Heritage Capital Group, Inc., an investment banking and financial advisory firm serving middle-market and emerging growth companies in the U.S. and worldwide, is pleased to announce that its client, Karob Instrument, Inc., has been acquired by an investment group led by Mark Izzo, CEO of EMT Metals, bringing Karob and EMT under common ownership.
Karob Instrument, Inc. is a family-owned precision machining manufacturer located in Ocala, Fla., with more than 50 years of experience producing high-quality custom components for customers in aerospace, including Gulfstream Aerospace, and other industries. The company specializes in precision CNC machining, including turning, milling up to 5-axis, hardware installation, assembly, and specialized fulfillment, delivering both short-run and high-volume production with a focus on precision, quality, and efficiency. Karob operates from its lean facility equipped with an extensive range of advanced machining centers and quality control technology.
EMT is a premier metal fabricator and manufacturer of precision machined components serving global OEM partners across multiple end markets, including Aerospace & Defense, Thermal Management, Power Distribution and high-tech Industrials. EMT operates a three-facility platform anchored by a 130-machine, vertically integrated equipment lineup spanning CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, progressive stamping, and assembly operations, producing over 1,100 mission-critical SKUs annually. All business units maintain ISO 9001, AS9100D, ITAR, SAM, and FFL certifications.
“After more than five decades of building Karob Instrument, we wanted a partner that shares our commitment to quality, precision and customer relationships. Heritage Capital Group provided exceptional guidance throughout the process, identifying and connecting us with Mark Izzo and his team. Mark’s vision for the business, shared values and his team’s additional resources and scale create exciting new opportunities for our employees and customers. The Heritage team helped us protect and maximize the value of what we have built and we are confident that Mark and his team are the right steward for the next chapter of the business,” said Karl Windischmann, Robert Windischmann, and Andrea Wright, owners of Karob Instrument.
“Karob’s reputation reflects decades of earning customer confidence through near-flawless business performance” said Mark Izzo, CEO of EMT Metals. “Bringing that legacy and expertise under common ownership with EMT’s broader engineering depth, capabilities bench, and growth investment capacity strengthens our ability to support increasingly complex customer programs. This partnership advances our strategy to expand our integrated manufacturing platform to support leading A&D and technology OEMs at the scale and pace they demand. Our priority is to preserve what makes Karob exceptional while giving its talented team the resources to build on that success to realize the full potential of this shared vision.”
“Karob’s loyal customer base in the aerospace industry and long history of operational excellence attracted significant interest from strategic buyers. Mark and his team stood out because of their complementary capabilities, strong cultural fit and commitment to supporting the company’s customers and growth. We are grateful for the opportunity to advise Karob and bring together two highly respected manufacturing businesses in this partnership,” said Joe Hawkins, principal and shareholder at Heritage Capital Group and lead advisor on the deal.
Heritage served as the exclusive transaction advisor to Karob Instrument. The deal team was led by Joe Hawkins. Transaction support was provided by Bill Skinner, Hannah Solomon, Don Wiggins, and Robert Cilek. Smith Hulsey & Busey served as legal advisor. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
