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Compass Diversified Holdings

For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Feb 28, 2024.

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A company's yearly report to the SEC, with audited financial statements. It is the fullest account a company gives of its business, its finances and the risks it sees.

FY2023 · Filed Feb 28, 2024

CODI$11.93+0.6%Stored close · as of Nov 10, 2026

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Contents

Item 1. BUSINESS

Compass Diversified Holdings, a Delaware statutory trust (“Holdings”, or the “Trust”), was incorporated in Delaware on November 18, 2005. Compass Group Diversified Holdings, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “LLC”), was also formed on November 18, 2005. The Trust and the LLC (collectively, the “Company”) were formed to acquire and manage a group of small and middle-market businesses headquartered in North America. The Trust is the sole owner of 100% of the Trust Interests, as defined in our LLC Agreement, of the LLC. Pursuant to the LLC Agreement, the Trust owns an identical number of Trust Interests in the LLC as exist for the number of outstanding shares of the Trust.

The Trust was previously treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes but elected, effective September 1, 2021, to be taxed as an association taxable as a corporation. Following this tax election, Trust shareholders should generally only be subject to taxation from holding Trust shares in connection with disposition of Trust shares and receipt of taxable dividends from the Trust. Trust shareholders subject to tax rules regarding “unrelated business taxable income” (or “UBTI”) will no longer be allocated UBTI from the Trust.

The LLC is the operating entity with a board of directors whose corporate governance responsibilities are similar to that of a Delaware corporation. The LLC’s board of directors oversees the management of the Company and our businesses and the performance of Compass Group Management LLC (“CGM” or our “Manager”). Certain persons who are employees and partners of our Manager receive a profit allocation as beneficial owners (through Sostratus LLC) of 63.0% of the Allocation Interests, as defined in our LLC Agreement.

We acquire controlling interests in and actively manage businesses that we believe (i) operate in industries with long-term macroeconomic growth opportunities, (ii) have positive and stable cash flows, (iii) face minimal threats of technological or competitive obsolescence, and (iv) have strong management teams largely in place. We offer investors a unique opportunity to own a diverse group of leading middle-market businesses in the branded-consumer and industrial sectors.

Our disciplined approach to our target markets provides opportunities to methodically purchase attractive businesses at values that are accretive to our shareholders. For sellers of businesses, our unique financial structure allows us to acquire businesses efficiently with little or no third party financing contingencies and, following acquisition, to provide our businesses with substantial access to growth capital. In addition, our permanent capital model and ample liquidity allows us to acquire businesses at any point across economic cycles, ensuring that we are able to act quickly when the opportunity presents itself to do so and that we’re not paralyzed when markets are volatile.

We believe that private company operators and corporate parents looking to sell their business units may consider us an attractive purchaser because of our ability to:

provide ongoing strategic and financial support for their businesses, including professionalization of our subsidiaries at scale;

maintain a long-term outlook as to the ownership of those businesses;

sustainably invest in growth capital and/or add-on acquisitions where appropriate; and

consummate transactions efficiently without being dependent on third-party transaction financing.

In particular, we believe that our outlook on length of ownership and active management on our part may alleviate the concern that many private company operators and parent companies may have with regard to their businesses going through multiple sale processes in a short period of time. We believe this outlook enhances our ability to develop a comprehensive strategy to grow the earnings and cash flows of each of our businesses.

Finally, it has been our experience, that our ability to acquire businesses without the cumbersome delays and conditions typical of third party transactional financing is appealing to sellers of businesses who are interested in confidentiality, speed and certainty to close.

We believe our management team’s strong relationships with industry executives, accountants, attorneys, business brokers, commercial and investment bankers, and other potential sources of acquisition opportunities offer us substantial opportunities to assess small to middle market businesses available for acquisition. In addition, the flexibility, creativity, experience and expertise of our management team in structuring transactions allows us to consider non-traditional and complex transactions tailored to fit a specific acquisition target.

In terms of the businesses in which we have a controlling interest as of December 31, 2023, we believe that these businesses have strong management teams, operate in strong markets with defensible market niches, and maintain long-standing customer relationships.

We categorize the businesses we own into two separate groups (i) branded consumer businesses and, (ii) industrial businesses. Branded consumer businesses are those businesses that we believe capitalize on a valuable brand name in their respective market sector. We believe that our branded consumer businesses are leaders in their particular product categories. Industrial businesses are those businesses that focus on manufacturing and selling products and industrial services within a specific market sector. We believe that our industrial businesses are leaders in their specific market sectors. In 2022, we announced that we will consider potential acquisitions in a third industry category - healthcare. Healthcare has multiple attractive, high-growth sectors with strong barriers to entry and advantageous demographic trends.

