BDV Solutions Secures Private Equity Investment from Astara Capital Partners

GREENVILLE, S.C. — November 04, 2021 — BDV Solutions, a tech-enabled, turnkey provider of employment-based immigration services to foreign nationals and employers whose solutions help resolve labor shortages across the United States, today announced that New York-based Astara Capital Partners, LLC, a middle-market private equity firm, has acquired a majority stake in the company.

Founded in 2011 by CEO Britt Vergnolle, BDV Solutions helps source employment for foreign nationals via the federal government’s EB-3 green card program. BDV helps place these employees in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, restaurant franchise groups, cleaning and maintenance companies, warehousing, distribution centers and food preparation.

“BDV Solutions began at my kitchen table 10 years ago, and since then we have helped 5,100 foreign nationals with the process of securing their green cards via EB-3 employment visa and over 84 employers fill much-needed positions,” noted Vergnolle. “To secure this kind of investment in the future of our company from a trusted, proven partner like Astara is exciting and incredibly rewarding for our whole BDV family. We look forward to the rapid expansion of our business so we can help more foreign nationals and U.S. employers reach their goals in a challenging immigration and labor environment.”

Added Vergnolle: “This major investment underscores the importance of EB-3 workers for major employers across the country as we face unprecedented labor shortages. Our expansion will allow us to bring the good news about this type of hiring to the industries and companies who need it the most.”

EB-3 Unskilled Visa is a visa preference category for U.S. employment-based permanent residency that requires a sponsoring employer. It is intended for US businesses who are unable to find US workers for unskilled positions. The program was established by Congress in 1990 to help address persistent labor shortages and to offer prospective foreign immigrants a pathway to legally work in the U.S.

“We chose to partner with BDV due to its outstanding leadership, passionate and diverse culture, and strong commitment to serving its customers,” said Lindsey Tannenbaum who helped lead the investment for Astara. “BDV’s model not only helps employers solve their staffing challenges but also helps them meet their own diversity goals. BDV’s tech-enabled labor immigration services are helping address the chronic labor and supply chain shortages so many companies are experiencing in the wake of the pandemic, and we are very excited to introduce them to the companies in our network.”

As the company continues to hire new employees across all levels of the organization, BDV will expand its physical footprint next month as it grows from 2,400 square feet to 8,000 across two floors in the historic Harper Brothers building in downtown Greenville. The company will also leverage Astara’s investment to grow its geographical footprint beyond the 28 states in which it currently provides its services to US employers and into new industries and companies for which EB-3 visa workers are desperately needed. The company’s technology that streamline’s all aspects of their services for both foreign nationals and employers will continue to provide real-time transparency for all parties as cases move through the U.S. immigration system and workers prepare to onboard with BDV’s corporate clients.

About BDV Solutions Headquartered in Greenville, SC, BDV is the largest independent company in the U.S. that specializes in closing the country’s chronic and growing, unskilled labor gap utilizing the EB-3 visa program. They are uniquely positioned to assist U.S. companies and foreign nationals navigate the complex U.S. immigration system. More information can be found at www.bdvsolutions.com

About Astara Capital Partners Astara Capital Partners is an integrated team of investors and operators investing in the middle market. The firm brings capital, strategic, and operational resources to its investments to build sustainable value and position them for long-term success. Astara focuses on a variety of sectors where it has deep experience, including packaging and converting, food, building products, forest products, and industrial manufacturing, distribution, and services. More information about Astara can be found at www.astaracapital.com.