West Michigan’s Novo Building Products Acquires Ohio-based Stair Parts Firm

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Novo Building Products in Zeeland, east of Holland, one of the largest suppliers of moulding, stair parts, doors, and specialty millwork to lumberyards, home centers, specialty millwork shops, and stair builders east of the Rockies and Canada, today announced it has acquired Ohio-based L.J. Smith Inc.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Novo is owned by an affiliate of Blue Wolf Capital Fund III L.P.

L.J. Smith is a 133-year old, privately held company that is an industry leader in stair parts. It offers a complete line of core stocking and special-order stair parts to lumberyards and stair builders in the industry.

L.J. Smith had been a portfolio company of McDonough Corp., a privately held holding company operating in various industries including barge rental and marine logistics, construction elevators, and millwork.

“This is a highly strategic add-on for Novo,” says Tom Highley, CEO of Novo Building Products. “L.J. Smith has long been considered the preeminent stair parts business in the industry. The company offers our customers stair part manufacturing and distribution capabilities on a national scale and supports our vision of becoming the leading millwork supplier in North America.”

Founded in 2016, Novo Building Products is a millwork manufacturing, marketing, and distribution holding company. The company sources products globally and focuses on the high-value millwork markets in North America.

“We welcome the team at L.J. Smith to the Novo family and believe this combination will strengthen both organizations” says Michael Ranson, a partner at Blue Wolf. “Blue Wolf prides itself on helping businesses grow by creating value — adding the industry leader in stair parts and expanding to a national footprint positions Novo for continued value creation and success.”

Novo’s divisions include The Empire Co., Southwest Moulding Co., Ornamental Mouldings, Fletcher Wood Solutions, and L.J. Smith and Creative Stair Parts.