The following is a brief summary of the businesses in which we own a controlling interest at December 31, 2023:

5.11

5.11 ABR Corp. ("5.11") is a leading provider of purpose-built technical apparel and gear for law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, and military special operations as well as outdoor and adventure enthusiasts. 5.11 is a brand known for innovation and authenticity, and works directly with end users to create purpose-built apparel, footwear and gear designed to enhance the safety, accuracy, speed and performance of tactical professionals and enthusiasts worldwide. Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, 5.11 operates sales offices and distribution centers globally, and 5.11 products are widely distributed in uniform stores, military exchanges, outdoor retail stores, its own retail stores and on 511tactical.com. We made loans to and purchased a controlling interest in 5.11 for approximately $408.2 million in August 2016. We currently own 97.2% of the outstanding stock of 5.11 on a primary basis and 88.9% on a fully diluted basis.

BOA

BOA Holdings Inc. ("BOA") creator of the revolutionary, award-winning, patented BOA Fit System, partners with market-leading brands to make the best gear even better. Delivering fit solutions purpose-built for performance, the BOA Fit System is featured in footwear across snow sports, cycling, outdoor, athletic, workwear as well as performance headwear and bracing. The system consists of three integral parts: a micro-adjustable dial, high-tensile lightweight laces, and low friction lace guides creating a superior alternative to laces, buckles, Velcro, and other traditional closure mechanisms. Each unique BOA configuration is designed with brand partners to deliver superior fit and performance for athletes, is engineered to perform in the toughest conditions and is backed by The BOA Lifetime Guarantee. BOA is headquartered in Denver, Colorado and has offices in Austria, Greater China, South Korea, and Japan. We made loans to, and acquired a controlling interest in, BOA on October 16, 2020 for approximately$456.8 million. We currently own 91.8% of the outstanding stock of BOA on a primary basis and 83.2% on a fully diluted basis.

Ergobaby Carrier, Inc. (“Ergobaby”), headquartered in Torrance, California, is a designer, marketer and distributer of wearable baby carriers and accessories, blankets and swaddlers, nursing pillows, strollers, bouncers and related products. Ergobaby primarily sells its Ergobaby and Baby Tula branded products through brick-and-mortar retailers, national chain stores, online retailers, its own websites and distributors and derives more than 50% of its sales from outside of the United States. We made loans to, and purchased a controlling interest in, Ergobaby on September 16, 2010 for approximately $85.2 million. We currently own 81.6% of the outstanding stock of Ergobaby on a primary basis and 72.8% on a fully diluted basis.

Lugano

Lugano Holdings, Inc. ("Lugano Diamonds" or "Lugano"), is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of high-end, one-of-a-kind jewelry sought after by some of the world’s most discerning clientele. Lugano conducts sales via its own retail salons as well as pop-up showrooms at Lugano-hosted or sponsored events in partnership with influential organizations in the equestrian, art and philanthropic community. Lugano is headquartered in Newport Beach, California. We made loans to, and purchased a controlling interest in, Lugano on September 3, 2021 for approximately $265.1 million. We currently own 59.9% of the outstanding stock of Lugano on a primary basis and 55.5% on a fully diluted basis.

PrimaLoft Technologies Holdings, Inc. ("PrimaLoft") is a leading provider of branded, high-performance synthetic insulation and materials used primarily in consumer outerwear, and accessories. The portfolio of PrimaLoft synthetic insulations offers products that can both mimic natural down aesthetics and provide the freedom to design garments ranging from stylish puffers to lightweight performance apparel. PrimaLoft insulations also offer superior economics to the brand partner and enable better sustainability characteristics through the use of recycled, low-carbon inputs. We made loans to, and purchased a controlling interest in, PrimaLoft on July 12, 2022 for approximately $541.1 million. PrimaLoft is headquartered in Latham, New York. We currently own 90.7% of the outstanding stock of PrimaLoft on a primary basis and 83.1% on a fully diluted basis.

