Houston, TX – September 2025 – Thorpe Specialty Services (“Thorpe” or the “Company”), a leading maintenance, engineering, and solutions provider for corrosion, refractory, and scaffolding & insulation services, announced that it has acquired Williams Refractory Services, Inc. (“Williams”) of Lee’s Summit, MO. Williams provides refractory maintenance and installation services to the cement, power, and other high-wear industrial end markets in the Midwest. Williams marks the Company’s third strategic acquisition and brings the combined companies to approach 1,450 team members, including over 1,125 skilled field personnel across its eight regional branches operating across the Gulf Coast, Southeast, Midwest, Mountain West, and Canada.
Founded in 1991, Williams provides scheduled turnaround and emergency maintenance services, specializing in refractory installation and relines on rotary kilns, boilers, firing hoods, preheaters, and other refractory-lined vessels utilizing shotcrete, gunite, castable, brick, fiber modules, and other tailored methods. Thorpe’s acquisition of Williams provides continued geographic expansion into the Midwest and offers access to a broader suite of complementary technical services such as fiber reinforced plastics, dual laminate thermoplastics, and rubber linings from its Corrosion division.
“We are proud to welcome Ray Williams, Alan Williams, and the entire Williams Refractory Services team into the Thorpe family,” said Jeff Jones, CEO of Thorpe. “This acquisition is more than growth. It reflects our focus on aligning with the needs of the industries we serve. By combining Williams Refractory Services’ proven capabilities with our engineering driven, multi craft model, we are better positioned to support schedule maintenance, emergency maintenance, and complex turnarounds.”
Alan and Ray Williams, Co-Owners of Williams, added, “For more than three decades, our team has worked hard to earn the trust of customers across our Heartland. Thorpe’s safety-focused culture, skilled labor, and broad service capabilities are a perfect complement to our business. We are thrilled to join Thorpe as we look to expand our service offerings and continue providing best-in-class service to our customers.”
In August 2022, KLH Capital partnered with Thorpe Specialty Services to recapitalize and continue the growth path of the Company. “Williams is a highly attractive acquisition partnership for Thorpe as it continues to expand the Company’s geographic penetration in the Midwest, broadens our exposure in the niche cement and power end markets, and adds attractive customers,” said Chris Reinhart, Director at KLH Capital.
For more information about this transaction, please contact Chris Reinhart (creinhart@klhcapital.com).
ABOUT THORPE SPECIALTY SERVICES
Headquartered in Houston, TX, Thorpe is a leading provider of industrial specialty services to the chemical, petrochemical, power, natural resources (lime), pulp & paper, metals & mining, and other industrial and infrastructure end markets across the United States and Canada.
With more than 1,400 skilled employees and a top-tier safety record, Thorpe leverages its in-house engineering capabilities to be a trusted provider of reoccurring refractory, corrosion, scaffolding & insulation services, and custom fabricated products for the maintenance of critical infrastructure assets operating within high-temperature, abrasive, caustic, acidic, and highly corrosive environments.
ABOUT WILLIAMS REFRACTORY SERVICES, INC.
Headquartered in Lee’s Summit, MO, with an additional branch in Sioux Falls, SD, Williams Refractory Services is a leading provider of refractory maintenance and installation services to cement, power, and ethanol end markets. Founded in 1991, the Company has built long-term customer relationships through its expertise in shotcrete, gunite, brick, fiber-module, and other refractory installation methods, with particular specialization in kiln relines, monolithic installations, and complex fabrication work.
