Desert NDT Names Former CEO of Transfield Services, Americas, as its CEO
Posted: 2013-2-5
Desert NDT, LLC, a full-service nondestructive testing company serving the mid-
stream oil and gas market, today announced the appointment of Larry Ames,
former CEO and president of the Americas at Transfield Services Ltd., as CEO. He
succeeds Doug Frey, who will remain involved with the company as a director.
The appointment demonstrates the regional company's commitment to become a
national leader in the nondestructive testing industry by entering new regions
through organic growth and acquisitions. Desert NDT is a portfolio company of
Sterling Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm.
Ames combines 17 years of experience leading both public and privately-held
companies with relevant expertise providing technical services to large
customers and overseeing rapid growth. As CEO of the Americas at Transfield
Services, an international provider of outsourced services to a range of energy,
mining, transportation, defense and other companies, Ames managed a $1.5
billion portfolio that included five operating enterprises. He led a realignment
strategy that included $325 million of acquisitions and divestments and rebuilt
its leadership team.
Ames, 55, previously served as president, government services, at Day &
Zimmermann, a $2.5 billion-a-year, family-owned company that delivers a
broad spectrum of industrial, defense and workforce services to commercial and
government customers. He led the company's investment portfolio of
government services businesses that employ 14,000 people globally.
"Larry will be a great asset to Desert NDT," said Frey. "He brings a wealth of
talent and deep experience in industrial and energy services that will help Desert,
already a top-tier regional NDT company, grow into a national business."
"We're excited Larry has joined the company," said Alan Macksey, a Sterling
Partners managing director. "His appointment is consistent with what we and
Doug envisioned for a management transition when Sterling invested in Desert
NDT in March. The successful implementation of our strategic growth plan
requires professional management with demonstrated ability in scaling
businesses, and Larry brings these qualities in depth."
Commenting on his appointment, Ames said, "Doug has built an excellent team,
and there's a great opportunity for growth here. I'm looking forward to working
with Sterling Partners and Desert NDT's staff to grow the business on a national
scale."
Ames, who was a U.S. Army captain and a graduate of the Ranger and Airborne
service schools, received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Business
Administration degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
In September, Desert NDT acquired Midwest Inspection Services, of Perryton,
Texas, extending Desert's service territory into Colorado and south Texas. The
company has also deepened its presence in the Texas Panhandle region, western
Oklahoma and North Dakota. Desert offers services across 10 states through 15
locations, including a new office in Bismarck, N.D., to service the strategically
important Bakken Shale play.
About Desert NDT
Desert NDT, founded in Odessa, Texas, in 1989, started as a welding X-Ray
company and has evolved into a full-service nondestructive testing company. A
portfolio company of Sterling Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm,
since April 2012, Desert NDT offers ultrasonic testing, digital X-Ray and integrity
management services in addition to the traditional X-Ray testing. Desert's
nondestructive testing services ensure the safe installation and operation of new
gathering pipelines and other midstream oil & gas infrastructure. For more
information please visit www.desertndt.com .
About Sterling Partners
Sterling Partners is a private equity firm with a distinct point of view on how to
build great companies. Founded in 1983, Sterling has invested billions of dollars,
guided by the company's stated purpose: INSPIRED GROWTH(TM), which
describes Sterling's approach to buying differentiated businesses and growing
them in inspired ways. Sterling focuses on investing growth capital in small and
mid-market companies in industries with positive, long-term trends - education,
healthcare, and business services. Sterling provides valuable support to the
management teams of the companies in which the firm invests through a deep
and dedicated team of operations and functional experts based in the firm's
offices in Chicago, Baltimore and Miami.
The people at Sterling believe in ideas and ideals, in people and partnerships that
drive long-term success. For more information, please visit
www.sterlingpartners.com.
stream oil and gas market, today announced the appointment of Larry Ames,
former CEO and president of the Americas at Transfield Services Ltd., as CEO. He
succeeds Doug Frey, who will remain involved with the company as a director.
The appointment demonstrates the regional company's commitment to become a
national leader in the nondestructive testing industry by entering new regions
through organic growth and acquisitions. Desert NDT is a portfolio company of
Sterling Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm.
Ames combines 17 years of experience leading both public and privately-held
companies with relevant expertise providing technical services to large
customers and overseeing rapid growth. As CEO of the Americas at Transfield
Services, an international provider of outsourced services to a range of energy,
mining, transportation, defense and other companies, Ames managed a $1.5
billion portfolio that included five operating enterprises. He led a realignment
strategy that included $325 million of acquisitions and divestments and rebuilt
its leadership team.
Ames, 55, previously served as president, government services, at Day &
Zimmermann, a $2.5 billion-a-year, family-owned company that delivers a
broad spectrum of industrial, defense and workforce services to commercial and
government customers. He led the company's investment portfolio of
government services businesses that employ 14,000 people globally.
"Larry will be a great asset to Desert NDT," said Frey. "He brings a wealth of
talent and deep experience in industrial and energy services that will help Desert,
already a top-tier regional NDT company, grow into a national business."
"We're excited Larry has joined the company," said Alan Macksey, a Sterling
Partners managing director. "His appointment is consistent with what we and
Doug envisioned for a management transition when Sterling invested in Desert
NDT in March. The successful implementation of our strategic growth plan
requires professional management with demonstrated ability in scaling
businesses, and Larry brings these qualities in depth."
Commenting on his appointment, Ames said, "Doug has built an excellent team,
and there's a great opportunity for growth here. I'm looking forward to working
with Sterling Partners and Desert NDT's staff to grow the business on a national
scale."
Ames, who was a U.S. Army captain and a graduate of the Ranger and Airborne
service schools, received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Business
Administration degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
In September, Desert NDT acquired Midwest Inspection Services, of Perryton,
Texas, extending Desert's service territory into Colorado and south Texas. The
company has also deepened its presence in the Texas Panhandle region, western
Oklahoma and North Dakota. Desert offers services across 10 states through 15
locations, including a new office in Bismarck, N.D., to service the strategically
important Bakken Shale play.
About Desert NDT
Desert NDT, founded in Odessa, Texas, in 1989, started as a welding X-Ray
company and has evolved into a full-service nondestructive testing company. A
portfolio company of Sterling Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm,
since April 2012, Desert NDT offers ultrasonic testing, digital X-Ray and integrity
management services in addition to the traditional X-Ray testing. Desert's
nondestructive testing services ensure the safe installation and operation of new
gathering pipelines and other midstream oil & gas infrastructure. For more
information please visit www.desertndt.com .
About Sterling Partners
Sterling Partners is a private equity firm with a distinct point of view on how to
build great companies. Founded in 1983, Sterling has invested billions of dollars,
guided by the company's stated purpose: INSPIRED GROWTH(TM), which
describes Sterling's approach to buying differentiated businesses and growing
them in inspired ways. Sterling focuses on investing growth capital in small and
mid-market companies in industries with positive, long-term trends - education,
healthcare, and business services. Sterling provides valuable support to the
management teams of the companies in which the firm invests through a deep
and dedicated team of operations and functional experts based in the firm's
offices in Chicago, Baltimore and Miami.
The people at Sterling believe in ideas and ideals, in people and partnerships that
drive long-term success. For more information, please visit
www.sterlingpartners.com.