Velocity Outdoor Inc. ("Velocity Outdoor" or "Velocity") is a leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of airguns, archery products, laser aiming devices, hunting apparel and related accessories. Velocity Outdoor offers its products under the Crosman, Benjamin, LaserMax, Ravin, CenterPoint and King's Camo brands that are available through national retail chains, mass merchants, dealer and distributor networks. The airgun product category consists of air rifles, air pistols and a range of accessories including targets, holsters and cases. Velocity Outdoor's other primary product categories are archery, with products including CenterPoint and Ravin crossbows, consumables, which includes steel and plastic BBs, lead pellets and CO2 cartridges, lasers for firearms, and airsoft products. The apparel category offers high-performance, feature rich hunting and casual apparel utilizing King’s own proprietary camo patterns. We made loans to, and purchased a controlling interest in, Velocity Outdoor on June 2, 2017 for approximately $150.4 million. In September 2018, Velocity acquired Ravin Crossbows, LLC ("Ravin" or "Ravin Crossbows"), a manufacturer and innovator of crossbows and accessories. Ravin primarily focuses on the higher-end segment of the crossbow market and has developed significant intellectual property related to the advancement of crossbow technology. In July 2022, Velocity acquired Kings Camo LLC which designs and sells hunting and casual apparel utilizing King’s own proprietary camouflage patterns. Velocity Outdoor is headquartered in Bloomfield, New York. We currently own 99.4% of the outstanding stock of Velocity Outdoor on a primary basis and 87.7% on a fully diluted basis.

FFI Compass, Inc. ("Altor Solutions" or "Altor") (formerly "Foam Fabricators"), headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a designer and manufacturer of custom molded protective foam solutions and OEM components made from expanded polystyrene (EPS) and other expanded polymers. Altor provides products to a variety of end-markets, including appliances and electronics, pharmaceuticals, health and wellness, automotive, building products and others. Altor’s molded foam solutions offer shock and vibration protection, surface protection, temperature control, resistance to water absorption and vapor transmission and other protective properties critical for shipping small, delicate items, heavy equipment or temperature-sensitive goods. Altor operates 15 molding and fabricating facilities across North America, creating a geographic footprint of strategically located manufacturing plants to efficiently serve national customer accounts. We acquired Altor on February 15, 2018 for a purchase price of approximately $253.4 million. We currently own 99.3% of the outstanding stock of Altor on a primary basis and 89.8% on a fully diluted basis.

Arnold

AMT Acquisition Corp. ("Arnold") serves a variety of markets including aerospace and defense, general industrial, motorsport/ automotive, oil and gas, medical, energy, reprographics and advertising specialties. Over the course of more than 100 years, Arnold has successfully evolved and adapted its products, technologies, and manufacturing presence to meet the demands of current and emerging markets. Arnold engineers solutions for and produces high performance permanent magnets (PMAG), stators, rotors and full electric motors ("Ramco"), precision foil products (Precision Thin Metals or "PTM"), and flexible magnets (Flexmag™) that are mission critical in motors, generators, sensors and other systems and components. Arnold has expanded globally and built strong relationships with its customers worldwide. Arnold is the largest and, we believe, the most technically advanced U.S. manufacturer of engineered magnetic systems. Arnold is headquartered in Rochester, New York. We made loans to, and purchased a controlling interest in, Arnold on March 5, 2012 for approximately $128.8 million. We currently own 98.0% of the outstanding stock of Arnold on a primary basis and 85.5% on a fully diluted basis.

Sterno

SternoCandleLamp Holdings, Inc. ("Sterno"), headquartered in Plano, Texas, is the parent company of Sterno Products, LLC ("Sterno Products") and Rimports, LLC ("Rimports"). Sterno is a leading manufacturer and marketer of portable food warming systems, creative indoor and outdoor lighting, and home fragrance solutions for the consumer markets. Sterno also manufactures creative indoor and outdoor lighting and home fragrance solutions for consumer markets. Sterno offers a broad range of wick and gel chafing systems, butane stoves and accessories, liquid and traditional wax candles, catering equipment and lamps through Sterno Products, as well as scented wax cubes, warmer products, outdoor lighting and essential oils used for home decor and fragrance systems, through Rimports.We made loans to, and purchased all of the equity interests in, Sterno on October 10, 2014 for approximately $160.0 million. Sterno offers a broad range of wick and gel chafing fuels, butane stoves and accessories, liquid and traditional wax candles, catering equipment and lamps through their Sterno Products division. In February 2018, Sterno acquired Rimports, a manufacturer and distributor of branded and private label scented wax cubes and warmer products used for home decor and fragrance systems. We currently own 99.4% of the outstanding stock of Sterno on a primary basis and 87.6% on a fully diluted basis.

Our businesses also represent our operating segments. See “Our Businesses” and “Note F – Operating Segment Data” to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of our businesses as our operating segments, including information related to geographies.

