Continuim Equity Partners Announces Acquisition of NC Filtration
Pittsburgh, PA // September 2025
Continuim Equity Partners (“Continuim”) is pleased to announce the recent acquisition of NC Filtration (“NCF” or the “Company”), a manufacturer of consumable air filtration products and negative air units used across industrial, commercial, residential, and abatement & remediation (“A&R”) end-markets. Continuim’s acquisition of NCF serves as the second platform investment in CEP Fund II, LP, and the initial investment within its Air Filtration investment thesis.
NCF was founded by Mr. Eli Kershaw and Mr. Jeff Kershaw in 2005 and operates out of four manufacturing facilities, with its headquarters in Belmont, NC. Continuim was attracted to the Kershaws' character and NCF’s focus on providing customer-specific solutions and a high level of customer service, which has led to tenured customer relationships and an impressive track record of consistent growth. NCF will be the cornerstone of Continuim’s mission to build a distinguished, nationwide consumable air filtration manufacturing platform serving a diverse customer base within a targeted set of end-markets and filtration applications.
Continuim is pleased to partner with the Kershaw family and the team at NCF, and to also join forces with respected industry veteran, Mr. Phil Whitaker, who will serve as CEO, to accelerate the Company’s growth by implementing the firm’s operational playbook. Continuim’s Efficiency Driven Growth Engine (“EDGE”) playbook will be a roadmap to expedite NCF’s growth and capitalize on air filtration sector tailwinds by embracing Lean principles to increase efficiency and manufacturing capacity, expanding NCF’s team and geographic footprint, optimizing the Company’s product lineup, and selectively pursuing strategic acquisitions.
Eli Kershaw, co-founder of NCF said, “It has been an honor shaping NCF into what it is today, and I am confident that Continuim will carry forward the values that matter to us, our employees, and our customers. With their support, NCF will become an even more meaningful player in the air filtration market.”
Jeff Kershaw, co-founder of NCF stated, “We are proud of the legacy our team has built over the past two decades, and we see Continuim as the ideal partner to help us accelerate growth at NCF. Eli and I believe this partnership will further enhance the value we deliver to our customers and ensure an even brighter future for our employees. I am very excited to remain with the business for this next chapter of growth.”
Brian Dandrea, Partner at Continuim, said, “Eli and Jeff Kershaw have built a strong foundation at NCF, and our team at Continuim is excited to carry on their legacy and to help take the Company to the next level using our EDGE playbook. Together with Phil Whitaker, we look forward to continuing to serve and grow with NCF’s loyal customer base and valued strategic partners, and to execute a targeted growth strategy in the air filtration market in the coming years.”
About Continuim Equity Partners
Continuim is a Pittsburgh-based private equity fund that focuses exclusively on acquiring and accelerating the growth of successful manufacturing and industrial businesses.
We bring a proven operational playbook, committed capital, and a talented team of industrial operators to help transform manufacturing and industrial companies. Our name is derived from what we consider most important to the growth of industrial businesses — Continuous improvement.
Please visit www.continuim.com to learn more about our Investment Criteria or Contact Us directly to discuss NC Filtration and our air filtration thesis, or other successful manufacturing opportunities that could be a fit for our mandate.
Members of the Portfolio Operations Team are employed or retained by Continuim and certain amounts paid to or received by members of the Portfolio Operations team may be paid by one or more Continuim-sponsored vehicles, portfolio companies or prospective portfolio companies and, in any such case, such amounts will not offset or otherwise reduce any management fee received by Continuim.