Houlihan Lokey Advises American Health Staffing Group

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that American Health Staffing Group (AHSG), a leading provider of healthcare talent and technology solutions and a portfolio company of BelHealth Investment Partners, has been acquired by Littlejohn & Co. LLC (Littlejohn), a private investment firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut. As part of the transaction, the senior management team, led by founder and CEO Mark Smith, will continue to lead AHSG and be supported by an experienced team of industry veterans. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2010, AHSG is dedicated to meeting the needs of healthcare facilities and positively affecting patient outcomes. The company provides travel nursing, allied health, pharmacy, dialysis, interim leadership, managed services, nonclinical, and SaaS technology solutions in thousands of healthcare locations in all 50 states. AHSG offers two proprietary SaaS technology platforms, including Trio VMS, a vendor management system designed to address complex operations for all healthcare talent, and Insight ATS+, the first healthcare-specific applicant tracking system delivering high-quality and efficient management systems to recruiters throughout the full recruitment and placement process.

“Over the past decade, AHSG has become a leading player across the healthcare staffing market through industry foresight, strategic acquisitions and investing in its state-of-the-art scalable technology and services,” said Drew Greenwood, a Managing Director at Littlejohn. “We look forward to working closely with Mark and the entire AHSG team to continue to develop leading talent and technology solutions to drive efficiencies for AHSG’s customers in a dynamic and growing market.”

“We are thrilled to partner with Littlejohn, a world-class private investment firm with a proven track record of driving long-term value for its portfolio companies and a deep expertise in growing staffing companies,” added Mark Smith, founder and CEO of AHSG. “We believe this partnership will enable us to ensure more healthcare professionals are able to access high-quality, skilled employment positions that are making a difference in the lives of millions of Americans and enhancing patient outcomes. Every individual on our team has dedicated themselves to our mission and there is no doubt that we are in this position due to the passion and perseverance they have shown.”

In November, AHSG was named a Staffing Industry Analysts Fastest-Growing Staffing Company, marking the fourth year in a row (2018–2021) that AHSG has received the distinction. In addition, AHSG has been named a Staffing Industry Analysts Best Staffing Firm to Work For two years in a row and was named a BluePipes Best Travel Nursing Company in 2021. AHSG’s internal workforce is made up of hundreds across the United States, operating within office footprints in Oklahoma, Texas, Michigan, Oregon, South Carolina, and remotely.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to AHSG and assisted in marketing, structuring, and negotiating the transaction on behalf of the company.

Houlihan Lokey’s Human Capital Management team is among the most active M&A advisors in the market, having closed or announced 11 transactions in 2021. This most recent transaction further strengthens Houlihan Lokey’s leadership in the business services universe and highlights continued momentum and leadership in the HCM sector, which includes staffing, recruitment, VMS, MSP, RPO, talent management, and PEO.