Closed Deal Announcement – Peakstone Advises Pivotal 5, Inc. on the Acquisition of KettleWorx

September 2012. Pivotal 5, Inc. (“Pivotal 5”) announces the purchase of fitness brand KettleWorx, the dominant brand in kettlebell training. The acquisition came after Pivotal 5, Inc. had been a long-time partner with KettleWorx in both product supply and retail distribution. KettleWorx joins Pivotal 5’s portfolio of brands which also includes Rejuvenation | Prevent + Perform + Recover, Natural Fitness, and Body by Jake. The Peakstone Group served as Pivotal 5’s exclusive financial advisor on the transaction.

Click Here to read the Press Release

Based in Chicago, Illinois, Pivotal 5 is a leading developer, marketer and distributor of a broad range of fitness, wellness and consumer products. The Company’s innovative brand and product development capabilities, coupled with its retail distribution expertise, have made it one of the fastest growing suppliers of branded fitness products in the industry.

Pivotal 5 has supplied products for some of the best-known brands throughout the U.S. and Europe while also developing its own portfolio of Company-owned brands, including Natural Fitness and Rejuvination.

For more information please contact:

Eric Dziedzic
(312) 346-7314
edziedzic@peakstone.com

Mark Horita
(312) 346-7308
mhorita@peakstone.com

Peakstone Adds Tom Juedes to Lead Transportation and Logistics Industry Vertical

August 2012. The Peakstone Group, a leading mergers and acquisitions firm focused on middle market companies, today announced that Tom Juedes has joined as Senior Advisor to lead the Transportation and Logistics industry vertical. Tom will focus on advising business owners on capital transactions, including the sale of companies, acquisitions, and debt and equity capital raising. Tom will focus on companies in the transportation and logistics services sector, including all modes of transportation, warehousing, 3PLs, and other value added services.

Tom brings over 40 years of logistics industry experience, as an executive and entrepreneur. Tom is also founder and CEO of the National Carrier Network (NCN), a company that bundles the services of logistics providers in the top 200 MSA’s in the United States, and offers these services on a combined basis to large third party logistics providers.

Tom has been CEO of several third party logistics companies and an entrepreneur in various supply chain related businesses. In addition, Tom has provided consulting services to firms in the logistics industry.

Tom was the founder and CEO of Hub Group Distribution Services (HGDS). HGDS was on the Inc. Magazine 500 fastest growing companies four years in a row. HGDS was a leading provider of value-added transportation and logistics services to the pharmaceutical, retail, point-of-purchase display and manufacturing industries. Tom eventually sold his interest in HGDS to Hub Group Inc., one of the largest intermodal and logistics services providers.

Tom also has served in management positions at Coyote Logistics, Iosue Associates, Chicago Northwestern Railroad, Amoco Chemicals, FMC Corporation, and United Stationers.

Tom Holds an MBA from Loyola University – Chicago and an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh.

Closed Deal Announcement – Peakstone Advises Duray, Inc. on the Sale of the Company

August 2012.  Duray, Inc. recently completed the sale of the company to a private investor group. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Duray, Inc., based in Chicago, Illinois, has been a leading designer and manufacturer of custom lighting solutions, serving customers in electrical distribution, display lighting, and OEM manufacturing for over 50 years. The company is well known for developing innovative lighting solutions, combining state-of-the-art components with lighting application engineering to deliver high quality products at competitive prices. In recent years, many customers have turned to Duray for its broad range of energy efficient lighting systems.

For more information, please contact:

Mark Horita
(312) 346-7308
mhorita@peakstone.com

Closed Deal Announcement – Peakstone Advises Pivotal 5, Inc. on Growth Financing

July 2012.  Pivotal 5, Inc. (“Pivotal 5”) recently completed a growth capital transaction to support management’s strategic initiatives and help the Company achieve its objective of becoming a leading global wellness business. Access to the additional capital will enable Pivotal 5 to expand into new markets, service a broader range of customers and enhance its portfolio of new products. The Peakstone Group served as Pivotal 5’s exclusive financial advisor on the transaction.

