After taking the title of Top Solution Provider of 2012 in CDN’s Top 100 riding, Softchoice CEO Dave MacDonald seemed determined to ensure the company didn’t rest on its laurels in 2013, making several moves to grow and try to keep its podium spot for 2013.
The major move by Softchoice was to take the company private. In April, it announced it had entered into an agreement with Birch Hill Equity Partners of Toronto to take the solution provider private in a deal worth around US$412 million. The deal received shareholder approval in June.
MacDonald told CDN that Birch Hill approached it with the offer, having watched the solution provider and being impressed by its growth.
“They thought we would be a good fit for their portfolio of companies,” said MacDonald, which includes Creation Technologies and Shred-it. “We evaluated (the offer) and decided it was a very good offer for our shareholders.”
MacDonald added that going private will allow Softchoice to accelerate its growth strategy, including its transformation into a services company, and make more investments in the services space that will pay longer-term dividends, investments that would be more difficult as a public company.
“Our customers will see even more intensity in our services and solutions offerings as we strive to be an even more relevant provider to them,” said MacDonald.
The solution provider also achieved the stringent Cisco Master Specialization in Canada and the U.S., offering VMware vCloud Hybrid Service through its managed services business, and was one of the first Canadian partners authorized to sell Microsoft’s Surface tablets.