Optivest Launches New Investment Banking Division

DANA POINT, CA--(Marketwire - Feb 28, 2013) - Optivest Inc., a full-service Orange County based investment management firm, today announced the recent launch of Optivest Investment Banking. The new division will provide corporate finance advisory and transaction-based investment banking services for emerging growth and middle market companies with enterprise values between $10 and $150 million. Optivest has tapped industry veteran Paul Donnelly to serve as senior managing director of the new division.

"Our plan is to deliver best-of-class investment banking services to companies that are well positioned to unlock meaningful value for their respective owners," said Paul Donnelly, senior managing director of Optivest Investment Banking. "Companies often lack the size and scale to get the proper attention and service from the larger branded investment banking firms, and Optivest Investment Banking plans to fulfill that need."

Optivest Investment Banking has created an infrastructure of high caliber professionals to deliver clients' core investment banking products and services including mergers and acquisitions, private placements of equity and debt capital, valuations and fairness opinions, and strategic planning. The investment banking team members have originated more than 85 transactions representing $3.5 billion in value delivered to clients and shareholders.

"A dedicated investment banking division is a natural progression for Optivest Wealth Management in meeting the diverse needs of our clients," said Mark Van Mourick, president and chief executive officer of Optivest Wealth Management. "We are delighted that Paul Donnelly will be at its helm, as he is widely recognized for his expertise in working with emerging growth and middle market companies."

Donnelly has a successful track record of working with companies to enhance shareholder value through various corporate finance initiatives, including mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, equity and debt financings and valuations/fairness opinions. He has served as a financial advisor on numerous successful engagements including: Trojan Battery, Yard House Restaurants, Lead Tracking Solutions, DynTek and Grand Prix Association with Long Beach. Prior to founding Optivest Investment Banking, Donnelly was a Managing Director with B. Riley & Co., which merged in 2003 with his previous firm, L.H. Friend, Weinress, Frankson & Presson, an Irvine-based investment bank.

For more information about Optivest Investment Banking, visit www.optivestib.com.

About Optivest
Optivest, Inc. is a full-service investment management firm that provides portfolio management, investment supervisory services, investment advice, tax or financial planning, tax reporting and compliance, business exit and estate planning. The firm has a client base of high-wealth individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations, IRAs as well as pension and profit sharing plans.

Under the Optivest umbrella, the company offers two additional financial advisory divisions to meet the needs of the company's diverse client base. Optivest Investment Banking provides corporate finance advisory and transaction-based investment banking services and Optivest Properties is a fully integrated property acquisition and management company specializing in mini-warehouse and multi-tenant properties. In addition, the company founded the non-profit organization, The Optivest Foundation. Ten percent of the gross revenue of Optivest, Optivest Properties and Optivest Investment Banking helps fund the Foundation in a variety of Christian initiatives from individual scholarships to single family assistance and transformative community projects. For more information, visit www.optivestinc.com.