Family-Owned Waterloo Business Sold To Minnesota Company

A Waterloo-based business that's been family-owned for more than four decades is now under corporate ownership.

Gary and Becky Bertch recently sold Bertch Cabinet Mfg. to Dura Supreme Cabinetry of Howard Lake, Minn. Dura announced the acquisition of Bertch Monday in a press release. The transaction was finalized Friday, but the purchase price was not made public.

According to the company's website, Bertch has a workforce of more than 800 employees. Corporate offices for the 44-year-old business are located in Waterloo, along with several production buildings. Bertch, which began in a family barn in 1977, also has production facilities in Jesup and Oelwein.

Bertch manufactures semi-custom bath and kitchen cabinetry. Dura Supreme manufactures premium semi-custom framed and frameless cabinetry. Both businesses have a nationwide network of dealers.

Dura Supreme is a 60-year-old company that employs more than 400 people at its facility in Howard Lake, a town of around 2,000 residents that's about 45 miles west of Minneapolis. Dura Supreme is owned by a Greenwich, Conn., private equity firm, GHK Capital Partners, LP.

In Monday's press release, Dura Supreme executives said the acquisition of Bertch "brings together two highly-regarded companies with well-known brands in the premium kitchen cabinetry and premium bath cabinetry market. With over 100 years of combined history and experience, Dura Supreme and Bertch brands are uniquely positioned to provide an advantageous mix of products to their dealer partners and build on strong operating platforms to accelerate growth in new markets across the U.S."

“We are excited about the potential this new business partnership creates,” Dura Supreme CEO Tony Sugalski said in the press release. “With our expanded portfolio of premium cabinetry brands in kitchen and bath markets, our ability to meet our customers’ needs and grow in this segment is expanded. The combination of companies creates a unique product mix that we believe will create advantages for our dealers and customers across the USA.”

Gary and Becky Bertch are developing a $100 million theme park on the southern edge of Waterloo that's expected to open in 2022. The new 45-acre tourist attraction is currently under construction across from the Lost Island Water Park, another Bertch family business that has been in operation for nearly 20 years.