VLS acquires Environmental Recovery Corp.

VLS Recovery Services LLC, a Houston-based provider of waste management, railcar cleaning, and barge cleaning and repair services, announced on Sept. 21 that it has acquired Environmental Recovery Corp. (ERC) from Rock Island Capital, Oak Brook, Illinois. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, ERC provides wastewater treatment, industrial waste management and other environmental services to customers in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. As part of the transaction, the ERC business will operate within the VLS Waste Services division. Ken Lefever, CEO of ERC, will continue to run the business reporting to Platt Moore, vice president of VLS Waste Services.

“ERC’s business is highly complementary to our existing service offerings and footprint, and they share our focus on delivering environmentally responsible and sustainable solutions to our customers,” John Magee, CEO of VLS, says. “ERC’s core values and mission align perfectly with our commitment to safety, our employees and our customers. The addition of ERC will accelerate our continued emergence as the North American leader in waste management services, and we look forward to welcoming Ken and his excellent team to our organization.”

"ERC’s footprint fits seamlessly with our current locations and allows us to offer our solutions into new regions. Our waste-to-energy and sustainability offerings, combined with an expanded national reach, will enable us to enhance the overall value proposition to our loyal client base. We are excited about the future of our waste business and working with ERC to reach even more customers nationally,” Moore says.

"VLS has established itself as a market leader in our industry, and we are excited to partner with them to build on that position," Lefever says. "With their strong client and vendor partnerships, we will be able to better serve and expand offerings to our customers in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. On behalf of the entire team at ERC, we look forward to working with John and the rest of the VLS team."

This acquisition marks VLS’s seventh add-on acquisition since being acquired by Los Angeles-based Aurora Capital Partners in October 2017. VLS has grown from six facilities in 2017 to more than 25 facilities in 2021 and, according to the company, it has plans to continue to scale the organization through both organic greenfield investments and its buy-and-build acquisition strategy.

Houlihan Lokey, Los Angeles, served as financial advisor to ERC, and Stifel, St. Louis, served as financial advisor to VLS. Ares, Los Angeles, provided debt financing for the transaction.