2023 Distributions

Common shares - For the 2023 fiscal year we declared distributions to our common shareholders totaling $1.00 per share.

Preferred shares - For the 2023 fiscal year we declared distributions to our preferred shareholders totaling $1.8125 per share on our Series A Preferred Shares, $1.96875 per share on our Series B Preferred Shares and $1.96875 per share on our Series C Preferred Shares.

Tax Reporting

On August 3, 2021, the shareholders of CODI approved amendments to the Second Amended and Restated Trust Agreement of the Trust and the Fifth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement of the Company to allow the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) to cause the Trust to elect to be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes (the “tax reclassification”) and, at its discretion in the future, cause the Trust to be converted to a corporation. Following the shareholder vote, the Board resolved to cause the Trust to elect to be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The Trust was taxed as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes since January 1, 2007 and until the tax reclassification became effective on September 1, 2021.

The Trust will be treated as a corporation for any taxable period beginning on or after the tax reclassification. Income, gain, loss, deduction and credit from the Trust will no longer be passed through to the Trust shareholders. The Trust issued its final Schedule K-1s for the taxable period beginning January 1, 2021 and ending August 31, 2021, the last day on which the Trust was treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The Trust will be required to file Form 1120, U.S. Corporation Income Tax Return on an annual basis and for all taxable periods beginning on or after the tax reclassification. In addition, distribution with respect to Trust shares (including Trust preferred shares) will now be reported on Form 1099-DIV, instead of on Schedule K-1.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC" or the "Commission"), including Forms S-1 and S-3 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), which include exhibits, schedules and amendments to those reports, as well as other filings required by the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, copies of such reports, and amendments thereto, are available free of charge through our website athttp://www.ir.compassequity.com as soon as reasonably practicable after such documents are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.

Organizational Structure (1)

1)The percentage holdings shown in respect to the trust reflect the ownership of the Trust common shares as of December 31, 2023, and the subsidiaries owned by the Company are as of December 31, 2023. On January 31, 2024, the Company acquired The Honey Pot Co, which is not reflected in the above organizational structure.
2)Path Spirit Limited is the ultimate controlling person of CGI Holdings Maygar LLC. CGI Maygar Holdings, LLC owns approximately 10.6% of the Trust common shares and is our single largest holder. Our non-affiliated holders of common shares own approximately 87.5% of the Trust common shares. The remaining 1.9% of Trust common shares are owned by our Directors and Officers. Mr. Sabo, our Chief Executive Officer, is not a director, officer or member of CGI Maygar Holdings, LLC or any of its affiliates.
3)63.0% beneficially owned by certain persons who are employees and partners of our Manager. A former member of our Board of Directors, and the former founding partners of the Manager, are non-managing members.
4)Mr. Sabo is a partner of this entity. The Manager owns less than 1.0% of the common shares of the Trust.
5)The Allocation Interests, which carry the right to receive a profit allocation, represent less than 0.1% equity interest in the Company.

Our Manager

Our Manager, CGM, has been engaged to manage the day-to-day operations and affairs of the Company and to execute our strategy, as discussed below. Collectively, our management team has extensive experience in acquiring and managing small and middle market businesses. We believe our Manager is unique in the marketplace in terms of the success and experience of its employees in acquiring and managing diverse businesses of the size and general nature of our businesses. We believe this experience will provide us with an advantage in executing our overall strategy. Our management team devotes substantially all of its time to the affairs of the Company.

We have entered into a management services agreement, (the “Management Services Agreement” or “MSA”) pursuant to which our Manager manages the day-to-day operations and affairs of the Company and oversees the management and operations of our businesses. We pay our Manager a quarterly management fee for the services it performs on our behalf. In addition, certain persons who are employees and partners of our Manager receive a profit allocation with respect to its Allocation Interests in us. All of the Allocation Interests in us are owned by Sostratus LLC. Payment of profit allocations to Sostratus LLC can occur for each of our subsidiaries during the 30-day period following the fifth anniversary of the date upon which we acquired a controlling interest in that business (a "Holding Event") to the extent contribution based profit has been earned, and upon the sale of a subsidiary from which there is a realizable gain (a "Sale Event"). See Part III, Item 13 “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence” for further descriptions of the management fees and profit allocations.

The Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are employees of our Manager and have been seconded to us. Neither the Trust nor the LLC has any other employees. Although our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are employees of our Manager, they report directly to the LLC’s board of directors. The management fee paid to our Manager covers all expenses related to the services performed by our Manager, including the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and other personnel providing services to us. The LLC reimburses our Manager for the compensation and related costs and expenses of our Chief Financial Officer and his staff, who dedicate substantially all of their time to the affairs of the Company.

