It warms our hearts to see a CRT client strike it big, and Cali Bamboo has given us twice as much warmth.
Cali Bamboo started in 2004 with two friends who were determined to make a difference in the world setting out on a year-long surfing trip. Seeking funds along the way, founders Jeff Goldberg & Tanner Haigwood decided to turn a part-time job chopping down bamboo in Hawaii into one of the earliest “green” companies that would use bamboo as a building product in place of traditional trees.
Flash forward about 10 years when the company had grown, and had some of the usual growing pains to go with it. They turned to Chairmen’s RoundTable, where our mentors spent six months helping put things into their proper places and tightening all the bolts.
Soon thereafter, the highly regarded (and lucrative) San Diego-based manufacturer of bamboo flooring, fencing, composite decking, and plywood (as well as eucalyptus flooring and cork tiles) was acquired by private equity firm High Road Capital Partners for a purchase price rumored to be in the mid 8-figures. With them went their customer list of 250,000 direct sale consumers, as well as their plans for building a presence in other distribution channels.
Along the way, Cali Bamboo was recognized for 12 consecutive years as an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company, and is frequently held up as a model of how individuals, businesses, and communities can implement modern design along with structural strength and environmental integrity.
“Our mentors would have been happy with that success,” observes CRT Chair Ginny Beneke, “but the news about Cali Bamboo was just too good to keep quiet.”
To her point, it was recently announced that Cali Bamboo (now known simply as CALI) has just been acquired by global flooring company Victoria PLC, a billion-dollar British firm specializing in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of innovative floor covering products including carpeting, ceramics, artificial turf, and luxury vinyl plank.
The deal will provide CALI with access to global markets, a wider range of fabrications, new partnerships with sister companies, and greater financial support.
Chairmen’s RoundTable is thrilled to have had a part in Cali Bamboo’s wonderful news, and wishes them continued success in the future.
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