News

LOS ANGELES, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Vasco Group, a nationwide provider of sports surfacing construction, repair, and reconstruction services, today announced the acquisition of Howard B. Jones & Son, Inc., headquartered in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and Court Surfaces of Florida, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.

These acquisitions expand Vasco’s Southeast presence, reinforce its leadership across clay and acrylic surfaces, and deepen its capabilities in pickleball court installation and conversions.

“Howard B. Jones and Court Surfaces are exactly the kind of founder-led, reputation-driven businesses we look to partner with. Both bring strong regional coverage, deep technical expertise, and a real cultural fit with how we operate at Vasco,” said Matt Savage, CEO of Vasco Group. “These acquisitions are the result of deliberate work, scouting the country for well-established businesses that strengthen our existing footprint while opening doors in new markets. They reflect the momentum we built in 2025 and keep us firmly on track toward building the most comprehensive sports surfacing platform in the country.”

Vasco is majority-owned by Monogram Capital Partners, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm investing in leading consumer businesses and service platforms, with support from Halmos Capital Partners, a lower middle market private equity firm based in Miami, Florida.

Expanding Clay Court Leadership Across the Southeast

Founded more than 50 years ago, Howard B. Jones & Son has built a legacy as a pioneer in tennis court design, repair, and maintenance serving South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia. The company brings specialized expertise in Har-Tru and Hydro Court clay systems, top-dressing services, and the construction and resurfacing of acrylic hard courts. In addition to court work, the company also provides services for pickleball and basketball surfaces and offers related fencing and lighting solutions.

The acquisition enhances clay court capabilities previously expanded through Vasco’s Schubert Tennis acquisition and strengthens its density in the Southeast.

Frank Larkin, Owner of Howard B. Jones & Son and former Clemson University tennis player and club professional, will remain involved post-transaction.

“We have been serving clubs and communities across the Southeast for more than 50 years and our legacy was incredibly important to us as we thought about our next chapter,” said Frank Larkin. “Partnering with Vasco allows us to maintain our craftsmanship standards while expanding our capabilities with additional operational resources.”

Strengthening Pickleball and Municipal Presence in Florida

Court Surfaces of Florida brings more than 30 years of experience serving North Florida, including Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, and St. Augustine. Known for meeting strict American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) standards, the company has built a reputation for quality craftwork and long-tenured field crews within the world of court resurfacing, construction, and specialty conversions.

“This partnership will further strengthen our ability to serve customers in northeast Florida and paired with Howard B. Jones gives the platform the ability to grow our business and extend service offerings into eastern Georgia,” said Zach Stevenson, President of Nidy Sports Construction, Vasco’s Florida operation.

Former owners Bryan and Heather McMandon will remain as General Managers following the transaction, reporting to Stevenson.

“Joining the Vasco platform allows us to scale responsibly while maintaining our commitment to quality and dependable service,” said Heather McMandon, Co-General Manager of Court Surfaces of Florida.

“We’re proud of the team and reputation we’ve built over three decades providing quality work and dependable service and look forward to the additional resources and regional strength this partnership brings,” continued Bryan McMandon, Co-General Manager of Court Surfaces of Florida.

Filling in the Footprint Between Ohio and Florida

Headquartered in Massillon, Ohio, Vasco operates in Florida under Nidy Sports Construction. The addition of Howard B. Jones & Son and Court Surfaces of Florida creates strategic geographic continuity across the Southeast corridor, bridging the Carolinas to Florida while increasing operational density in key growth markets.

The sports surfacing industry continues to experience sustained growth in end-market demand driven by:

• Rapid national growth in both tennis and pickleball participation underlying those service needs
• Ongoing tennis and pickleball facility upgrades, repair and maintenance needs, and builds
• Municipal investments in recreational infrastructure while maintenance staff continue to trend toward being outsourced due to labor challenges / operating expense management
• Ongoing replacement cycles for aging synthetic and hard-court surfaces as participation and need for player safety grows
  
  The industry remains highly fragmented, presenting continued opportunity for disciplined consolidation and platform expansion, particularly for scale operators who have a full suite of technical capability like Vasco across all surfaces.

Legal advisors to the transactions included O’Melveny & Myers LLP and Massumi + Consoli LLP.