See Part III, Item 13, “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions, and Director Independence.”

Market Opportunity

We acquire and actively manage small and middle market businesses. We characterize small to middle market businesses as those that generate annual cash flows of up to $100 million per year. We believe that the acquisition market for these businesses is highly fragmented and often provides opportunities to purchase at more attractive prices and achieve better outcomes for our shareholders. We believe this is driven by the following factors:

third-party financing for these acquisitions is often less available or terms are less favorable for the borrower;

sellers of these businesses frequently consider non-economic factors, such as legacy or the effect of the sale on their employees;

these businesses are more likely to be sold outside of an auction process or as part of a limited process; and

"add-on" acquisitions can often be completed at attractive multiples of cash flow.

Frequently, opportunities exist to support and augment existing management at such businesses and improve the performance of these businesses upon their acquisition through active management. We are business builders rather than asset traders. In the past, our management team has acquired businesses that were owned by entrepreneurs or large corporate parents. In these cases, our management team has frequently found opportunities to profitably invest in areas of the acquired businesses beyond levels that existed at the time of acquisition. In addition, our management team has frequently found that processes such as financial reporting and management information systems of acquired businesses may be improved, leading to improvements in reporting and operations and ultimately earnings and cash flow. Finally, our management team often acts as a business development arm for our businesses to pursue organic or external growth strategies that may not have been pursued by their previous owners.

Our Strategy

CODI’s permanent capital structure enables us to invest in people, processes, culture, and growth opportunities that drive transformational change. We have two primary strategies that we use to support long-term value creation. First, we focus on growing the earnings and cash flow from our acquired subsidiary businesses and help them professionalize at scale. We believe that the scale and scope of our businesses give us a diverse base of cash flow upon which to further build. Second, we identify, perform due diligence on, negotiate and consummate additional platform acquisitions of small to middle market businesses in attractive industry sectors in accordance with acquisition criteria established by the board of directors.

Management Strategy

Our management strategy involves the proactive financial and operational management of the subsidiaries we own in order to increase cash flows and shareholder value. Our Manager actively oversees and supports the management teams of each of our subsidiaries by, among other things:

recruiting and retaining talented managers to operate our businesses using structured incentive compensation programs, including non-controlling equity ownership, tailored to each business;

regularly monitoring financial and operational performance, instilling consistent financial discipline, and supporting management in the development and implementation of information systems to effectively achieve these goals;

identifying and aligning with external policy and performance tailwinds such as those influenced by growing climate, health, and social justice concerns (and similar environmental, social and governance ("ESG") drivers);

assisting management in their analysis and pursuit of prudent organic growth strategies;

identifying and working with management to execute attractive external growth and acquisition opportunities;

assisting management in controlling and right-sizing overhead costs;

nurturing an internal culture of transparency, alignment, accountability and governance, including regular reporting;

professionalizing our subsidiaries at scale; and

forming strong subsidiary level boards of directors to supplement management in their development and implementation of strategic goals and objectives.

Specifically, while our businesses have different growth opportunities and potential rates of growth, we expect our Manager to work with the management teams of each of our businesses to increase the value of, and cash generated by, each business through various initiatives, including:

making selective capital investments to expand geographic reach, increase capacity, or reduce manufacturing costs of our businesses;

investing in product research and development for new products, processes or services for customers;

improving and expanding existing sales and marketing programs;

pursuing reductions in operating costs through improved operational efficiency or outsourcing of certain processes and products; and

consolidating or improving management of certain overhead functions.

Our businesses typically acquire and integrate complementary businesses. We believe that complementary add-on acquisitions improve our overall financial and operational performance by allowing us to:

leverage manufacturing and distribution operations;

leverage branding and marketing programs, as well as customer relationships;

add experienced management or management expertise;

increase market share and penetrate new markets; and

realize cost synergies by allocating the corporate overhead expenses of our businesses across a larger number of businesses and by implementing and coordinating improved management practices.

Acquisition Strategy

Our acquisition strategy is to acquire businesses that we expect to produce stable and growing earnings and cash flow. In this respect, we expect to make platform acquisitions in industries other than those in which our businesses currently operate if we believe an acquisition presents an attractive opportunity. We believe that attractive opportunities will continue to present themselves, as private sector owners seek to monetize their interests in long-standing and privately-held businesses and large corporate parents seek to dispose of their “non-core” operations.

