Hyde Park Acquisition Corp. today announced the acquisition of privately held Essex Holdings LLC and its subsidiary, Essex Crane Rental Corp. According to the press release, the acquisition was finalized after Hyde shareholders approved the acquisition at a special shareholder meeting held earlier today. The company also announced that it has changed its name to Essex Rental Corp.
Essex’s President and CEO, Ron Schad, stated, “We appreciate the support of the shareholders of Hyde Park and are looking forward to Essex’s future as a public company. We are focused on building long-term value for our shareholders, and intend to pursue a variety of organic and acquisition-driven growth opportunities. We will continue to reposition our crane rental fleet away from lower lifting capacity cranes and towards higher lifting capacity equipment, which has historically produced higher monthly average rental rates and higher utilization rates. We are excited about the pace of new contract–related activity, the addition of new equipment to the fleet, and the continued strength of Essex’s end markets, including infrastructure and energy, and look forward to our future with confidence.”
Laurence Levy, Chairman of Hyde Park, commented, “We are very pleased that we are able to consummate this acquisition with a company of Essex’s calibre. As previously announced, the Company’s operating performance has demonstrated significant year-over-year improvement, allowing us to continue to exceed the March 2008 projections upon which the transaction value was predicated. Essex is a market leader in the heavy lift crane segment, has a diverse customer base, addresses growing end markets, and operates under a business model characterized by low operational risk and attractive margins. As a significant stockholder and Chairman of the Board of Directors, I look forward to working closely with the Essex senior management team in support of the Company’s strategic growth objectives.”
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