Bertram Capital and ECS Tuning Rev Up the Automotive Aftermarket

SAN MATEO, Calif., Aug. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Bertram Capital today announced its investment in ECS Tuning, a rapidly growing automotive e-commerce company focused on the Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Porsche and Volkswagen lines. ECS Tuning is distinguished by its powerful content-driven e-commerce platform, offering more than 1.3 million performance, genuine, and aftermarket parts and tools comprising the largest and highest quality e-catalog of its kind. A third-generation family business, ECS' shareholders Tom and Brian Demrovsky will continue to play instrumental roles as the company's co-CEO's.

"Brian and I have been looking for a financial and strategic partner that shared our vision and enthusiasm for ECS Tuning," said Tom Demrovsky, co-CEO of ECS Tuning.  "The partnership with Bertram Capital will enable us to accelerate our investment in the business so we can more aggressively pursue our mission of becoming the premier one-stop shop for auto enthusiasts."

ECS Tuning represents Bertram Capital's third investment in a high growth consumer business and the firm's twelfth platform investment overall.  The investment in ECS Tuning combines the talents of the ECS technology team with Bertram Labs, Bertram Capital's internal team of software product strategists, software engineers, visual designers, online marketers, and social media experts. Bertram Labs will work shoulder-to-shoulder with the ECS Tuning team to catalyze new product innovation and create a truly unique online shopping experience.

"We are excited to be joining forces with Bertram Capital.  We have been approached by a number of firms over the past year, but we were impressed with Bertram's unique ability to leverage technology, their focus on growth, and their commitment to building the brand responsibly," said Brian Demrovsky, co-CEO at ECS Tuning.

"Brian, Tom and their team have built an impressive organization offering consumers a differentiated buying experience through proprietary vehicle kits, in-house R&D efforts, and a rich social media experience," said Jeff Drazan, Bertram Capital's Managing Partner. "We are honored that Brian and Tom selected Bertram Capital as their partner to further build ECS Tuning as both a brand and premier online destination."

ECS Tuning is one of the web's most popular destinations for German car enthusiasts.  The company is distinguished by its ever-expanding parts catalog featuring more than 1.3 million SKUS across the Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Porsche and Volkswagen vehicle makes.  The product offering includes thousands of proprietary high-performance parts and kits sold direct-to-consumer, via the company's e-commerce site.   ECS's presence is further distinguished by its library of thousands of original how-to guides, videos, images, product suggestions, and helpful tips, each geared toward ensuring customers get the most out of their vehicles.    

"The company's passion is infectious," said Ryan Craig, Partner at Bertram Capital.  "It starts with Tom and Brian and is reflected in every facet of the business, from ECS's proprietary products to the efficiency of its internal systems.   At Bertram Capital, we target e-commerce companies that fuse unique content with proprietary products. ECS Tuning provides the foundation for a broader e-commerce platform focused on aftermarket automotive parts.   We intend to expand our presence across a variety of automotive makes and believe the add-on acquisition opportunities in this sector will be numerous.  We would also like to acknowledge John Tilson and the Brown Gibbons Lang & Company team for their efforts in bringing this exceptional investment opportunity to our attention."

About ECS Tuning
Headquartered in Wadsworth, Ohio, ECS Tuning is the leading global e-commerce platform for Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Mini and Porsche automotive parts. The company offers a diversified product portfolio covering the full spectrum of genuine, aftermarket, and performance parts. ECS Tuning has a content-rich catalogue of more than 1.3 million parts from leading automotive brands, including its owned brands: ECS Tuning, Ziza, Alzor, Bremmen, and Schwaben. Visit www.ecstuning.com for more information.

About Bertram Capital
Bertram Capital is a Northern California-based private equity firm focused on investing in middle-market business services, consumer, industrial, healthcare and technology companies. Bertram is currently investing out of its $500 million second fund and typically allocates $25-$100 million to each investment. Since the firm's inception, Bertram has managed in excess of $850 million in committed capital and has completed 12 platform investments and 15 follow-on acquisitions. Visit www.bcap.com for more information.

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SOURCE Bertram Capital