Our ideal acquisition candidate has the following characteristics:

is a leading branded consumer, industrial or healthcare company headquartered in North America;

maintains highly defensible position in the markets it serves and with customers;

operates in an industry with favorable long-term macroeconomic trends;

has a strong management team, either currently in place or previously identified, and meaningful incentives;

has low technological and/or product obsolescence risk; and

maintains a diversified customer and supplier base.

In 2022, we announced that we will consider potential acquisitions in a third industry category - healthcare. Healthcare has multiple attractive, high-growth sectors with strong barriers to entry and advantageous demographic trends. We believe acquisitions in the healthcare industry will bring further diversification and earnings stability to our current group of subsidiaries and will have strong alignment with the existing criteria for acquisition candidates. Our Manager hired a head of healthcare who will partner with our existing team to launch our acquisition strategy in the healthcare industry. Although we have not completed an acquisition in the healthcare category, we continue to pursue potential acquisitions and remain excited about the opportunities that exist in the industry.

We benefit from our Manager’s ability to identify potential diverse acquisition opportunities in a variety of industries. In addition, we rely upon our management team’s experience and expertise in researching and valuing prospective target businesses, as well as negotiating the ultimate acquisition of such target businesses. In particular, because there may be a lack of information available about these target businesses, which may make it more difficult to understand or appropriately value such target businesses, on our behalf, our Manager:

engages in a substantial level of internal and third-party due diligence;

critically evaluates the target management team;

identifies and assesses any financial and operational strengths and weaknesses of the target business;

analyzes comparable businesses to assess financial and operational performances relative to industry competitors;

actively researches and evaluates information on the relevant industry; and

thoroughly negotiates appropriate terms and conditions of any acquisition.

The process of acquiring new businesses is both time-consuming and complex. Our management team historically has taken fromtwo to twenty-four months to perform due diligence, negotiate and close acquisitions. Although our management team is at various stages of evaluating several transactions at any given time, there may be periods of time during which our management team does not recommend any new acquisitions to us. Even if an acquisition is recommended by our management team, our board of directors may not approve it.

A component of our acquisition financing strategy that we utilize in acquiring the businesses we own and manage is to provide both equity capital and debt capital, raised at the parent company level largely through our existing credit facility. We believe, and it has been our experience, that having the ability to finance our acquisitions with capital resources raised by us, rather than negotiating separate third-party financing, provides us with an advantage in successfully acquiring attractive businesses by minimizing delay and closing conditions that are often related to acquisition-specific financings. In addition, our strategy of providing this intercompany debt financing within the capital structure of the businesses we acquire and manage allows us the ability to distribute cash to the parent company through monthly interest payments and amortization of principle on these intercompany loans.

Upon acquisition of a new business, we rely on our Manager’s experience and expertise to work efficiently and effectively with the management of the new business to jointly develop and execute a successful business plan.

Strategic Advantages

Based on the experience of our management team and its ability to identify and negotiate acquisitions, we believe we are well-positioned to acquire additional businesses. Our management team has strong relationships with business brokers, investment and commercial bankers, accountants, attorneys and other potential sources of acquisition opportunities. In addition, our management team has a successful track record of acquiring and managing small-to-middle market businesses in various industries. In negotiating these acquisitions, we believe our management team has been able to successfully navigate complex situations surrounding acquisitions, including corporate spin-offs, transitions of family-owned businesses, management buy-outs and reorganizations.

Our management team has a large network that we estimate to be approximately 2,000 deal interme diaries who we expect to expose us to potential acquisitions. Through this network, as well as our management team’s proprietary transaction sourcing efforts, we have a substantial pipeline of potential acquisition targets. Our management team also has a well-established network of contacts, including professional managers, attorneys, accountants and other third-party consultants and advisors, who may be available to assist us in the performance of due diligence and the negotiation of acquisitions, as well as the management and operation of our acquired businesses.

Finally, because we intend to fund acquisitions through the utilization of our 2022 Revolving Credit Facility, we expect to minimize the delays and closing conditions typically associated with transaction specific financing, as is typically the case in such acquisitions. We believe this advantage can be a powerful one, especially in a tight credit environment, and is highly unusual in the marketplace for acquisitions in which we operate.

Valuation and Due Diligence

When evaluating businesses or assets for acquisition, our management team performs rigorous due diligence and a financial evaluation process including an evaluation of the operations of the target business and the outlook for its industry. While valuation of a business is a subjective process, we define valuations under a variety of analyses, including:

discounted cash flow analyses;

evaluation of trading values of comparable companies;

expected value matrices; and

examination of comparable recent transactions.

