors with structural talent scarcity, together with their depth of expertise and track record within those sectors, has allowed them to establish an exceptional, best-in-class, and highly scalable platform. We are excited to be partnering with Joe and the rest of the Metric team as part of their ambition to be a global leader in the specialist executive search space.” Having invested in more than 100+ entrepreneur-built businesses since 2002, Southfield’s majority investment in Metric is the third platform made from its current flagship fund, Southfield Capital IV. Tree Line Capital Partners provided debt financing. Finn Dixon & Herling LLP and Simmons & Simmons LLP provided legal counsel to Southfield. Houlihan Lokey acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Metric. About Southfield Capital Southfield Capital is a premier private equity firm with a foundational commitment to driving value at high-growth, lower middle market companies in the business services sector. The firm leverages its deep team of highly-experienced investment, technology and value-creation professionals, combined with fully-integrated AI-driven capabilities to partner with founders and manager-owned teams. For more information, please visit www.southfieldcapital.com About Metric Search Metric is a specialist executive search and talent solutions firm, operating across Engineering, Infrastructure, Data Centers, Life Sciences, and MedTech. Founded in New York in 2019 by Joe Jani, Metric has grown to over 130 consultants across seven global offices, serving clients through four specialist sub-brands: Metric Geo, Metric DCX, Metric Bio, and Metric Exec. Recognized on the FT1000 list of fastest-growing companies in 2026, Metric has established a reputation for sector depth, delivery quality, and long-term client and candidate relationships. For more information, please vis it www.metricsearch.com
Acquisition Furthers Ongoing Growth Strategy and Positions FastLane as Integrated Growth Platform Supporting Franchisors from Concept Through Scale . Greenwich, CT – March 20, 2026 – Southfield Capital (“Southfield”), a premier lower middle market private equity firm, today announced that its portfolio company, Franchise FastLane (“FastLane” or “the Company”), a leading franchise sales organization, has completed the strategic acquisition of Franchise Creator, a premier firm specializing in identifying and guiding early-stage franchisors through concept validation, franchise readiness, and foundational growth planning. The addition of Franchise Creator allows FastLane to establish an integrated growth platform that supports franchisors from concept through scale, leveraging Franchise Creator’s strong reputation working with emerging brands at the earliest stages of their franchising journey and helping founders validate their models, prepare for franchising, and establish strong foundations for growth. As part of FastLane, Franchise Creator will continue to focus on early-stage brand identification and support, while benefiting from the scale, infrastructure, and development capabilities of the broader FastLane ecosystem, enabling it to better help founders build strong, scalable franchise models. “This acquisition represents an exciting step in FastLane’s evolution and the continued execution of our organic and targeted M&A growth strategy,” said Tim Koch, President & COO of FastLane . “In partnering with Southfield, we have set out to build more than a franchise sales organization. Franchise Creator’s best-in-class ability to identify and guide early-stage brands is a powerful complement to FastLane, and we’re excited to integrate their insights and capabilities into our platform. Through this combination, we are able to further our mission of building the first end-to-end franchise services business, capable of working with brands from their formation through maturity.” “From day one, Franchise Creator has been about helping founders turn great ideas into real, viable franchise brands,” said Hossein Kasmai, Founder of Franchise Creator. “FastLane shares that same belief, and they bring the resources, experience, and platform to help our clients go further and faster. This partnership allows us to stay true to who we are while expanding what’s possible for our team and the founders we serve.” “This acquisition aligns perfectly with FastLane’s long-term strategy of building a differentiated, vertically integrated platform across the franchising lifecycle,” said Josh Sylvan, Principal at Southfield Capital. “By expanding upstream into early-stage brand creation and readiness, FastLane is strengthening its recurring revenue profile, improving brand quality entering development, and building a more durable enterprise. We’re excited to have the opportunity to partner with Hossein and the Franchise Creator team to continue building on the Company’s momentum and strengthening both its market position and ability to serve franchisors and founders across the country.” TPG Twin Brook provided debt financing. Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP provided legal counsel to FastLane and Southfield. Boxwood Partners acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Franchise Creator. About Southfield Capital Southfield Capital is a premier private equity firm with a foundational commitment to driving value at high-growth, lower middle market companies in the business services sector. The firm leverages its deep team of highly-experienced investment, technology and value-creation professionals, combined with fully-integrated AI-driven capabilities to partner with founders and manager-owned teams. For more information, please visit www.southfieldcapital.com About Franchise FastLane Franchise FastLane provides franchise development services. It manages the entire franchisee sales lifecycle from initial lead generation to prospect qualification through to deal closure. FastLane works with franchisors to perfect their discovery process, bring qualified franchisee leads, and drive strong growth. FastLane leverages a rigorous diligence and onboarding process, industry-leading technology platform, and exceptional sales executives to drive successful franchise development for its franchisor clients. For more information, please visit www.franchisefastlane.com About Franchise Creator Franchise Creator specializes in identifying and guiding early-stage franchisors through concept validation, franchise readiness, and foundational growth planning, helping founders build strong, scalable franchise models and provides back-end services like bookkeeping and marketing. For more information, please visit www.franchisecreator.com
AI-driven Full-Service Business Contextual.io Complements Southfield Capital's Mission to Enhance Value Creation for Founders and Manager-Owners
GREENWICH, CT – Southfield Capital, a premier lower middle market private equity firm, announced today that Kelvin Group, (“Kelvin”), a leading national provider of industrial and commercial mission-critical mechanical refrigeration services, process safety management and environmental compliance, has completed the acquisition of PermaCold Engineering, Inc. (“PermaCold”), a premier industrial refrigeration company headquartered in the Pacific Northwest. The acquisition of PermaCold represents Kelvin’s fourteenth acquisition since partnering with Southfield. Founded more than 30 years ago by industry pioneers, Steve Jackson and Randy Cieloha, PermaCold has built a reputation for excellence, innovation and reliability in the industrial refrigeration industry. The company is widely recognized for its expertise in ammonia and CO2 refrigeration systems as well as its ability to deliver complex, high-performance solutions to clients across the western United States. The integration of PermaCold into Kelvin Group's family of companies, which features reputable brands such as ARC Mechanical, Refrigeration Design & Service (RD&S), RC&E, HCG Associates, and JS Compliance, further solidifies Kelvin's standing as a national provider of mission-critical mechanical services. “Kelvin’s acquisition of PermaCold represents an exciting milestone as the company continues its national expansion strategy by entering the Pacific Northwest. PermaCold’s deep technical expertise, admired technician team and customer service focus makes them a natural partner for Kelvin,” said Harry Gray, CEO of Kelvin Group. “Together, we look forward to offering an enhanced set of capabilities to support our combined customer base.” “When we decided to sell, Randy and I were adamant in locating an organization that shares our company’s culture and values relating to customers and employees, and Kelvin more than achieved this goal,” said Steve Jackson, “We’re excited to leverage Kelvin’s national footprint to better serve our customers while staying true to the values that have guided us for more than 30 years.” Southfield Partner, Chris Grambling, commented on the transaction, "We are delighted to welcome the PermaCold team to the Kelvin family. PermaCold has built a phenomenal reputation in the Pacific Northwest and their addition bolsters Kelvin’s geographic coverage, establishing Kelvin as a coast-to-coast mechanical services provider." Deerpath Capital Management and Crescent Capital provided debt financing. G2 Capital Advisors served as the buy-side advisor to Kelvin. Finn, Dixon & Herling provided legal counsel to Kelvin and Southfield Capital. About Kelvin Group Kelvin Group is a national leader in the field of industrial and commercial mission-critical mechanical services, process safety management and environmental compliance. Its turnkey solutions provide design/installation, service and planned maintenance and testing and compliance of world-class mechanical systems for leaders in the food and beverage, cold storage, pharmaceutical, educational, health care, and process industries. Once engaged with customers, Kelvin assists business owners achieve mandated health, safety, environmental and regulatory compliance standards. For more information, please visit www.kelvin.cool . About Southfield Capital Southfield Capital is a private equity firm that invests in high-growth, lower middle market companies in the business services sector. The firm targets companies with $4 - 20 million in EBITDA and partners with management to scale the business through a combination of organic and acquisition growth strategies. For more information, please visit www.southfieldcapital.com .