Marucci Sports, one of Baton Rouge’s fastest-growing companies, has been sold to Compass Diversified Holdings for $200 million, Compass announced this morning.
Marucci makes baseball bats popular among Major League Baseball players and amateurs under its namesake brand and the Victus brand. Marucci Bat Company was founded in 2004 by retired professional baseball players Kurt Ainsworth and Joe Lawrence along with LSU trainer Jack Marucci. In 2009, Ainsworth and Lawrence partnered with Reed Dickens to launch Marucci Sports, which then acquired the bat company. Marucci was named a 2016 Company of the Year in the Baton Rouge Business Awards and Hall of Fame.
Based in Westport, Connecticut, Compass manages and owns a diverse group of midsized businesses. Unlike private-equity firms, which typically finance acquisitions on a deal-by-deal basis, Compass funds deals off its balance sheet, meaning it isn’t subject to the whims of the credit markets, where uncertainty over COVID-19’s economic impact has made pricing a new deal more risky.
Marucci will continue to be led by Ainsworth, who currently serves as CEO, and its current leadership team, Compass says in its announcement. The Marucci headquarters will also remain in Baton Rouge.
Baton Rouge Area Chamber President and CEO Adam Knapp released a statement today on the news.
“From our initial analysis, the impact for Baton Rouge is positive. The company will keep Marucci’s headquarters in Baton Rouge, and the purchase by Compass will fuel its continued expansion,” Knapp says. “This exit event is one of the larger recent transactions for a Baton Rouge startup, and shines a light on the entrepreneurial community.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify the origin and founding of Marucci Sports.
[crowdsignal poll=10517822]
