Prolific multi-brand firm buys another Midwest manufacturing business

The Hoffmann Family of Cos. in Naples, one of the more prolific multi-brand organizations in Southwest Florida, has announced its second manufacturing company acquisition in the past 10 days. 

The latest deal is for Gladstone, Michigan-based Besse Forest Products Group. Besse Forest Products Group operates a network of sawmills, wood drying facilities and veneer and plywood factories across northern Michigan and Wisconsin. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. 

The deal for Besse follows the announcement last week that Hoffmann acquired Doonan Specialized Trailer, a custom semitrailer manufacturer based in Great Bend, Kansas with 57 dealer locations across North America, 

Besse, according to a statement from Hoffmann, has 10 state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and is “North America’s premier private producer of wood products.” Founded in 1966, Besse has remained 100% family-owned, has over two million square feet of production facilities and a workforce of more than 1,400 people. Besse’s facilities include four veneer mills, four sawmills, one lumber drying concentration yard and one cut-to-size plywood mill, the release states. 

The deal, the company adds, complements Hoffmann’s Ferche Millwork operations and “positions HFOC as a significant player in the wood products manufacturing industry.”

"We are excited to partner with Besse as they enter a new chapter under the Hoffmann Family of Companies umbrella,” says Geoff Hoffmann, Co-CEO of HFOC, in the release. “Our commitment to growth and excellence in manufacturing drives every decision we make. With the acquisition of Besse Forest Products Group, we’re not just expanding our footprint but building on a legacy that spans generations.”

Greg Besse will continue in his role as CEO of the Besse Forest Products Group, overseeing the entire operation. "The decision to join forces with the Hoffmann Family of Companies was based on their exceptional brand and reputation as a well-run family business,” Besse says in the release. 

The Hoffmann Family of Cos. owns multiple businesses, from vineyards to a luxury fleet company