Trive Capital Partners with Chilton Auto Body, a Leading Auto Collision Repair Platform

SAN CARLOS, Calif. and DALLAS, Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Trive Capital ("Trive"), the Dallas-based private equity firm, is excited to announce its recent investment in Chilton Auto Body ("Chilton" or the "Company"). Headquartered in San Carlos, California, Chilton is a leading collision repair platform operating 20 auto body repair shops across California.

For over 55 years, Chilton has provided its customers with a comprehensive range of auto body collision repair services, from structural damage and bumper repair to light cosmetic and paintless dent repairs. While the Company services all vehicle makes and models, Chilton specializes in repairing electric vehicles ("EV") from OEMs Tesla, Rivian and Lucid, among others. The Company was the first Tesla-certified body shop and is recognized as a pioneer of EV collision repair.

"Today's announcement marks a pivotal moment for our company and is a testament to the commitment and strength of our team, our track record for quality and timely repairs, and our relentless focus on providing an industry-leading customer experience," said Mike Chilton, Chief Executive Officer of Chilton Auto Body. "We are thrilled to partner with Trive as we launch this new phase of growth, while enhancing support for our valued insurance carrier partners and creating new opportunities for our talented team members."

The Company was founded in 1969 when Charles Chilton opened its first repair shop in San Mateo, California. In 1984 Mike Chilton joined his father in running the business, and starting in 2003 under his leadership, the Company began expanding its shop footprint via brownfield and acquisition. Chilton now operates 20 state-of-the-art repair shops around the Bay Area and Los Angeles and continues to grow throughout California.

"The Chilton leadership team has an exceptional track record of growing its footprint and scale, performing to key scorecard metrics, and delivering quality customer service, all while maintaining industry leading capabilities and EV repair expertise," stated Jared Reyes, Managing Director at Trive Capital. "We are excited to partner with Mike and the executive team as they look to bring Chilton's exceptional service and capabilities to new and adjacent geographies via M&A and new brownfield locations."

"The collision repair industry continues to demonstrate attractive fundamentals. Furthermore, the growing complexity of vehicles and further adoption of EVs together present an attractive market opportunity for players with leading capabilities, state-of-the-art equipment and highly experienced technicians," added Chris Zugaro, Partner at Trive Capital. "Chilton's history and reputation position them well to capitalize on these trends, and we look forward to partnering with them in this next chapter of growth."

King & Spalding LLP served as legal counsel to Trive.

About Chilton Auto Body
Headquartered in San Carlos, California, Chilton Auto Body is a leading U.S. auto body collision repair platform operating 20 shop locations across California. Chilton offers its valued customers a range of collision repair services, including paint and refinish, aluminum welding, bumper repair and calibration, light cosmetic, structural damage repair, and paintless dent, in addition to select ancillary services such as hail damage repair. Chilton's origins date back to 1969 when the Chilton family opened the Company's first repair shop in San Mateo, California. For more information, visit www.chiltonautobody.com.

About Trive
Trive Capital is a Dallas, Texas-based private equity firm with more than $8 billion of regulatory assets under management. Trive focuses on investing equity and debt in what it sees as strategically viable middle-market companies with the potential for transformational upside through operational improvement. We seek to maximize returns through a hands-on partnership that calls for identifying and implementing value creation ideas.

The Trive team is comprised of seasoned investment professionals who have been involved in over 250 middle-market transactions representing in excess of $10 billion in revenue across Trive's targeted industry sectors and situations.

SOURCE Trive Capital