Business Development Corporation of America Announces New Team to Launch Middle Market Investing Activities

NEW YORK, May 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- BDCA Adviser LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser that manages Business Development Corporation of America, a non-traded business development company, has hired a team of veteran lower middle market investors to launch its lower middle market investing activities. Lloyd Sams, Scott Chappell, and Damien Dovi joined the firm in May to spearhead this initiative.

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BDCA Adviser focuses on both sponsored and non-sponsored middle market investment opportunities in a variety of industries. This new team has significant experience providing both senior and junior capital to small and medium-sized businesses seeking funding for acquisitions, refinancings, or organic growth.

"Lloyd, Scott and Damien bring tremendous experience to BDCA's platform as we continue to increase our participation in direct-to-company, lower middle market financings," comments Bob Grunewald, Chief Investment Officer at BDCA Adviser. "In addition to attractive senior secured financing opportunities in the lower middle market, they also will expand our product offering into higher-yielding, junior capital solutions."

Sams, Chappell and Dovi have worked together for the past 11 years at BIA Digital Partners, a set of private mezzanine funds focused on the business services, media and telecom sectors. Both funds are Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs) and serve the lower middle market, generally defined as companies with between $3 million and $20 million of EBITDA and $30 million to $150 million of total enterprise value.  They will pursue a similar strategy at BDCA and can deliver senior solutions as well as unitranche, subordinated debt and structured equity.

Managing Directors, Sams and Chappell, previously worked at First Union National Bank (now Wells Fargo). Sams managed the Communications and Media Finance Group, the largest specialized lending division at the bank, for seven years. Previously he was a team leader and banker at The First National Bank of Chicago (now JP Morgan).  Sams was a co-founder of BIA Digital Partners in 1999. Chappell was a banker in the Private Placements and High Yield Groups within First Union Capital Markets for six years. He later joined Thomas Weisel Partners (now Stifel Nicholas) as an investment banker before joining BIA Digital Partners in 2001. Dovi, a Director at BDCA, was hired by BIA Digital Partners in 2002 after three years in the Sports and Entertainment Group at Bank of America. He moved from an underwriting role into an origination role at BIA Digital Partners in 2010.

"When combined with our recently-hired Middle Market team of Joe Taylor, Jim Fisher and Doug Lyons, this Lower Middle Market Team gives BDCA Adviser full coverage of U.S. businesses that have been starved for growth capital since the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009. We believe BDCA can deliver flexible, cost-effective capital to the entire middle market through this expanded team," states Pete Budko, Chief Executive Officer of BDCA Adviser.

BDCA Adviser is owned by American Realty Capital, a full-service investment advisory firm sponsoring a series of investment programs with an emphasis on publicly registered non-traded real estate offerings.

SOURCE Business Development Corporation of America