Milwaukee-based private equity firm Mason Wells Inc. announced today it has acquired Buffalo, New York-based board game manufacturer Buffalo Games, along with members of the management team including chief executive officer Nagendra Raina. The business was sold Aug. 31 by founders Paul and Eden Dedrick for an undisclosed price.
Buffalo Games is the largest manufacturer of jigsaw puzzles in the U.S., and has developed relationships with artists and artwork licensors for puzzles such as Star Wars and wildlife artist Darrell Bush. It also innovates, designs and manufactures board, table and party games such as Watch Ya Mouth, Brain Games, Skee-Ball and Plingpong. Its products are sold in mass retail, specialty, book, grocery and craft/hobby stores, as well as via e-commerce. Buffalo Games has about 75 employees, and Mason Wells plans to retain all of them in the existing location, said Ben Holbrook, managing director at Mason Wells.
“At this point, if the company grows I’m sure we’ll be adding employees,” Holbrook said. “They have a great team and a great platform here and the ability to innovate in these categories, so it’s really coming in here to continue to support thosef continued efforts.”
“The last few years have seen Buffalo Games achieve rapid success in both the board game and jigsaw puzzle categories across the retail landscape and, in particular, with mass market and online retailers,” Raina said. “Buffalo Games’ biggest asset is our team and innovative culture that nurtures creativity and consumer engagement in a fast-paced and fun environment. This partnership with Mason Wells will continue to accelerate growth and open up new opportunities for us. Importantly, it will allow us to extend our strong innovation and growth platform, and further strengthen our deep relationships with our retailers, licensors and inventors.”
“We are thrilled to be partnering with a world class management team at the helm of Buffalo Games,” Holbrook said. “Nagendra and his team have built a powerful innovation platform that was founded over 30 years ago by Paul and Eden Dedrick. The company’s dynamic culture and the strong relationships it has forged with licensors, retailers and suppliers are key aspects of the company’s success and future growth opportunities. We look forward to supporting the team as they continue to drive innovation and growth in the expanding puzzle and games categories.”
This deal follows on Mason Wells’ acquisition earlier this month of Succasunna, New Jersey-based recreational sporting goods supplier EastPoint Sports Ltd. LLC, which develops, imports and markets products including bean bag toss, table tennis, volleyball and badminton nets and indoor basketball hoops.
