DALLAS, April 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Inverness Graham Investments, a private investment firm based in Philadelphia, announced today that its recreational safety education portfolio company, Kalkomey Enterprises, LLC, has invested in Dive RAID Training agency.
“We’ve been carefully researching the options to enter the scuba market for some time. We chose RAID because it has the values we look for in a company; world class programs driven by an enthusiastic and passionate team that is making Scuba fun for everyone involved,” said Inverness Graham Managing Principal, Michael Morrissey. “Their vast array of training programs and impressive technology platform make them a perfect match to partner with Kalkomey. This marriage positions RAID to challenge the current industry paradigm, which is exactly what we were looking for.”
Kalkomey is the leader in online recreational safety education for state required certifications and is an official provider of recreational safety education materials for all 50 states, as well as Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand. Using a web‐based delivery model, Kalkomey has helped millions of students get educated to safely boat, hunt, and operate off-road vehicles and snowmobiles.
Jason Alexander, Kalkomey CEO, said, “Our research indicates that people interested in outdoor recreation participate in many different activities over their lifetime. We believe there is enormous demand among the millions of Boat-Ed and Fresh Air enthusiasts we’ve already trained, as well as the hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts that we newly teach each year, that will want to try scuba diving! We’re excited about the opportunity to apply our expertise in parallel industries to drive these potential customers through the doors of dive centers that join the RAID movement. Together with RAID we know we can truly Partner with dive shops to help their businesses grow and thrive.”
RAID is a rapidly emerging dive training brand globally with a mission to innovate the dive industry through digitizing education, systems and processes. Operating in more than 60 countries worldwide, RAID’s state of the art online training platform features the most comprehensive online, pro-active quality assurance system in the industry. The virtually paper-free RAID training system has recently been recognized for ISO compliance, and its programs were also found to meet the RSTC’s minimum standards paving the way for RAID’s membership with the RSTC.
“The RAID system focuses on training divers on critical skills such as proper trim and neutral buoyancy in the diver position, we believe it’s essential to also train dive professionals on those same skills to ensure they are best serving the needs of their students to be divers, not just certified,” said Jim Holliday, who will continue leading business operations as President of RAID.
About Inverness Graham Investments
Headquartered in Newtown Square, PA, Inverness Graham is an operationally focused private investment firm with over $500 million of assets under management. Inverness Graham acquires high growth, innovative manufacturing and services companies. Our approach is as unique as our heritage. Founded by senior executives of the Graham Group, a family owned multi-national industrial concern, we bring unparalleled resources developed over a 50-year operating history to support our portfolio companies. Inverness Graham partners with businesses to provide the financial and operational support necessary to accelerate growth. Learn more at www.invernessgraham.com.
About Kalkomey Enterprises, Inc.
Kalkomey has trained and delivered more than two million safety certifications for active outdoor enthusiasts, utilizing online and face-to-face coursework in boating, hunting, snowmobile, and more. Kalkomey operates in all fifty US states, as well as Canada, and is the leading provider across all of North America. Kalkomey was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Dallas, TX. Learn more at www.kalkomey.com.