Blackland Hires Gary Aicher as CEO of Kessington Holdings

DALLAS, Dec. 21, 2011 Blackland Group has chosen Gary Aicher as CEO of its Kessington Holdings, LP aerospace component manufacturing platform.  Mr. Aicher is a US Army veteran and experienced leader with more than 30 years of history in the aerospace & defense industries.  Mr. Aicher previously served as President and General Manager of ITT's Night Vision, President and General Manager of ITT's Advanced Water Treatment, General Manager of ITT Cannon in Nogales Mexico and led the Lean Six Sigma program for all of ITT's Defense businesses and has a significant track record of building successful businesses.

Mike George, Blackland Group's President, commented, "We are incredibly fortunate to have Gary join Kessington.  The Principals of Blackland have known Gary for more than twenty years and have had significant opportunity to witness what an incredible leader he is.  Attracting Gary is a testament to our strategy and to the quality of the two companies we've acquired."

About Kessington Holdings, LP

Kessington Holdings, LP consists of Kessington, LLC and Prikos and Becker, LLC.

Kessington, LLC (www.kessington.com), based in Elkhart, IN is a precision machine products company, serving the aerospace industry for over 30 years. The Company specializes in precision production machining of mainly aerospace and linear motion precision components from, primarily, bar steel & aluminum material. Kessington's products are primarily used in tube and duct fittings for jet aircraft engines, aircraft landing gear, wheel and brake parts and components, and fuel management applications for jet aircraft engines. 

Prikos & Becker, LLC, based in Skokie, IL,  specializes in "intricate" assemblies requiring metal fabrications produced through a variety of internal processes including stamping, forming, laser cutting, machining, spot welding and laser welding. The Company has a particular expertise in producing thin gauge stainless steel parts to close tolerances.  Prikos & Becker's mix of capabilities have enabled them to develop a particular expertise in manufacturing landing gear heat shields on a large number of aircraft platforms.  Additionally, the Company produces parts such as brake brackets and components, radio brackets, clamps and covers, missile and bomb parts, aircraft engine components and aircraft wheel parts.

About Blackland Group, LLC

Blackland Group, LLC (www.blacklandgroup.com/about.html) is a private equity firm specializing in middle market and lower middle market buyout transactions. The firm seeks to invest in aerospace, defense and differentiated niche manufacturers. The firm prefers to invest in the Continental United States. It typically invests between $3 million and $20 million in companies with annual revenue between $10 million and $50 million, a minimum EBITDA of $2 million. The firm prefers to take a controlling interest in its portfolio companies and may co-invest with strategic partners and management. Blackland Group, LLC is based in Dallas, Texas.  

SOURCE Blackland Group, LLC