Guardian Fleet Services Announces Growth Investment from Chartwell Investments Entrepreneur & Founder Capital and Acquisition/Merger of Emerald Transportation and Sapp’s Wrecker Service
West Palm Beach, FL (February 21, 2023) – Guardian Fleet Services (Guardian/GFS), the leading provider of towing, recovery, and specialized transportation services in the United States, announced today that the company has experienced strong growth in the first quarter of 2023 and has begun to expand beyond the State of Florida. The company acquired Emerald Transportation of Pompano Beach, FL, and Sapp’s Wrecker Service of Savannah, GA. In addition, Guardian Fleet Services announced that Chartwell Investments Entrepreneur & Founder Capital (CHIEF Capital) has completed a major growth investment in the company to fund future expansion with financing arranged by Backcast Partners, including Morgan Stanley Private Credit and Source Capital.
Emerald Transportation was created 50 years ago by the Jennings family and is currently run by Jim Jennings. The Emerald Transportation team pride themselves on their commitment to service for many law enforcement agencies in South Florida & Commercial Customers. With a fleet of 40 pieces of equipment and 2 locations in Pompano Beach and Boca Raton, Emerald provides all lines of towing & recovery service. Emerald is known for its longevity and cutting-edge approach to safety. Jim will remain on as President of Guardian Fleet’s operations in Pompano and Boca Raton.
Sapp’s Wrecker Service has been a family-owned towing provider to the Savannah, GA region since 1953. With a well-known reputation for site clean-ups & traffic management, Sapp’s has established itself as the premier choice for multiple law enforcement agencies and an expert in towing & recovery in Savannah. Sapp’s is Guardian’s first location outside the state of Florida.
With the addition of Emerald Transportation and Sapp’s Wrecker Service, Guardian now has 23 locations and over 400 pieces of equipment in its fleet offering service throughout FL and now GA.
“The acquisition of Emerald Transportation and Sapp’s Wrecker Service is part of an exciting and rapid growth plan for Guardian Fleet Services, we couldn’t be more excited to have both of these teams join the GFS Family!” said COO, Tom Tedford. “The financial backing we have been able to secure with CHIEF Capital & their partners solidifies our plans for continued growth beyond the state of Florida.” The investment will allow Guardian to accelerate its growth trajectory by expanding its industry-leading capabilities and geographic footprint throughout the Southeast and beyond.
Geoff Russell, Co-Founder and CEO of Guardian, said “We found great alignment with CHIEF Capital from a growth, leadership and culture perspective and are thrilled to partner with their team.” Scotty Crockett, Co-Founder and President of Guardian added “This investment will allow Guardian to continue its aggressive growth and consolidation strategy within Florida and more broadly in the Southeast. We are excited to partner with the CHIEF Capital team and their financing partners.”
Michael Shein, Managing Partner of CHIEF Capital added, “Guardian has built an impressive team and a market-leading position with a strong culture of uncompromised professional customer service and exceeding customer requirements and expectations. We are incredibly excited to partner with Geoff Russell, Scotty Crockett and the Guardian team to support its continued rapid growth. The Guardian investment exemplifies our strategy of partnering with entrepreneurs and founder-owned companies to help accelerate their growth plans and we are so pleased to join the Guardian team.”
Joining the Guardian Board will be CHIEF Capital Executive Council Member Gary Kessler, who possesses deep transportation and logistics experience, previously serving in multiple C-Suite and Board roles in the space as well as Michael Shein, managing partner of CHIEF Capital, and Deepak Sethi, Principal of CHIEF Capital.
About Guardian Fleet Services
Headquartered in West Palm Beach, FL, Guardian Fleet Services provides superior towing, recovery, and specialized transportation services to municipal, state and federal agencies, and commercial enterprises and is the largest provider of Towing, Recovery and Specialized Transportation in the United States. Guardian Fleet Services was formed in 2017 as a consolidator of fragmented towing, recovery, and specialized transportation companies in Florida. Today, Guardian Fleet Services consists of 23 locations strategically located throughout Florida and Georgia. The affiliated companies have 200+ years of combined experience, over 400 employees, and more than 400+ assets in its specialized towing and transportation fleet.
Guardian is recognized as the industry leader in towing and transportation services while employing and embracing the best people and technology while continuing to focus on internal efficiencies in its business model. For more information about GFS please contact Hannah O’Shea at hoshea@guardianofthehighways.com or go to guardianfleetservice.com