Scura Partners Acts as Exclusive Financial Advisor in SHoP’s ESOP Transaction
Scura Partners served as exclusive financial advisor to the principals of SHoP Architects (SHoP) in their recent majority recapitalization of SHoP through a sale of the company to an Employee Ownership Trust or ESOP. SHoP is one the world’s leading architecture firms. The New York-based firm has established itself as a unique presence through its signature fusion of technological innovation and high-design excellence. The employees of SHoP will now become stakeholders in the future success of this major industry disrupter.
As part of its assignment, Scura Partners researched and analyzed a range of strategic alternatives and business combination options with the goal of identifying and securing the optimal outcome that would ensure the continued success of SHoP through attracting and retaining the most talented architects and provide liquidity for the founding principals of the firm. Scura Partners also ran a process to find the least cost, most flexible capital provider to fund the recapitalization transaction.
“The collective commitment of SHoP’s remarkable team has been the driving force of excellence, innovation and courage that has distinguished our firm,” said Gregg Pasquarelli, one of the four founders. “Securing financial advisors whom we could trust with our firm’s legacy was one of the most important decisions we have ever made. Scura Partners guided us through every consideration with deep insight and knowledge, ultimately creating an ESOP structure that would support a transition plan that galvanizes our employees, keeps our culture thriving and ensures the future of SHoP.”
About SHoP Architects
SHoP Architects is a New York-based design and planning firm with major projects completed or underway on five continents. SHoP sets itself apart from its peers with a high-performance approach to architecture that forefronts the activation of dynamic public spaces, the use of technology to imaginatively reinterpret authentic building materials, a results-driven approach to sustainability and an emphasis on the research and deployment of next-generation methods of project delivery. Notable SHoP projects include Brooklyn’s Barclays Center arena, the new Uber Headquarters in San Francisco, Fulbright University Vietnam, Codrico Tower Rotterdam, multiple diplomatic facilities for the U.S. Department of State and the residential tower now nearing completion at 111 West 57th Street in Manhattan. For more information visit shoparc.com.
About Scura Partners
Scura Partners (www.scurapartners.com) is a boutique investment banking firm, based in New York City, providing M&A advisory and capital raising services, with a focus on the emerging growth, healthcare, manufacturing, technology, finance and business services sectors. Scura Partners’ partners have an average of more than twenty-five years of experience, providing near every investment banking product and service to their clients. For more information about Scura Partners or the transaction cited above, contact Paul Scura 212-596-3383 or visit scurapartners.com.
