Simpson Thacher represented Authority Brands and Apax Partners in connection with Authority Brand’s acquisition of Monster Tree Service. The acquisition marks the sixth brand addition for Authority Brands since Authority Brands was acquired by funds advised by Apax Partners in September 2018, with Monster Tree Service representing Authority Brand’s eighth brand in its home service portfolio. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2008, Monster Tree Service is the leading tree care company in the U.S., and the only franchise offering local certified arborist teams in multiple locations nationwide. With more than 200 territories across the country, Monster Tree Service is committed to keeping trees healthy and customers satisfied. The brand provides a suite of effective and environmentally friendly services including tree removal, trimming and pruning, land and lot clearing, and more.
Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, Authority Brands' companies include eight leading home service franchisors, America's Swimming Pool Company, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, The Cleaning Authority, Homewatch CareGivers, Mister Sparky, Monster Tree Service, Mosquito Squad, and One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning. Together, these brands provide home services through more than 1,875 territories operated by nearly 1,000 franchise owners in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Kenya and Indonesia. Authority Brands is dedicated to supporting individual franchisee growth through providing strong marketing, technology and operational support.
The Simpson Thacher team included Ben Schaye, Jun Won Kim, Sung Jin and Brian Kloeblen (M&A); Jonathan Goldstein, Sophie Staples and Suzy Yaster (Tax); Jamin Koslowe and Caitlin Lucey (ECEB); Lori Lesser and Alysha Sekhon (IP); James Doyle, Mark Haddox and Shenlu Xu (Credit); Steven DeLott (Insurance); Richard Jamgochian (Regulatory); Mark Skerry (CFIUS); Dennis Loiacono (Real Estate); and Michael Isby (Environmental).