ZIEGLER ADVISES PREFERRED VASCULAR GROUP ON ITS ACQUISITION BY SURGERY PARTNERS

CHICAGO, March 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ziegler, a specialty investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as the exclusive financial advisor to Preferred Vascular Group (PVG) in connection with its acquisition by Surgery Partners (NASDAQ: SGRY), a leading operator of surgical facilities and ancillary services. Founded in 2005, PVG is a leading Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) operator focused specifically on dialysis access procedures, with eight ASCs in Georgia and Ohio.

Don Holton founded the Company after identifying a gap in dialysis access care and seeking to fill a critical role in the dialysis ecosystem. PVG provides a cost-efficient, high-quality outpatient option for the initial creation and maintenance procedures required for patients receiving dialysis care. The group's state-of-the-art facilities, team of 16 physicians and more than 160 employees are focused on delivering exceptional clinical outcomes that benefit patients, referring nephrologists and dialysis clinics.

Surgery Partners' partnership with PVG enables entry into the $6 billion dialysis access market with over two million procedures annually. PVG's management team will continue to lead the new operating entity with backing from Surgery Partners to pursue measured growth centered on exceptional patient outcomes. The acquisition also represents a strategic move to enhance Surgery Partners' presence in the broader vascular market, positioning the organization to leverage PVG's vascular expertise across its full portfolio of surgical centers.

"Ziegler was not only a highly skilled advisor; but they also became an integral part of our team through a highly competitive and complex process. The successful outcome, selling to a publicly traded and nationally scaled short-stay surgical platform, was the optimal outcome that would not have been possible without the partnership between Preferred Vascular Group and Ziegler," stated, Dustin Greene, CEO.

"PVG is a differentiated ASC operator uniquely positioned in the vascular space through its focus on dialysis access procedures, which address a critical pain point in the dialysis care ecosystem. Its services drive significant value to patients, payors, and nephrologists. The partnership with Surgery Partners will help enable PVG to scale its services nationally," added Andrew Colbert, Senior Managing Director in Ziegler's Healthcare Investment Banking practice and lead banker on this transaction. Colbert concluded, "We are very excited to have represented PVG on this transaction."

Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Arnoff, LLP served as legal counsel to PVG. McDermott Will & Schulte served as legal counsel for Surgery Partners.

Ziegler's Healthcare Investment Banking team is focused on delivering best-in-class advisory and financing solutions for companies and organizations across the healthcare industry. In our core practice areas of healthcare services, information technology, hospitals, and senior living, Ziegler is one of the most active M&A firms offering differentiated sell-side, buy-side, recapitalization/restructuring, equity private placement, and strategic partnering services.

For more information about Ziegler, please visit us at www.Ziegler.com.

About Ziegler:

Ziegler is a privately held investment bank, capital markets and proprietary investments firm. Specializing in the healthcare, senior living and education sectors, as well as general municipal and structured finance, enables Ziegler to generate a positive impact on the clients and communities it serves. Headquartered in Chicago with regional and branch offices throughout the United States, Ziegler provides its clients with capital raising, strategic advisory services, equity and fixed income sales & trading and research. To learn more, visit www.ziegler.com.

Certain comments in this news release represent forward-looking statements made pursuant to the provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This client's experience may not be representative of the experience of other clients, nor is it indicative of future performance or success. The forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, in particular, the overall financial health of the securities industry, the strength of the healthcare sector of the U.S. economy and the municipal securities marketplace, the ability of the Company to underwrite and distribute securities, the market value of mutual fund portfolios and separate account portfolios advised by the Company, the volume of sales by its retail brokers, the outcome of pending litigation, and the ability to attract and retain qualified employees.

SOURCE Ziegler