EPIC Systems, St. Louis, Mo., announced a partnership with key investors to create a new corporation, registered as EPIC Systems Group. The agreement was led by Compass Group Equity Partners, a private equity firm based in St. Louis, Mo.

The acquisition injects growth and new expertise into EPIC's core business groups. All employees and members of EPIC's executive leadership team will remain intact, including John Schott, who will continue as president.

"We are excited about the opportunity to build on what has been established and add a platform business to our investment portfolio," says John Huhn, managing partner at Compass Group. "EPIC brings the industry expertise, the management team and the foundation for the platform of something very big and something that can grow over time."  

"We look forward to joining Compass Group, which will expand our capabilities and industry footprint," says Schott. "Our team provides practical design-build solutions, built on years of plant and project management experience. Adding Compass Group will allow us to add talent and infrastructure to grow more quickly and continue to be the market leader in the process engineering space. We will be able to stay on the forefront of industry advancements and practical engineered systems."

"The most valuable and important asset of a company is its people, and John (Schott) has assembled a great organization and great group. People are what we are interested in investing in," says Bill Morgan, operating partner at Compass Group.