Based in Chicago, Illinois, Pivotal 5 is a leading developer, marketer and distributor of a broad range of fitness, wellness and consumer products. The Company’s innovative brand and product development capabilities, coupled with its retail distribution expertise, have made it one of the fastest growing suppliers of branded fitness products in the industry.

Pivotal 5 has supplied products for some of the best-known brands throughout the U.S. and Europe while also developing its own portfolio of Company-owned brands, including Natural Fitness and Rejuvination.

For more information, please contact:

Eric Dziedzic
(312) 204-7300
edziedzic@peakstone.com

Peakstone Adds Nick Clementi to Lead Packaging Industry Vertical

April 2012.  The Peakstone Group, a leading mergers and acquisitions firm focused on middle market companies, today announced that Nick Clementi has joined as Senior Advisor to lead the Packaging,  Paper and Plastics industry vertical. Nick will focus on advising business owners on capital transactions, including the sale of companies, acquisitions, and debt and equity capital raising. He will focus on companies in the packaging, disposable foodservice, education, multi-media publishing, and related industries which market through retail, food service, and education channels.

Nick brings over 25 years of experience in CEO roles, private equity transactions, corporate development, and strategy consulting. Most recently, he was CEO and Chairman of two private equity-sponsored companies, InnoWare Paper Inc. ($50 million in revenues) and InnoWare Plastics, Inc. ($70 million in revenues). Nick also serves as Managing Partner of Sandhill Consulting Group, a team of senior level consulting executives serving the publishing, packaging and related markets.  Previously, Nick was a Group President of American Greetings, Inc., a $1.6 billion publicly held manufacturer and marketer of greeting cards, party goods, and educational publishing products where he led the management of five key brands and business units, facilitated the sale of the company’s flexible packaging operation and the acquisition of its plastics’ retail business.

Earlier in his career, Nick was CEO of Contempo Colours and Beach Products. Prior to Contempo, he served as Vice President of Marketing for Western Publishing Group where he marketed Pictionary, Little Golden Books, Betty Crocker Cookbooks, Sesame Street Music and Golden Video.

Nick holds a Master of Science in Marketing degree from the University of Wisconsin Graduate School of Business, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education, conferred With Distinction, from the University of Wisconsin.

Nick Clementi can be reached at:
(312) 204-7300
nclementi@peakstone.com

Closed Deal Announcement – Peakstone Advises Recycling Services, Inc. on Sale to Waste Management, Inc.

February 2012.  Recycling Services, Inc. (“RSI”), based in Chicago, Illinois, has been an industry leader delivering comprehensive recycling solutions of office paper and corrugated cardboard in the Midwest for over 27 years. RSI is well known for developing and marketing innovative and compelling office paper recycling programs.

Waste Management Inc. (NYSE: WM), based in Houston, Texas, provides waste management services to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in North America. It offers collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

For more information, please contact:

Alex Fridman
(312) 346-7303
alex@peakstone.com

Stephen Sleigh
(312) 346-7318
ssleigh@peakstone.com

Mark Horita
(312) 346-7308
mhorita@peakstone.com

Peakstone Welcomes Jay Kemper and Dan Fuhrman

December 2011. The Peakstone Group, a leading investment bank focused on middle market companies, announces that Jay Kemper has joined the firm as Managing Director focused on the Consumer and Food & Beverage sectors and Dan Fuhrman as Senior Advisor focused on the Automotive and Aerospace & Defense sectors.

Jay brings over 30 years of experience in the Consumer and Food & Beverage sectors, having delivered extraordinary results for businesses with revenues ranging from $10 million to $425 million. He is a proven Chief Executive Officer who has led revenue and profit growth for distressed businesses requiring full scale turnarounds and restructuring as well as healthy businesses poised for accelerated growth. Jay will lead Peakstone’s Consumer, Food & Beverage industry practice focusing on mergers, acquisitions and capital raising for companies in those sectors.

Dan has over 25 years of experience in private equity transactions, corporate development, M&A advisory services, and strategy consulting. Recently, Dan has advised clients on numerous M&A transactions and has also led several buyouts and turnarounds of specialty manufacturing companies in the automotive, aerospace and defense markets. Previously, Dan held senior executive positions with MascoTech and prior to that worked at LEK Consulting, Bain Consulting and General Motors. Dan will lead Peakstone’s Automotive and Aerospace & Defense industry practice focusing on mergers, acquisitions and capital raising for companies in those sectors.