One outcome of this process is a projection of the expected cash flows from the target business. A further outcome is an understanding of the types and levels of risk associated with those projections. While future performance and projections are always uncertain, we believe that with detailed due diligence, future cash flows will be better estimated and the prospects for operating the business in the future better evaluated. To assist us in identifying material risks and validating key assumptions in our financial and operational analysis, in addition to our own analysis, we engage third-party experts to review key risk areas, including legal, tax, regulatory, accounting, insurance and environmental. We also engage technical, operational or industry consultants, as necessary.

A further critical component of the evaluation of potential target businesses is the assessment of the capability of the existing management team, including recent performance, expertise, experience, culture and incentives to perform. Where necessary, and consistent with our management strategy, we actively seek to augment, supplement or replace existing members of management who we believe are not likely to execute our business plan for the target business. Similarly, we analyze and evaluate the financial and operational information systems of target businesses and, where necessary, we enhance and improve those existing systems that are deemed to be inadequate or insufficient to support our business plan for the target business.

Environmental, Social and Governance

In the last few years, companies, investors and policymakers have focused more attention on - and have made investments in - companies that are considered leaders in ESG practices. We believe that ESG engagement can help drive value creation and have incorporated ESG factors into our acquisition analysis and decision making. We believe strong ESG practices can be long-term performance enhancing and enable us to oversee and balance the needs of important stakeholders in doing so. We are committed to maintaining responsible business practices that position our businesses for long-term success.

Our long-term responsible approach is also reflected in how we manage ourselves. We have been and remain committed to being a responsible partner to our subsidiaries and are proud stewards of corporate citizenship.

Financing

We incur third party debt financing almost entirely at the Company level, which we use, in combination with our equity capital, to provide debt financing to each of our businesses and to acquire additional businesses. We believe this financing structure is beneficial to the financial and operational activities of each of our businesses by aligning our interests as both equity holders of, and lenders to, our businesses, in a manner that we believe is more efficient than each of our businesses borrowing from third-party lenders.

Debt Financing

On July 12, 2022, we entered into the Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement to amend and restate the 2021 Credit Facility. The 2022 Credit Facility provides for revolving loans, swing line loans and letters of credit (the "2022 Revolving Credit Facility") up to a maximum aggregate amount of $600 million (the "2022 Revolving Loan Commitment") and a $400 million term loan (the “2022 Term Loan”). The 2022 Term Loan requires quarterly payments ranging from $2.5 million to $7.5 million, commencing September 30, 2022, with a final payment of all remaining principal and interest due on July 12, 2027, which is the 2022 Term Loan’s maturity date. All amounts outstanding under the 2022 Revolving Line of Credit will become due on July 12, 2027, which is the termination date of the 2022 Revolving Loan Commitment. The 2022 Credit Facility also permits the LLC, prior to the applicable maturity date, to increase the 2022 Revolving Loan Commitment and/or obtain additional term loans in an aggregate amount of up to $250 million, subject to certain restrictions and conditions. On the closing date for the 2022 Credit Facility, the 2022 Term Loan was advanced in full. We used the initial proceeds from the 2022 Credit Facility to pay all amounts outstanding under the 2021 Credit Facility, pay fees and expenses incurred in connection with the 2022 Credit Facility and fund the acquisition of PrimaLoft.

The 2022 Credit Facility provides for letters of credit under the 2022 Revolving Credit Facility in an aggregate face amount not to exceed $100 million outstanding at any time, as well as swing line loans of up to $25 million outstanding at one time. At no time may the (i) aggregate principal amount of all amounts outstanding under the 2022 Revolving Credit Facility, plus (ii) the aggregate amount of all outstanding letters of credit and swing line loans, exceed the borrowing availability under the 2022 Credit Facility. At December 31, 2023, we had outstanding letters of credit totaling approximately $2.2 million. The borrowing availability under the 2022 Revolving Credit Facility at December 31, 2023 was approximately $597.8 million.

The 2022 Credit Facility is secured by all of the assets of the Company, including all of its equity interests in, and loans to, its consolidated subsidiaries. (See "Note I - Debt" to the consolidated financial statements for more detail regarding our 2022 Credit Facility).

