May River Capital Completes Sale of Dickson
Chicago, IL – September 23, 2026 – May River Capital today announced that its portfolio company Dickson has been acquired by Copeland, a portfolio company of Blackstone. Copeland is a global leader in compression technologies and controls solutions, with over 100 years of expertise and approximately 18,000 colleagues across more than 40 countries.
May River acquired Dickson in April 2018. Since then, May River and Dickson’s management team have transformed the business from a family-owned, single-site operation into a global environmental monitoring platform serving customers in more than 50 countries from its operations in Addison, Illinois, Montpellier, France and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The team strengthened Dickson’s commercial capabilities, invested in next-generation sensing and cloud-based monitoring solutions, and positioned the business to serve highly regulated life sciences and pharmaceutical applications. The successful take-private acquisition of Oceasoft, a publicly traded French environmental monitoring company, further expanded the Company’s technology portfolio and international presence.
Rick Weiler, President and CEO of Dickson, commented, “With May River’s support, we have invested in our people and expanded our product and technology capabilities, enhancing Dickson’s ability to support the critical environmental monitoring needs of life sciences customers around the world. Joining Copeland marks an exciting next chapter for Dickson, and we look forward to the opportunities ahead within its broader global platform.”
Steve Griesemer, Partner at May River Capital, commented, “Rick and the Dickson team have been outstanding partners, and the strength of the organization today is a testament to their leadership and dedication. Through our partnership with management, we have transformed Dickson into a global leader in its industry and positioned it for further growth. We believe Copeland is an ideal partner for Dickson’s next chapter and will help the Company extend its capabilities to an even broader customer base.”
Houlihan Lokey served as lead financial advisor with William Blair & Company L.L.C. as co-financial advisor to May River and Dickson. Paul Hastings LLP served as legal counsel.
About May River
May River Capital is a Chicago-based private equity firm focused on investing in lower middle-market industrial growth companies. May River invests in high-quality industrial growth businesses, including advanced manufacturing, engineered products and instrumentation, specialized industrial services, and value-added industrial distribution services. For more information, please visit www.mayrivercapital.com.
About Dickson
Founded in 1923 and based in Addison, Illinois, Dickson provides environmental monitoring solutions, including software, connected monitoring devices, sensors and services, for regulated applications. The Company serves customers in more than 50 countries, with a focus on life sciences, pharmaceutical, healthcare, medical device and other compliance-driven markets. For more information, please visit www.dicksondata.com.
