Acquisition Expands Kele's Industrial Automation Portfolio and Geographic Reach
MEMPHIS, TN AND YORBA LINDA, CA / ACCESS Newswire / May 13, 2025 / Kele, Inc. ("Kele"), a portfolio company of The Stephens Group, LLC ("Stephens Group"), is pleased to announce its acquisition of Tom Ponton Industries, Inc. ("Ponton Industries"), an instrumentation sales and consulting firm. The acquisition further expands Kele's footprint within the instrumentation sales market. Ponton Industries will become an integral part of the industrial offerings of the Kele Companies, which include Lesman Instrument Company (Bensenville, IL), A-Tech Inc. (Tulsa, OK), and AC Controls (Concord, NC). Ponton Industries specializes in providing its customers with complete solutions to their flow, level, temperature, pressure, and process control requirements. The company serves customers through engineering consulting and technical support for process instrumentation selection. The transaction marks Kele's seventh acquisition in the last seven years.
Kele President and CEO Danny Lyons said, "We are thrilled to welcome Ponton to the Kele Companies. Marty Ponton, President of Ponton Industries, and the Ponton team bring a wealth of experience serving the industrial markets, OEMs, and municipalities across California, and we look forward to leveraging that experience across Kele."
Mike DeLacluyse, President of Kele Industrial, said, "We have worked with Marty and his team for many years and have great respect for the organization they have built. We are excited to join forces with them and continue expanding along the West Coast."
"After carefully evaluating our options for a strategic partner to propel our company forward, we firmly believe that Kele's robust tools and forward-thinking vision align perfectly with our customers' increasing demands for cutting-edge technology and exceptional service. We are thrilled to unite with Kele Industrial and drive our shared goals to new heights!" said Marty Ponton, President of Ponton Industries.
Grant Jones, Managing Director at Stephens Group, added, "The acquisition of Ponton Industries further strengthens Kele's position in the industrial automation space. This is a natural fit with Kele's existing operations and will provide new growth opportunities, particularly in the Western U.S. We are thrilled to support this acquisition as we continue to build a market leader in the industrial automation sector."
About Kele, Inc.
Kele, Inc. is a leading distributor of Commercial and Industrial Automation products and controls solutions globally. Kele serves the Commercial and Industrial Automation markets with more than 300 brands and 3+ million parts in stock, including actuators, gauges, relays, sensors, switches, transmitters, valves, and more. Value-added services include custom panel assembly, specialized sourcing, and technical support. Kele is a portfolio company of The Stephens Group, LLC of Little Rock, Ark. To learn more about Kele, visit kele.com.
About Ponton Industries
Ponton Industries has been providing automation machinery manufacturing solutions since 1972. It specializes in providing its customers with complete solutions throughout all of California and Western Nevada. Its focus is to support customers from product selection to start-up and commissioning. Ponton Industries is committed to its customers with a goal of making it as easy as possible to do business and providing the latest, most reliable and most cost-effective technologies to solve customers' measurement and control applications. Learn more about Ponton Industries at pontonind.com.
About The Stephens Group, LLC
The Stephens Group, LLC (https://www.stephensgroup.com) is a private investment firm that partners with talented management teams to help build valuable businesses. Backed by the resources of the Witt Stephens and Elizabeth Campbell families, the firm combines the operational expertise of a private equity firm with the flexibility provided by long-term capital. With over $2 billion of private equity assets under management, the firm has a long history of providing informed, sophisticated expertise and working with owners and managers to help them successfully achieve their strategic visions and build long-term value. Since 2006, The Stephens Group has invested in over 50 companies, targeting investments in industries across the U.S., including industrial products and services, specialty distribution, and vertical software.
Contact Information
Tena Rutledge
Senior Director, E-Commerce
tena.rutledge@kele.com
9016055134
Kate Griffin
Marketing Content Specialist
kate.griffin@kele.com
9013561956
SOURCE: The Kele Companies
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