N.C. firm acquires Simpsonville-based company

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Broadstep Behavior Health Inc., a North Carolina-based firm, recently expanded its S.C. presence through the acquisition of Simpsonville’s Excalibur Youth Services LLC.

The company, moving from Wisconsin to Raleigh, N.C., in 2020, provides residential and community-based services to patients with intellectual, developmental and behavioral health conditions including autism, mental illness and intellectual and development disabilities, according to a news release. The company’s portfolio includes 90 facilities across Wisconsin, Illinois, New Jersey and Nebraska.

Excalibur, founded in 1989 as Avalonia Group Homes Inc. by Dr. M.J. Short, offers residential treatment services to patients with intellectual and development disabilities, as well as severely mentally ill populations throughout the Carolinas. The firm, operated by Short’s sons, Marvin and John Short, operates six treatment facilities in South Carolina and a group home for men located in Hendersonville.

John Short will remain as Broadstep’s regional vice president for the Southeast.

“The addition of Excalibur to the Broadstep family expands our geographical reach and service capabilities within South Carolina,” Lynn Mason, CEO and president of Broadstep, said in the release. “Together, our companies’ homes and services are centered in three of South Carolina’s most populous MSAs, representing nearly 25% of the state’s population and growing.”

According to a 2019 report from the Ancor Foundation, S.C.’s home and community-based services waiting list included 11,275 names and was growing, prompting the need for a 110% growth in service capacity to meet the demand, according to the news release.

“The combination of our two companies offers individuals and agencies the ability to work with one provider to service the broader needs along the continuum of care,” Mason said in the release. “Excalibur and John Short bring a unique set of expertise that complement our current offerings, specifically in the areas of high management group homes and intensive care services focused on male youths.”