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Capstone Headwaters advised Gibraltar Laboratories on its acquisition by Sotera Health

Capstone Headwaters LLC announced that it has successfully advised  Gibraltar Laboratories (“Gibraltar”) on its acquisition by Sotera Health.  Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Gibraltar Laboratories, headquartered in Fairfield, New Jersey, is a leading provider of outsourced microbiology and analytical chemistry testing, protocol development, and validation solutions serving the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors.  Well regarded for its outstanding customer service, technical and scientific expertise, and quality performance, Gibraltar specializes in sterility assurance, USP compendial microbiology, molecular biology, and analytical chemistry testing.  The Company, owned and operated by the Prince family since 1970, runs two laboratories in the New Jersey tri-state area.  Gibraltar’s devotion to innovation, research, exemplary regulatory track record, and exceptional staff of microbiologists and chemists have set a high standard for contract laboratories.  The Company serves the pharmaceutical, medical device, orthopedic, tissue bank, biopharmaceutical, chemical, and cosmetic industries.

Sotera Health LLC, which is owned by Warburg Pincus and GTCR, is the world’s leading, fully integrated protector of global health.  Sotera Health goes to market through its three best-in-class companies – Nelson Labs™, Nordion®, and Sterigenics® – with the mission of ensuring the safety of healthcare each and every day.  With over 500 years of combined scientific expertise, the company ensures the safety of healthcare by providing mission-critical services to the medical device, pharmaceutical, tissue, and food industries.  Sotera Health operates 63 facilities in 13 countries.  The company has over 2,600 employees globally and touches the lives of more than 180 million people around the world each year.  Sotera Health serves more than 5,000 customers worldwide, including 75 of the top 100 medical device manufacturers.

Gibraltar, with an established presence in the pharma sector, strategic New Jersey location with proximity to a multitude of major pharmaceutical companies, and thought leadership in evolving fields of sterility and microbiology, is highly complementary with Nelson Labs™. 

Dr. Daniel L. Prince, President of Gibraltar Laboratories, said 

“Through the commitment of three generations of the Prince family, as well as our experienced staff of microbiology and chemistry professionals, we have earned a reputation as a reliable, responsive, and highly professional partner for our customers, and we know we have found the same in Sotera Health. My goal is for Gibraltar to continue to build on its long-standing reputation of excellence and continue to expand its offerings.  We will accomplish this by becoming part of Sotera Health, a global company whose breadth of services and expansive reach provide extraordinary value to the industries we are proud to serve.”

Eric Williams, Managing Director of the Philadelphia-based Capstone Headwaters deal team, commented

“We are very pleased to assist in facilitating a deal between these highly respected organizations. Both Gibraltar and Nelson Labs share a similar commitment to clients, scientific integrity, and staff development.  Additionally, Gibraltar will benefit from Nelson Labs and Sotera Health’s international reach and business development resources.”  

Mark Surowiak, Director at Capstone Headwaters, added

“We are seeing heightened demand for companies with the expertise to help pharma and med device manufacturers prove the safety, efficacy, and regulatory compliance of their products.  The pharma outsourcing sector, specifically, has continued to see an active M&A market.”   

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