Concrete does not care about hype. It cares about ratios, pressure, timing. Get it wrong and it cracks. Get it right and it outlives you. Erie Strayer has been getting it right since 1912, when G.H. Strayer started a steel shop in Erie, Pennsylvania with 9 people and a welding torch. By World War II, the company built more than 100 overhead electric traveling cranes and thousands of clamshell and dragline buckets for the U.S. Army and Navy. By 1950, the focus shifted fully to concrete batching. Today, from 1851 Rudolph Ave on 21 acres and 175,000 square feet of manufacturing space, Erie Strayer stands as a 4th generation manufacturer blending steel discipline with automation.
On February 11, 2026, CQL Capital announced a strategic investment in Erie Strayer. Star Mountain Capital joined as lead co investor, alongside UMB Private Investments, Tecum Capital, Brookside Capital Partners, and Everside Capital Partners. Stifel served as exclusive sell side advisor. Terms were not disclosed. When a family owned business chooses its first private equity partner after 4 generations, the decision is less about valuation and more about alignment. Legacy is not a line item. It is leverage.
Kyle F. Strayer remains President and CEO, fully engaged in day to day operations, and the management team stays in place. Customers, dealers, and vendors continue working with the same contacts. That continuity matters. This structure signals expansion without sacrificing identity.
Erie Strayer builds more than batch plants. It builds control. The Liberty Series Batching Control System features a graphical user interface, proportional discharge of materials, a manual control panel independent of the batch computer, Ethernet connectivity with a Watch Dog plant safe state feature, and a liquid cooled PC with no fans or moving parts. The system integrates with accounting and dispatch software, supports Polarmatic infrared moisture sensors, and requires no annual fees. More than 1,000 ERIE Tilt Mixers operate worldwide across ready mix, highway, airport, and heavy civil projects.
CQL Capital’s Darrick Geant, Dana Rosenberg, and Michael Duffy now serve as Board Directors at Erie Strayer. Together they bring more than 80 years of combined investing and operating experience to a company automating since 1960, evolving from early NCR printer systems to Unix based platforms and the Liberty system introduced in 2015. The focus is clear: invest in innovation, strengthen employee development, and expand aftermarket support, service, and parts. In concrete, margins are earned long after installation. The real mix is hardware, software, and lifetime service. When capital and character align, foundations get stronger.
