Star Shuttle has announced a partnership with Trivest Partners, a Miami-based, founder-focused private equity firm with over 40 years of experience investing in lower and middle market companies and fostering growth.
Star Shuttle, founded in 1992 by the Walker family, provides passenger transportation services to K-12 schools, colleges and universities, corporate partners, government entities, and tour operators across Texas. It offers student transportation, on-demand charters, shuttle services, and scheduled intercity routes.
The company operates a fleet of nearly 200 vehicles,including school buses, motorcoaches, mini-buses, and vans. It is a three-time recipient of the National Safety Council’s Employer Traffic Safety Award.
“We were extremely impressed by what CEO John Walker and the Walker family have achieved to date,” said Steve Reynolds, partner at Trivest. “Their safety-centric culture and excellent service levels have created a deep base of loyal customers with which we’re excited to grow,”
Long history in industry
The Walker family brings over 60 years of experience in the passenger transportation industry, having founded Advantage Rent a Car, at one time the largest independent rental car company in the United States. John Walker will continue to lead Star Shuttle as CEO, with Abbey Walker as CFO and Austin Walker as President.
“Trivest stood out to us for their commitment to maintaining our culture and their extensive resources to help us reach our next stage of growth,” said Walker. “We appreciated their transparent approach to partnership and look forward to their support in continuing to deliver high quality and safe transportation solutions to our customers.”
Trivest Partners, which has a presence in Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto, is a private investment firm that focuses exclusively on the support and growth of founder-led and family-owned businesses in the United States and Canada in control and non-control transactions.
“This acquisition is a continuation of Trivest’s history of partnering with founder and family-owned businesses,” said Reynolds. “John and his team have done a great job navigating a rapidly changing industry, and we see a significant opportunity to build upon the company’s foundation. Trivest looks forward to providing capital and operational resources to assist management in accelerating growth while preserving the Walkers’ legacy.”