To reach Dan Fuhrman:
(312) 204-7300
dfuhrman@peakstone.com

 

Closed Deal Announcement – Peakstone Advises WHR Group, Inc. on Growth Capital Transaction

October 2011.  WHR Group, Inc. and its affiliate Government Relocation Group, Inc. (“WHR Group”) recently completed a significant growth capital transaction. The new capital will enable WHR Group to support the strong growth of its business with corporate and government customers. The Peakstone Group served as WHR Group’s exclusive financial advisor on the transaction.

Based in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, WHR Group is a leading employee relocation management company providing customized relocation solutions to many Fortune 500 corporations and the Federal government. WHR’s comprehensive suite of relocation services and its proprietary technology enable clients to reduce relocation and administrative costs, enhance employee satisfaction and provide a competitive program for an organization’s mobile workforce.

For more information, please contact:

Stephen Sleigh
(312) 346-7318
ssleigh@peakstone.com

Jeff Temple
(312) 346-7301
jtemple@peakstone.com

Closed Deal Announcement – Peakstone Advises Bowie Resources, LLC on Loan Financing Transaction

October 2011.  Peakstone Advises Bowie Resources, LLC on Loan Financing Transaction. Bowie is a productive coal mine in southwest Colorado with over 40 million recoverable tons of highly valuable, low sulfur steam coal. Mercuria Energy, an energy trading company based in Switzerland, provided the financing.  The proceeds were used to refinance the existing lender and provide additional growth capital to Bowie.

For more information, please contact:

Eric Dziedzic, Managing Director, (312) 204-7300, edziedzic@peakstone.com

Stephen Sleigh, Managing Partner, (312)346-7318, ssleigh@peakstone.com

The Peakstone Group’s Affiliate, PAG Capital, Announces Majority Equity Investment in MMA Warehouse, LLC

January 2011.  PAG Capital Partners, LLC announced it has made a majority equity investment in MMA Warehouse, LLC, a leading internet retailer specializing in selling a wide selection of mixed martial arts gear, apparel and accessories.  MMA Warehouse sells products directly to consumers all over the world through its flagship website, www.mmawarehouse.com.  Mika Casey will continue in his role as Chief Executive Officer and has retained a significant ownership stake in the company.

Established in 2004, MMA Warehouse has grown to become one of the largest mixed martial arts retailers in the world.  The company achieved record performance in 2010 by providing its customers excellent service and an extensive selection of high‐quality merchandise from the industry’s top brands.

PAG Capital was founded in 2008 and is focused on investing in middle market companies with attractive growth opportunities.  PAG Capital’s philosophy is to partner with accomplished operators and management teams who have the desire to grow and build great companies and provide them with the strategic and financial resources to achieve their potential.

“We are very excited to have completed this transaction as we head into 2011,” said Mika Casey, CEO.  “In PAG Capital, we have found a partner that will best position us to capitalize on the strong worldwide growth of the mixed martial arts industry.  PAG Capital’s strategic and financial support will enable us to continue to invest in our platform, expand our marketing capabilities, and capitalize on the many organic growth and acquisition opportunities available to us in the industry.”

Alex Fridman, Partner at PAG Capital, said, “MMA Warehouse’s track record of growth, best‐in‐class platform and excellent customer service makes this a very exciting investment for PAG Capital.  Mika Casey and his team have built an industry‐leading company and we are committed to support them as they build on their momentum of growth and success.”

About MMA Warehouse

MMA Warehouse is one of the largest mixed martial arts retailers in the world.  The award‐winning  website, www.mmawarehouse.com, offers a broad selection of the latest MMA clothing and MMA gear, detailed descriptions and images, customer reviews, and exclusive offerings.  The company has
sponsored over one hundred professional fighters, has appeared in two recent video games, and  receives industry‐leading customer service ratings. MMA Warehouse is headquartered in Bensenville, IL.

About PAG Capital

PAG Capital is a Chicago‐based private equity firm specializing in private equity investments of middle market companies in partnership with management. Additional information can be found at  www.pagcapital.com.