On November 17, 2021, we consummated the issuance and sale of $300 million aggregate principal amount of our 5.000% Notes due 2032 (the "2032 Notes") offered pursuant to a private offering to qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act, and to non-U.S. persons under Regulation S under the Securities Act. The 2032 Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture, dated as of November 17, 2021 (the “2032 Notes Indenture”), between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee. The 2032 Notes bear interest at the rate of 5.000% per annum and will mature on January 15, 2032. Interest on the 2032 Notes is payable in cash on July 15th and January 15th of each year. The 2032 Notes are general unsecured obligations of the Company and are not guaranteed by our subsidiaries. The proceeds from the sale of the 2032 Notes was used to repay debt outstanding under the 2021 Credit Facility.

On March 23, 2021, we consummated the issuance and sale of $1,000 million aggregate principal amount of our 5.250% Notes due 2029 (the "2029 Notes") offered pursuant to a private offering to qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act, and to non-U.S. persons under Regulation S under the Securities Act. The 2029 Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture, dated as of March 23, 2021 (the “2029 Notes Indenture”), between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee. The 2029 Notes bear interest at the rate of 5.250% per annum and will mature on April 15, 2029. Interest on the 2029 Notes is payable in cash on April 15th and October 15th of each year. The 2029 Notes are general unsecured obligations of the Company and are not guaranteed by our subsidiaries.

The proceeds from the sale of the 2029 Notes was used to repay debt outstanding under the 2018 Credit Facility in connection with our entry into the 2021 Credit Facility, and to redeem our 8.000% Senior Notes due 2026 (the “2026 Notes”).

Equity Financing

Trust Common Shares

The Trust is authorized to issue 500,000,000 Trust common shares and the Company is authorized to issue a corresponding number of LLC interests. The Company will, at all times have an equal amount of LLC interests outstanding as Trust shares. At December 31, 2023, there were 75.3 million Trust common shares outstanding.

Share repurchase program

In January 2023, the Company's Board of Directors approved a share repurchase program authorizing the Company to repurchase, through December 31, 2023, up to $50 million of its outstanding common shares. The Company repurchased 482,400 shares for approximately $9.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2023. The share repurchase program expired on December 31, 2023.

Private Placement

On December 15, 2023, the Company completed the sale of 3,550,000 common shares to Allspring Special Small Cap Value Fund for consideration per share equal to $21.18 per share, or an aggregate sale price of approximately $75.2 million. In connection with the issuance of the Shares, CODI paid a commission equal to 1% of the aggregate sales price, or approximately $752,000. The issuance of the common shares was private placement to an accredited investor and was exempt from registration under the Securities Act. The sale of the common shares was made pursuant to a subscription agreement pursuant to which the buyer agreed not to dispose of the common shares for a period of six months following the date of the private placement.

At-the market program

On September 7, 2021, we filed a prospectus supplement pursuant to which we may, but we have no obligation to, issue and sell up to $500 million shares of the common shares of the Trust in amounts and at times to be determined by us. Actual sales will depend on a variety of factors to be determined by us from time to time, including, market conditions, the trading price of Trust common shares and determinations by us regarding appropriate sources of funding. In connection with this offering, we entered into an At Market Issuance Sales Agreement with B. Riley Securities, Inc. (“B. Riley”) and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (“Goldman”) pursuant to which we may sell common shares of the Trust having an aggregate offering price of up to $500 million, from time to time through B. Riley and Goldman, acting as sales agents and/or principals. We sold 3,464,844 Trust common shares during the year ended December 31, 2022 and received net proceeds of approxi mately$84.0 million. Weincurred approximately$1.5 million in commissions payable to the Sales Agents during the year ended December 31, 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2023, there were no sales of Trust common shares under the Sales Agreement as the at-the-market program is not active when the share repurchase program is active.

Trust Preferred Shares

The Trust is authorized to issue up to 50,000,000 million Trust preferred shares and the Company is authorized to issue a corresponding number of Trust Interests. We issued 4,000,000 7.250% Series A Preferred Shares in 2017, 4,000,000 7.875% Series B Preferred Shares in 2018 and 4,600,000 7.875% Series C Preferred Shares in 2019.

We intend to finance future acquisitions through our 2022 Revolving Credit Facility, cash on hand and, if necessary, additional equity and debt financings. We believe, and it has been our experience, that having the ability to finance our acquisitions with the capital resources raised by us, rather than negotiating separate third-party financing specifically related to the acquisition of individual businesses, provides us with an advantage in acquiring attractive businesses by minimizing delay and closing conditions that are often related to acquisition-specific financings. In this respect, we believe that in the future, we may need to pursue additional debt or equity financings, or offer equity in Holdings or target businesses to the sellers of such target businesses, in order to fund multiple future acquisitions.

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