Berkshire-backed UFT buys Peterson and Matz to expand in Midwest water markets

United Flow Technologies, the Berkshire Partners-backed water and wastewater platform, has acquired Peterson and Matz, a Michigan manufacturers’ representative with more than 50 years of operating history across Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin. The deal extends UFT’s Midwest technical distribution coverage in municipal and industrial treatment markets, though financial terms were not announced.

Peterson and Matz is based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and represents manufacturers serving municipal utilities, industrial customers and consulting engineers. Founded in 1969, the firm works with manufacturers including Evoqua, Veolia, Trojan and Wilo.

The acquisition is another bolt-on transaction for UFT, which has been building a broader platform around process equipment and technical services for water and wastewater infrastructure. In fragmented infrastructure services markets, private-equity-backed platforms often use regional acquisitions to add customer relationships, supplier lines and local engineering knowledge that can be difficult to replicate centrally.

UFT said the transaction supports its strategy of adding regional expertise while expanding the range of products and services it can offer to municipal and industrial customers. For the Midwest, Peterson and Matz gives the platform an established representative network in three states where water infrastructure spending is shaped by ageing assets, treatment requirements and industrial demand.

Matt Hart, UFT’s chief executive, described Peterson and Matz as a fit with the company’s acquisition criteria because of its regional relationships, customer confidence and technical background. He said UFT plans to build on the business’s base in Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Kyle Bentley, president of Peterson and Matz, said the partnership would allow the firm to continue serving customers and manufacturing partners while drawing on UFT’s resources and capabilities. He referred to Rob and Dean, alongside himself, as being involved in the company’s next chapter, but UFT did not provide further detail on management roles after the acquisition.

The transaction places Peterson and Matz within a larger industrial water and wastewater distribution platform backed by Berkshire Partners, a Boston-based investor focused on public and private equity. Berkshire describes itself as a 100% employee-owned, multi-sector specialist investor, with private equity activity concentrated on U.S. middle-market companies in services, healthcare, industrials and technology.

Berkshire is investing from Fund XI, which has about $7.8 billion in commitments, and has made more than 140 private equity investments since inception, according to the firm. Its public equity arm, Stockbridge, was founded in 2007 and manages a concentrated long-term portfolio.

For UFT, the acquisition adds another layer to a national strategy built around local service coverage. The company’s Midwest water and wastewater technical distribution platform now includes Peterson and Matz’s manufacturer relationships and customer base, broadening UFT’s reach into municipal and consulting engineer channels in the region.

Water and wastewater markets remain attractive to infrastructure services investors because demand is tied to essential public systems, regulatory requirements and industrial operating needs. The Peterson and Matz purchase underscores how financial sponsors are using smaller regional deals to assemble broader networks in specialized technical distribution.