Keeping Meridian, Meridian: How Great Range Capital Helped Preserve a Trusted Brand While Fueling Growth

Keeping Meridian, Meridian: How Great Range Capital Helped Preserve a Trusted Brand While Fueling Growth

If you visit the team page on Meridian Restoration's website, you'll come across the following promise: "At Meridian Restoration, we don't just restore properties-we restore peace of mind."

As disaster response and restoration professionals specializing in property damage caused by fires, floods, storms, and environmental/biological hazards, the team at Meridian knows how to handle stressful situations. They specialize in supporting customers during some of their toughest challenges.

But when Meridian was faced with its own challenge-how to let its founders retire while preserving its legacy-it was Meridian's turn to look for partners who could give them peace of mind.

Restoration Breeds Innovation
Meridian Restoration was started by Keith Brumbelow and Henry Shugart in April of 2006. After spending most of their lives working in construction, Keith and Henry had a lightbulb moment while restoring a home that had been hit by a tree. Insurance claim jobs, they noticed, offered two big perks. First, Keith and Henry were able to provide meaningful, necessary help to families in need. And second, by partnering directly with insurance companies, the payment process was smooth and streamlined.

In the beginning, they worked out of their homes, but it didn't take long for Meridian to grow in size and scope. Keith and Henry opened brick-and-mortar offices in Georgia, hired employees, and expanded their services, becoming a one-stop shop for restoration services.

Fifteen years in, Meridian had grown to four Atlanta-area locations with no signs of slowing down. Eager to ensure the business had what it needed to keep scaling, Keith and Henry began looking for someone who could provide Meridian with the structure and standardized processes it needed going forward. That's when they met Allan Keller.

The Lunch That Launched Meridian's Next Phase
Allan was working as the Operations Controller for Tsubaki Nakashima in 2021 when a former colleague invited him to lunch. Upon arrival, Allan found two people were waiting for him instead of one. The surprise addition was Keith Brumbelow, and by the end of the meal, Keith was ready to introduce Allan to Henry.

With an extensive background working for large, publicly traded companies, including TROX and United Technologies, Allan had the skillset that Meridian was increasingly in need of. Keith and Henry talked Allan into becoming the Corporate Controller, though Allan admits that he saw the move as a temporary sabbatical of sorts. He planned to spend two years getting Meridian in good shape and then return to his former life. But of course, that's not what happened.

Finding a Partner With a Shared Vision for the Future
In 2023, Keith and Henry told Allan they were ready to retire and wanted to sell the business. They came very close with one company, but the deal ultimately didn't go through. Exhausted after putting in so much effort without getting any closer to the finish line, Keith and Henry put their retirement goals on pause for two or three years-at least that was the plan.

About a year later, Allan encouraged Keith and Henry to try again, this time partnering with a broker instead of attempting it on their own.

"The broker did a really good job of sitting down with me, understanding our business, and creating a marketing send that went out to probably a thousand different private equity firms and larger restoration companies," Allan explains. "Out of that, we got 10 letters of intent, and then Keith and Henry whittled the list down to three, including Great Range Capital."

At that point, the founders encouraged Allan to have a meal with each of the companies.

"Because they were retiring, Keith and Henry knew that I was ultimately the one who would be interacting with the chosen company on a daily basis," says Allan. "They wanted me to enjoy working with the company, and vice versa."

So Allan did just that.

"They were all good companies," he recalls, "but only one shared my five-year vision for Meridian, and that was Great Range Capital-probably in part because we aren't the first emergency fire and water damage remediation company the firm has partnered with."

At the time of this meeting, Great Range already had two similar Midwestern companies, Atlas Restoration Specialists and RUI Restoration, within its RUI Holdings division. A partnership would thus give Allan access to not only financial support, but decades of restoration experience as well. And importantly, the culture was a good fit.

"While other companies and firms talked about coming in, rebranding, and potentially making big changes, Great Range respected the good name we'd established in the market and saw no reason to upset it," says Allan. "They wanted Meridian to still be Meridian but also supported my goals for growing the business."

Meridian is Still Meridian
This time, the due diligence process paid off. Meridian officially became a member of Great Range Capital's RUI Holdings in January 2026, and Allan now serves as Meridian's President. Importantly, the partnership is functioning as promised.

"Great Range has been true to their word," Allan notes. "They didn't come in and boss people around, telling us we were doing everything wrong. They told us we were doing good work and let us keep doing good work. That meant a lot to my team."

And as for Allan's five-year growth plan, it's already underway.

"My goal is for Meridian to have offices throughout the Southeastern U.S.," he explains, "and our partnership with Great Range Capital puts market expansion within reach. Just two days after joining RUI holdings, we were able to open an office in Birmingham, Alabama."

Allan's five-year plan also includes opening offices in Tennessee and South Carolina, as well as working on more commercial and multi-family projects.

"I couldn't have done any of this without the strong team here at Meridian and their let's-do-this attitude," Allan emphasizes. "And with the support of Great Range Capital and RUI Holdings, I'm excited to see what's ahead."

About Great Range Capital

Great Range Capital, a private equity firm based in greater Kansas City, primarily targets equity investments in Midwestern companies with revenues ranging from $20 to $150 million. Reach out to our team to learn more.