Huron Capital Named Private Equity Firm of the Year

DETROIT, Jan. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Huron Capital Partners is pleased to announce that it was recently named "Private Equity Firm of the Year" for 2010 by The M&A Advisor, a premier trade organization in the mergers and acquisitions industry.  The award winners and finalists were honored in December at the 9th Annual M&A Awards Gala at the New York Athletic Club in New York City.  Hosted by Margaret Brennan of Bloomberg, the black-tie awards ceremony celebrated excellence in deal making as it recognized the nation's top industry players.  An independent body of expert judges evaluated 243 finalists from across the country.  

"The award winners represent the best of the M&A industry in 2010 and earned these honors by standing out in a group of very impressive finalists," said Roger Aguinaldo, CEO of The M&A Advisor.  "From the lower middle market transaction to those over $1 billion, this year's awards recognized determined deal makers who have performed at the highest levels in their respective industries in mergers and acquisitions."

"We are extremely honored to receive this award," said Brian Demkowicz, Huron Capital's Managing Partner.  "The M&A Advisor is a first-class organization and we are grateful for the recognition."  Demkowicz added, "Despite the significant economic challenges in 2010, our firm persevered to have quite a successful year, which is a credit to the entire Huron Capital staff and all of our portfolio management teams."

Huron was very active in 2010, completing eight transactions valued in excess of $300 million.  Transactions included a mix of portfolio company divestitures, platform and add-on acquisitions and dividend recapitalizations.  In a challenging market Huron generated over $150 million in aggregate proceeds for its investors, including one portfolio company divestiture in which Huron returned 18.7x its investment.  Huron's momentum is continuing into 2011 with five transactions expected to close in 1Q11.

About Huron Capital Partners LLC

Huron Capital is a leading private equity firm investing in lower middle-market companies.  The firm typically invests between $10 million and $70 million in equity to sponsor buyouts, growth initiatives, corporate spin-offs and recapitalizations of growth-oriented niche manufacturing, specialty service, and value-added distribution companies having revenues up to $300 million. Huron's strategy is to combine its operational approach, capital and transaction experience with proven management teams who have the vision, experience and commitment to grow their businesses.

Since its founding in 1999, Huron has acquired or invested in 48 companies with aggregate revenues approaching $1 billion.  Investments have been made in the USA and Canada in a variety of areas, including print solutions & document management, education, healthcare products & services, specialty chemicals, specialty packaging, consumer products, home décor, passenger transportation services, building products, office furniture components and laboratory testing. Huron Capital currently manages over $600 million in committed equity through three private equity funds, and has offices based in Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Toronto.  The firm has consistently generated top-quartile returns for its limited partners. For more information, please visit us at www.huroncapital.com.

SOURCE Huron Capital Partners LLC