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The Look Company, a visual branding provider for retail, sports and events, has completed the acquisition of OAI + Rainier, a visual branding and manufacturing company. The acquisition includes nearly all assets created by the 2022 merger of OAI and Rainier Industries, including two U.S.-based manufacturing facilities in Tampa, Fla., and Seattle, Wash., and the company’s client portfolio. OAI + Rainier’s CEO, Chris Inverso, and approximately 200 new team members will join The Look Company. OAI + Rainier is a portfolio company of LFM Capital, a private equity firm focused on investing in lower middle market manufacturing and industrial services businesses. LFM Capital will retain a significant minority interest in the company.
The acquisition strategically positions The Look Company to locally support its growing work in the U.S. for clients in sport and retail markets, such as the FIFA World Cup, which will take place across 16 cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
As part of the acquisition, The Look Company has also acquired the tent and shelter divisions of Rainier Industries. This will enable the company to offer its local and global clients temporary tent structures for sporting events worldwide, and custom fabrication of industrial products, among other display and signage offerings.
“We’ve spent 27 years building our offering from the ground up. This includes introducing printing and production facilities in five countries, establishing operations in eight, and creating brand experiences across major sports leagues, teams, retailers, brands and cities,” says Jacob Burke, global CEO of The Look Company. “Now, with the acquisition of OAI + Rainier, we’ll be able to fast-track the next phase of our growth with a like-minded company that has not only built an incredibly impressive portfolio of offerings, but will enable us to diversify what we can bring to our joint client base.”
“When we brought together OAI and Rainier three years ago, we had a vision of production excellence that dates all the way back to Rainier’s nineteenth-century roots, and continues to set a standard across the United States today,” says Chris Inverso, CEO of Rainier + OAI. “In joining The Look Company, we look forward to bringing this standard to clients across the globe and building one of the world’s largest visual branding companies.”
OAI (Outdoor America Images) was founded in 1989 and specializes in the design, production and installation of high-resolution displays, décor packages, banners, billboards, signage and more. Rainier Industries was founded in 1896, initially producing tents for the Gold Rush. It then expanded into temporary tent structures for sporting events worldwide, along with providing branding and visual engagement solutions for clients. In 2022, Rainier Industries acquired OAI to create OAI + Rainier.