Canadian investment firm Fengate Private Equity has acquired a majority stake in Clinical Research of West Florida, a Tampa Bay company that has conducted more than 1,000 clinical trials over the past three decades and now plans to expand into new markets.
The acquisition, announced Tuesday, Oct. 13, gives Fengate control of a business with three research facilities across Tampa and Clearwater and a database of more than 35,000 patients. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Founded in 1995 by Lynne Merriam and led since 2002 by President Aydin Keskiner, Clinical Research of West Florida has built a clinical team led by six board-certified principal investigators who have conducted studies for nearly 300 pharmaceutical sponsors and contract research organizations.
Their work spans autoimmune diseases, pulmonology, endocrinology and other medical specialties, with research conducted across all four phases of clinical development, including a dedicated Phase I unit for early human testing of experimental treatments.
The company’s established patient base and relationships with pharmaceutical sponsors give Fengate a starting point for building a larger research network, with plans to open additional facilities, hire clinical staff and partner with independent operators in markets beyond Southwest Florida.
The investment will also support expanded trial capacity and additional medical specialties, although the companies have not identified their first expansion markets or announced potential acquisition targets.
For Keskiner, who has spent nearly a quarter-century leading the business, the investment brings outside capital to a company built around longtime employees and relationships with patients and investigators.
“We have built CRWF as a family business, site by site, with investigators and a clinical team that has been with us for decades,” Keskiner said. “Fengate brings the capital, industry expertise, and sponsor relationships to expand beyond Southwestern Florida. We’ll grow CRWF opening new sites in high-demand markets and partnering with independent site owners who want the resources to grow. What we won’t change is the experience patients have here.”
The acquisition also extends Fengate’s pharmaceutical services business from commercialization into clinical development, marking the firm’s second platform investment in the sector.
Fengate manages more than $19 billion in assets across private equity, infrastructure and real estate, and is overseeing the transaction on behalf of the LiUNA Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada.
Maxim Tcherner, managing director at Fengate Private Equity, said the firm intends to build a regional network around Clinical Research of West Florida while retaining the investigators, patient relationships and clinical practices that have supported its growth.
Westcove Partners served as financial advisor to Clinical Research of West Florida. Neither company disclosed the exact ownership percentage acquired or a timetable for expansion.