Houlihan Lokey Advises Vidaris

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Vidaris, a provider of specialty consulting and assurance services and a portfolio company of Cortec Group, has been acquired by The SOCOTEC Group, a portfolio company of Cobepa S.A. The transaction closed on August 1, 2019.

Vidaris is a leading multidisciplinary specialty consultancy focused on highly technical, value-added assurance and advisory services related to existing and new buildings, civil infrastructure, industrial/energy facilities, transportation equipment, and other high-value assets. Vidaris' integrated portfolio of services helps clients optimize performance, mitigate risk, ensure compliance, determine fitness for service and/or root cause of failure, and resolve disputes. Headquartered in New York, New York, Vidaris employs approximately 300 professionals in 16 offices.

Founded in 1984, Cortec Group, a New York-based private equity firm, invests in high-value-added, middle-market specialty services, B2C and B2B products, and healthcare businesses in partnership with owners and management teams who want to work with Cortec Group to drive growth and improve business fundamentals.

SOCOTEC, headed by Hervé Montjotin, has built its reputation over more than 60 years as a trusted partner assisting companies in the areas of quality, health and safety, and the environment. Its mission is to ensure the integrity and performance of assets and people's safety. Through its inspection and measurement, assistance and consultancy, and training and certification services, SOCOTEC helps to optimize the performance of companies in every sector by managing the risks inherent in their activities. Drawing on its expertise and positioning itself as a long-term partner, the company supports its clients throughout the project lifecycle. As a leader in construction inspection and a major player in TIC for the construction and infrastructure sectors, SOCOTEC has 200,000 clients with operations in 25 countries, 8,000 employees, and more than 250 forms of external recognition.

Houlihan Lokey served as a financial advisor and assisted in marketing, structuring, and negotiating the transaction on behalf of Vidaris and Cortec Group. This transaction highlights Houlihan Lokey's preeminent position and continued success advising and delivering outstanding results for clients in the testing, inspection, certification, and compliance sector.