Construction and contractor supplies distributor NEFCO — which has expanded considerably in recent years, including several acquisitions in 2025 — has a new private equity backer.

East Hartford, CT-based NEFCO announced Jan. 14 that it has formed a strategic partnership with Leonard Green & Partners (LGP), which is a Los Angeles-based PE firm founded in 1989 and has over $75 billion of assets under its management.

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NEFCO is primarily known as a distributor of SHARP (Strut, Hardware, Anchors, Rod and Pipe Hangers) products, tools, safety products and consumables that serves professional contractors across the United States. It has more than 70 locations nationwide.

LGP bought NEFCO from Bertram Capital, which had owned NEFCO since August 2022. Terms were not disclosed.

“We are thrilled to be entering into a partnership with the exceptional team at NEFCO,” LGP Senior Partner Jonathan Seiffer said in a news release. “We invest in companies that win with people, have a differentiated culture, and are market leaders with multiple ways to grow – and NEFCO is a perfect example. The company’s customer-first mission and employee-centric values strongly align with what we believe in at LGP. We have admired NEFCO for a long time and are excited to partner with the Gelles family, the NEFCO leadership team and its broad base of employees to support the next phase of the company’s growth and success.”

The new partnership follows a period of growth for NEFCO with Bertram’s backing that helped the distributor expand from a regional distributor into a national platform while strengthening its value-added service capabilities and investing meaningfully in its staff and operations.

“Bertram was a true partner to NEFCO,” company CEO Matt Gelles added. “Their experience in industrial value-added distribution and commitment to supporting our long-term vision were instrumental in helping us aggressively scale the business while preserving our culture and customer-first mindset.”

Going forward, LGP said it will partner with NEFCO to accelerate growth in key markets, build on its differentiated capabilities and pursue strategic initiatives that enhance the company’s value creation. Meanwhile, the firm added that NEFCO will continue to operate as usual