The companies we call ours.

PORTFOLIO COMPANIES

ACQUIRED 2022

hq in New Martinsville, West Virginia

A family business that had seen an ownership transition, changing the company a little. When Santiago acquired Sprouse, the goal wasn't to change it. It was to finally give it the resources and stability to become what it was always capable of being by adopting technology and investing significantly in employee benefits.

ACQUIRED 2023

hq in Evansville, Indiana

A decades-old residential window manufacturer with deep roots in the Midwest. When the sellers were ready to transition, one owner wanted to stay and partner with Santiago. He was looking for a partner who'd keep building what he spent a career creating. That's what Santiago does.

CASE STUDY — SPROUSE WINDOWS & DOORS

The first thing Santiago focused on after the acquisition wasn’t the machines or the margins. It's the people who show up every day.

The Situation

A family business that had seen an ownership transition, changing the company a little. When Santiago acquired Sprouse, the goal wasn't to change it. It was to finally give it the resources and stability to become what it was always capable of being by adopting technology and investing significantly in employee benefits.

The Transaction

Better technology and benefits. Modern onboarding — what used to take an hour of paper-based processing now takes 30 minutes through CTR. Shared HR infrastructure and 401(k) access across the portfolio. Leadership that communicated more, trusted more, and held more accountability. The fear didn't last long.

ONBOARDING TIME

60 → 30 min

HR PLATFORM

CTR (new)

401(k)

Yes (shared)

CRM

Nutshell (new)

Benefits tier

Upgraded

-30 min

Onboarding time reduced through HR modernization — from paper-based to digital across the portfolio

401K

Retirement benefits implemented and shared across the Santiago portfolio so no company shoulders the cost alone

↑↑

Employee quality, product quality, and customer perception — all improving in the same direction

Vendor Standing

One visit from AWG's team to the Sprouse facility surfaced a faster method for building extruded screens. Both companies use it now. That's what the portfolio model creates: not top-down process mandates, but peer-to-peer knowledge exchange between operators who face the same problems every day.

The Playbook

New product lines like all-black windows. A new CRM system. A rebranded customer-facing presence. Charity isn't thinking about survival anymore. She's thinking about growth. That's what good ownership looks like.

CASE STUDY — AMERICAN WINDOW & GLASS

Independent manufacturers know what they need. What they rarely have is the free cash flow to get it. Santiago changes that equation on day one.

The Situation

Chris Melton had spent years building American Window & Glass with three partners into a serious regional manufacturer. The business was modestly profitable and well-run. But like most independent operators, the capital required to stay ahead of technology advancements, such as automated equipment, upgraded systems, modern infrastructure, was always competing with the operational demands of running the business.

What Changed

Preparation took 90 days. The full process ran about 10 months. Dan's focus wasn't on finding a way out of the deal, but on understanding the business deeply enough to close with confidence. When diligence finished, nothing changed about the deal. The price they agreed to was the price that closed. And diligence setup the plan for the work to be done after the close.

prep time

90 days

deal timeline

~10 months

glass line AUTOMATION

$3 million

CAPITAL INVESTMENT CADENCE

3+ years

automation

2-operator glass line

$3M

Invested in a single automated glass line post-acquisition

3 YRS

Of consistent equipment investment and technology upgrades across the facility

2→1

Production steps consolidated through automation, needing just two operators

Vendor Standing

Before the acquisition, AWG was one independent manufacturer among many. After Santiago's backing and joining Sprouse in the portfolio, vendors started paying attention differently. The company is now seen as a serious investment partner that buys smart and grows intentionally. Vendors see the vision of continuous investment to include other window and door manufacturers. That changes the conversations you can have.

The Playbook

AWG wasn't just another Santiago acquisition. It became another reference point. Dan calls it a "playbook" — a way of seeing a company's real potential vs. its current state, and a tested approach for moving from one to the other. Every future deal benefits from what was learned here.