OwnersEdge Inc., Brookfield, has acquired Communications Direct (CommDirect), an Illinois-based, communications business that is a Motorola Solutions channel partner and a national leader in communication system rentals.
This is the first acquisition for OwnersEdge in Illinois, and the first since it announced a new leadership structure in June 2023, in which Lisa Reardon, founder and CEO, transitioned to the role of executive chair, while Christine Adee and Rob Dillon were appointed as co-CEOs.
Lisa Reardon, executive chair of OwnersEdge, said the acquisition demonstrates the effectiveness of the new leadership structure, which allows her to focus on finding and acquiring high-quality businesses that align with the OwnersEdge culture and purpose.
“Our structural changes have provided the necessary capacity and focus to accelerate our vision of building sustainable businesses throughout the Midwest,” Reardon said. “By adding CommDirect to our portfolio, we are able to continue to deliver on our purpose of enabling current and future employee owners to live out their own American Dream.”
OwnersEdge, which is 100 percent employee owned, has a vision of growing from its current five operating companies to 10. In addition to CommDirect, OwnersEdge operates BayCom (Green Bay, Fox Crossing), QComp (Greenville), CC&N, Implecho, and Asche & Spencer.
CommDirect is headquartered in St. Charles and has rental offices in four key cities that host large trade shows and conventions and high-profile events – Morton Grove, Illinois; Orlando; Carrollton, Texas (just outside of Dallas/Fort Worth); and Las Vegas. All 26 CommDirect employees are now employee owners and will benefit from the company’s employee stock ownership plan.
“During its 30-plus years, CommDirect has established itself as a premium provider of critical communication systems with differentiated capabilities in the large system rental market. This acquisition is a strategic move that allows us to expand our geographic footprint into Illinois with a business that perfectly complements two of our existing operating companies,” said Dillon. “CommDirect clients will now have access to additional solutions that BAYCOM and Implecho offer, including video surveillance and door access control security systems, mobile computing products, headsets and tour guide systems.”
OwnersEdge was established in 2015 as an ESOP holding company to provide revenue stream diversity and greater returns for its employee owners. During the past nine years, OwnersEdge has executed nine acquisitions and expanded its workforce to more than 300 employees.
