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Bear Stearns Merchant Banking Announces Acquisition of PlayCore Holdings
| Source: Bear Stearns Merchant Banking
NEW YORK, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- February 22, 2007 -- Bear Stearns Merchant Banking ("BSMB"), a
leading private equity firm focusing on middle-market investments, today
announced that, together with company management, it has acquired PlayCore
Holdings, Inc. ("PlayCore") from an investor group led by Chartwell
Investments. Playcore is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of
a broad range of playground equipment, accessories and related play
products. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, PlayCore specializes in the design,
manufacture and marketing of commercial and consumer playground equipment.
The commercial business operates under the GameTime and Play and Park
Structures brands and markets custom designed playground equipment and
accessories primarily to municipalities, schools and parks. PlayCore's
consumer brand, Swing-N-Slide, is an award-winning manufacturer of play
system kits for backyard use.
"We look forward to working together with PlayCore's terrific management
team to accelerate the Company's growth," said Douglas R. Korn, a senior
managing director of BSMB. "There are many opportunities to expand
PlayCore through enhanced distribution as well as new product offerings.
Further, we will have substantial capital available for the pursuit of
complementary acquisitions given PlayCore's solid balance sheet and BSMB's
substantial resources."
PlayCore is expected to benefit from an increasing focus on the importance
of play on childhood development and health. "There is substantial data to
support the fact that play helps spur learning during a child's important
developmental years," continued Korn, "and Americans are waking up to the
fact that record levels of childhood obesity have serious long-term health
implications for our children and our country. Experts increasingly agree
that American kids can benefit from spending less time in sedentary
activities and more time involved in active play."
"We are very excited to partner with BSMB," said Bob Farnsworth, President
and CEO of PlayCore. "BSMB has a terrific reputation of working closely
with management teams to help develop and grow companies like ours and we
look forward to partnering with them. The support of BSMB will help
fulfill the Company's mission of providing leadership in the important area
of play and child development. The resources provided by BSMB will benefit
the Company's employees, customers, distributors and suppliers through the
extensive support programs that are available for their portfolio companies
as well as a greatly improved financial structure. We see this as a
significant step forward in the development of PlayCore's future growth
potential."
About BSMB:
BSMB, the private equity affiliate of The Bear Stearns Companies Inc.
(NYSE : BSC ), invests private equity capital in compelling leveraged
buyouts, recapitalizations and growth capital opportunities alongside
superior management teams. BSMB focuses on making control or
entrepreneur-driven investments, principally in middle-market retail,
financial services and consumer products companies. Since its formation in
1997, BSMB has been an investor in over 50 portfolio companies. BSMB
manages nearly $5 billion of private equity capital, including its new $2.7
billion institutional fund and capital dedicated to its affiliate, Bear
Growth Capital Partners. Investments by BSMB include: ACA Capital Holdings
(NYSE : ACA ), Alter Moneta, Balducci's, CamelBak Products, Caribbean
Financial Group, Cavalry Investments, Churchill Financial Holdings,
Dairyland, Everything But Water, Harlem Furniture, Ironshore Inc., Multi
Packaging Solutions, New York & Company (NYSE : NWY ), Seven For All Mankind,
Stuart Weitzman, Transamerican Auto Parts Company and The Vitamin Shoppe.
More information about BSMB is available at www.bsmb.com.
About PlayCore:
PlayCore, Inc. is one of the leading playground equipment and backyard
products companies in the world, specializing in the design, manufacture
and marketing of commercial and consumer outdoor playground equipment. The
commercial play divisions market modular and custom playground systems and
components to municipalities, schools, parks and other playground systems
users. The consumer divisions manufacture kits for wooden swing sets and
climbing units, plastic slides and play set accessories. The other
recreational products manufactured by the company include mini-playgrounds,
sandboxes, basketball and soccer equipment, picnic tables and site
amenities such as benches, litter receptacles and bicycle racks. More
information about PlayCore is available at www.playcore.com.