Crush Software Solutions LLC, a Salt Lake City-based provider of software for auto recycling operators, has acquired S3 Software Solutions LLC, developer of Crush, a yard management system used by more than 200 self-service auto recycling yards in the U.S. and Canada. S3 Software is also located in Salt Lake City.
S3 will operate under the Crush Software name and Ryan Paterson will be its CEO, while founder Dimitri Gerontis will serve as chief operating officer.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The Crush ownership group, led by the family offices of Tom D. Klauer Jr. and Kendig K. Kneen, is also committing an additional $3 million to reengineer the platform, add new capabilities and return buying power to independent yards, the firm said in a release. Between the Klauer and Kneen, they have operated over 70 recycling yards over the past three decades.
“We have learned by operating our own yards that we can use the Crush software to teach our buyers to buy inventory that will yield far better results and thereby far more profits,” Klauer said.
S3 has supported self-service auto recyclers for more than 15 years with Crush across the United States and Canada. With the acquisition, Crush will accelerate the development of Crush 2.0. The company’s goal is to double the footprint of its flagship product.
“Independent operators deserve technology that works for them. We are building Crush 2.0 to give yards more control over buying, inventory and margin,” said Klauer. “This investment will modernize the platform and remove friction from daily operations so teams can focus on throughput and customer experience.”
“For current customers, nothing changes immediately. No disruption. Same highly secure platform, more investment,” said Gerontis. “This is an exciting time for the Crush community. The new funding lets us move faster on features, strengthen security and boost performance.”