Dresner Partners Advised ChemDesign Products, Inc. in Its Sale to Lubar & Co.

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - Nov 29, 2012) - Dresner Partners, a leading FINRA-registered, middle-market investment bank and IMAP member firm, announced today that it advised ChemDesign Products, Inc., a Marinette, Wisconsin-based portfolio company of Cleveland, Ohio-based private equity firm Resilience Capital Partners, in its sale to Lubar & Co., a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based private investment firm. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1982, ChemDesign is one of the leading providers of custom toll manufacturing services to the global chemical industry. The company has developed a strong reputation for partnering with its blue-chip customers, utilizing its technical personnel, flexible manufacturing facilities and process optimization capabilities to produce highly-complex chemicals. The company is focused on several of the most attractive and growing chemical end markets, including agriculture, specialty surfactants, additives, and specialty polymers.

David Mielke, President and Chief Executive Officer of ChemDesign, said, "On behalf of the ChemDesign management team, we were impressed by Dresner Partners' understanding of our business and the industry. Omar Diaz and Paul Hoffman both understood the transition our business went through under Resilience's ownership and the value this created for the future. Within an aggressive timeframe, the Dresner team was able to boil down the process to a handful of seriously interested parties. Not only was the deal a success for Resilience, but also for ChemDesign. This was a win-win for all parties involved. Resilience sold a great business, and ChemDesign acquired a great partner with Lubar. Dresner made that happen within the exact timeline they presented." 

"The Dresner team did a great job in orchestrating the entire sale process. Their attention to detail and understanding of the salient business issues enabled us to maximize value for our shareholders," said Ki Mixon, Partner of Resilience Capital Partners.

"It was our privilege to work with Bassem Mansour and Ki Mixon of Resilience Capital and Dave Mielke and the rest of the outstanding management team at ChemDesign," said Omar Diaz, Managing Director at Dresner Partners. "ChemDesign's revitalized business model, position in the global chemical supply chain and strong relationships with many of the leading players in the chemical industry made it an attractive, highly sought after target. We leveraged our extensive chemical industry experience and relationships with both strategic and private equity buyers to help generate this outstanding outcome for Resilience and ChemDesign."

Steven Dresner, President at Dresner Partners, added, "This transaction is another example of Dresner's ability to create value by managing aggressive, well-run transaction processes on behalf of our clients. We were honored to work with the well-respected organizations of ChemDesign, Resilience Capital Partners and Lubar & Co."

About Dresner Partners
Dresner Partners is a FINRA-registered, middle-market investment bank headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with an office in New York City. Founded in 1991, Dresner Partners provides financial advisory services to middle market companies throughout the world, including institutional private placements of debt and equity, merger and acquisitions advisory, financial restructuring & corporate turnarounds, valuations and strategic consulting services. Dresner Partners is also a member of IMAP, an exclusive global organization of leading merger and acquisition advisory firms. An affiliated company, Dresner Corporate Services, is a strategic communications firm specializing in public and investor relations. More information is available at www.dresnerpartners.com or www.imap.com/locations/office.cfm?OfficeID=416 

About ChemDesign Products, Inc.
Founded in 1982, ChemDesign Products provides chemical toll processing for companies in the agricultural chemicals, consumer, energy, industrial and plastics industries. The company employs over 100 people at their facility in Marinette, Wisconsin. More information is available at www.chemdesignproducts.com

About Lubar & Co.
Lubar & Co. is a Milwaukee-based private investment firm that has been investing in and acquiring operating companies for over 40 years. Lubar & Co. primarily invests in partnership with operating management to increase long term value in businesses located in the Upper Midwest with revenues between $20 and $100 million. The firm's portfolio of companies operates in a broad range of industries including manufacturing, energy, distribution, healthcare and service businesses. More information is available at www.lubar.com

About Resilience Capital Partners.
Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Resilience Capital Partners is a leading private equity firm with a team of in-house operating experts that bring large company resources to the lower middle market. Founded in 2001 by Bassem Mansour and Steve Rosen, Resilience Capital Partners' value-oriented investment strategy focuses on acquiring companies experiencing a variety of special situations within a broad range of industries. Since its inception, Resilience Capital Partners has invested in 27 companies under 19 platforms, together representing over $2.5 billion in revenues and over 5,000 employees. More information is available at www.resiliencecapital.com