Safely Ahead of the Game

But to get to the point where he could grow Northern Safety his way, Longo had to gain control of the entire company. Following a management deadlock with his co-founder, Longo and the company went to court in 2004 to dissolve the 50-50 partnership. Northern Safety went to auction and Longo acquired a 100 percent stake in the company using capital raised through senior lending, mezzanine lending and a small piece of equity, he says.