Barings Supports Riverside’s New Platform Investment in DAWGS

April 21, 2025 at 09:00 AM EDT

Barings, one of the world’s leading investment managers, recently announced that it has served as lead agent and minority equity investor to provide financing support for The Riverside Company’s (“Riverside”) purchase of Door and Window Guard Systems (“DAWGS” or “the Company”). Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, DAWGS protects thousands of residential, commercial and government-owned properties across the U.S.

The Company’s patented security solutions are designed to secure vacant properties and provide protection against unauthorized entry, property damage and safety hazards. DAWGS’ attractive business model combines installation services with a recurring monthly rental revenue stream, and it offers property owners a cost-effective and highly secure solution.

“Barings deeply values our relationship with The Riverside Company and appreciates the opportunity to support the investment in DAWGS,” said Brian Polomsky, Managing Director in Barings’ Global Private Finance Group. “We are confident that Riverside’s significant experience supporting security services businesses will help the Company accelerate growth.”

“DAWGS has become a market leader in vacant property security, and we see an opportunity to build on the company’s strong foundation,” said Co-Chief Investment Officer for Riverside’s Capital Appreciation strategy (RCAF) Brad Roberts. “We look forward to working with the DAWGS team to accelerate growth by investing in sales and marketing initiatives to broaden its customer base and expand into new geographies.”

About Barings

Barings is a $442+ billion* global asset management firm that partners with institutional, insurance, and intermediary clients, and supports leading businesses with flexible financing solutions. The firm, a subsidiary of MassMutual, seeks to deliver excess returns by leveraging its global scale and capabilities across public and private markets in fixed income, real assets and capital solutions.

^{* As of March 31, 2025}

About DAWGS

DAWGS is a provider of modular, high-grade steel guards used to cover door and window openings on vacant residential, commercial, and government buildings. DAWGS offers a turnkey security solution for a mix of commercial and government customers, which include housing authorities, property owners and investors, property managers, banks, and land banks. The Company’s website can be found at https://www.dawgsinc.com/.

About Riverside

The Riverside Company is a global investment firm focused on being one of the leading private equity and flexible capital options for business owners and portfolio company employees at the smaller end of the middle market by seeking to fuel transformative growth and create lasting value. Since its founding in 1988, Riverside has made more than 1,000 investments. The firm's international private equity and flexible capital portfolios include more than 140 companies. For more information, visit www.riversidecompany.com.