Mangrove Equity Partners is pleased to announce the sale of Vintage Air, the premier designer and manufacturer of aftermarket air conditioning systems for classic and late-model cars and trucks.
In partnership with Vintage Air’s impressive team, Mangrove leveraged its operating depth to help dramatically transform Vintage Air’s performance and market position. “Partnering with Mangrove has been a game-changer for Vintage Air,” said Rick Love, the company’s President and a SEMA Hall-of-Famer. “They’ve been true partners in supporting our significant growth and the continuous improvement of our operations while honoring our legacy. I’m incredibly proud of what we accomplished together.”
During Mangrove’s ownership, Vintage Air evolved into a world-class organization through strategic initiatives focused on leadership development, employee engagement, manufacturing excellence, and product innovation. Key achievements include:
- Digital Commerce Expansion – Launched a direct-to-consumer ecommerce website, leveraging Vintage Air’s strong brand and established infrastructure to meaningfully expand the D2C channel
- Manufacturing Optimization – Redesigned multiple manufacturing lines to implement a single-piece linear flow process, dramatically reducing manufacturing cycle times and improving efficiency
- Product Enhancement – Fully implemented a comprehensive product performance upgrade initiative covering 45 platforms of SureFit kits across 124 car models
- Operational Excellence – Implemented demand-based scheduling with continuous flow assembly techniques, decreasing lead times while increasing production capacity
- Strategic Acquisition – Completed the add-on acquisition of AC Solutions, expanding product capabilities and market reach
Through this comprehensive transformation, Vintage Air emerged as a stronger, more competitive organization with enhanced product capabilities, modernized operations, and a significantly accelerated growth trajectory. The combination of operational excellence, strategic investment, and commitment to innovation positioned Vintage Air as the premier partner for automotive enthusiasts and professional builders worldwide. “It was an honor to have been associated with such an iconic brand and to have worked with such a great organization and leadership team,” said Roger Bates at Mangrove Equity Partners.
About Mangrove Equity Partners Mangrove Equity Partners strives to deliver uncommon value to those we partner and work with, including business owners, management teams and their employees and the intermediaries who help bring us together. We draw on our genuine and deep operational experience, extensive investment history, respect for people and culture and commitment to doing the right thing to help create positive outcomes for everyone involved.
Mangrove pursues investments in a broad range of industries, with a particular emphasis and past success in niche manufacturing, industrial and business-to-business services and enthusiast consumer products. We seek to invest in businesses headquartered in North America with EBITDA ranging from $3 million to $10 million and revenue ranging from $10 million to $100 million. For more information, please visit www.mangroveequity.com