WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., December 7, 2021 -- The Cook & Boardman Group LLC (“Cook & Boardman” or “C&B”), the leading specialty distributor of commercial door entry solutions and systems integration services has announced the acquisition of Memphis, TN-based Universal Manufacturing Company (“Universal” or “UMCO”). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Universal Manufacturing was founded in 1977 by Jimmy Freudenberg and is led by Russ Gordon, company president. UMCO is a full service distributor of commercial doors, frames, hardware and Division 10 specialty products. The company serves general contractors and end users nationally from its base of operations in Memphis.

“We are thrilled to welcome Universal to the Cook & Boardman family of companies,” said Darrin Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of C&B. “They are a highly respected business with a long history of serving national accounts. We look forward to providing their employees with additional resources and expanded opportunities.”

“Throughout our company’s history we have been recognized for our excellent customer service,” noted Universal president Russ Gordon. “In Cook & Boardman, we found a partner that aligns well with our culture and shares our commitment to serving our customers and the industry.” The company will continue to operate under the Universal name and customer contacts will remain unchanged as a result of the acquisition.

Cook & Boardman is a portfolio company of Littlejohn & Co., LLC. Universal represents C&B’s seventeenth acquisition since being acquired by Littlejohn in October 2018.

About Cook & Boardman Group

Cook & Boardman is the nation’s leading distributor of commercial doors, frames & hardware, electronic access control equipment and specialty (Division 10) products. The company is also one of the nation’s fastest growing providers of integrated security solutions - including physical security, access control, wireless networking, low voltage cabling, audio/visual and managed information technology products.

The company serves multi-family and non-residential markets including the commercial, education, government, healthcare, office and hospitality sectors from 70 locations across 21 states and nationwide through its ecommerce portal at www.cookandboardman.com.  

About Littlejohn & Co., LLC

Littlejohn & Co., LLC is a Greenwich, Connecticut-based investment firm focused on private equity and debt investments primarily in middle market companies. The firm seeks to build sustainable success for its portfolio companies through a disciplined approach to engineering change. For more information about Littlejohn, visit www.littlejohnllc.com.