Jordan Knauff & Company Announces its Ten-Year Anniversary

Middle-market investment bank Jordan Knauff & Company (JKC) is proud to announce its ten-year anniversary. The firm was founded on March 1, 2001, by Mr. G. Cook Jordan, Jr. and Mr. Thomas E. Knauff with a clear purpose: to provide experienced, professional, and sophisticated investment banking services to the middle-market of American business.

Reflecting on the firm’s accomplishments, Mr. Jordan commented: “The middle-market is where the professionals in our firm have spent their careers and we are proud to call ourselves investment bankers to the entrepreneurs that are the leaders of the middle-market. The most important rewards that have come to us from our work during our first ten years in existence are the contacts, relationships, knowledge, and experience gained from our clients. It is to them that we owe our thanks and our success to date.”

While the professionals at Jordan Knauff & Company have direct experience in a variety of industries and the capabilities to service middle-market companies in almost any industry, the firm has built a number of specialized practices, including: energy distribution, natural resources and renewable energy, windows and doors, flow control (which includes pumps, valves and filtration), and medical plastics.

JKC’s comprehensive experience as middle-market owners, managers, investors, and investment bankers enables it to provide professional services in the manner that best ensures successful outcomes for its clients, regardless of the type of transaction undertaken – selling a company, raising capital, or advising on an acquisition. Some examples of the firm’s success over the past decade are highlighted below.

• Liberty Propane, L.P. (Liberty), a consolidation strategy in retail propane distribution, was founded by JKC and company management in July 2003. As the investment bank of record to Liberty, JKC authored the business plan, assembled the management team, raised the initial debt and equity capital ($50 million), and was instrumental in raising further capital – ultimately $50 million in equity and $75 million in debt. Through 26 acquisitions, Liberty grew to become the ninth largest retail propane distributor in the United States. On December 31, 2009, Liberty was sold to Inergy, L.P. (NASDAQ: NRGY) for $234 million.

• Roanoke Companies Group, Inc. (Roanoke) was a leading manufacturer and marketer to mass retailers, professional distributors, and original equipment manufacturers of a comprehensive and proprietary line of construction chemical products and related tools and accessories used in the installation and repair of flooring systems. On March 17, 2006, Roanoke was sold to H.B. Fuller Company (NYSE: FUL) for $270 million and became part of H.B. Fuller’s Specialty Construction Brands, Inc. business unit. JKC acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Roanoke in the transaction.

• Mexican Cheese Producers, Inc. was a leading manufacturer of premium branded Mexican and Hispanic cheese products. JKC was engaged by the company in 2005 to assist in a capital raise or a possible sale of the company. Although the company was experiencing stable sales and positive EBITDA, it was having difficulty obtaining funding due to the company’s complicated structure. Within 24 months JKC was able to restructure the company and consolidate all assets into a single entity, facilitate the repurchase of a minority stake, raise $11 million of expansion capital, and negotiate the cancellation of a purchase option. As a result of these activities, on July 13, 2007, the company was sold to Sigma Alimentos, S.A. de C.V., a subsidiary of ALFA, S.A.B. de C.V. (Bolsa Mexicana de Valores: ALFA and OTC OTHER: ALFFF.PK) for $50 million. In addition to providing the services previously described, JKC acted as exclusive financial advisor to Mexican Cheese Producers, Inc. in the transaction.

• In 2010, JKC served as exclusive financial advisor in the sale of two wind power developments in Poland (totaling 775 MW) to The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES). When fully developed, the wind development portfolios will double Poland’s current installed wind power capacity and increase Eastern Europe’s current installed capacity by 55%. These transactions are the cornerstone for future capital flows into the renewable industry in Poland by major global players.

Jordan Knauff & Company’s work has been recognized in the investment banking community by several “deal of the year” designations, including:

• Winner: 2010 Green Energy Deal of the Year (The M&A Atlas Awards)
• Winner: 2010 International Financing Deal of the Year for the Energy Sector (including alternative energy) (The M&A Advisor)
• Winner: 2010 Middle-Market M&A Financing Deal of the Year (The M&A Advisor)
• Winner: 2010 Equity Financing Deal Maker of the Year Thomas E. Knauff (The M&A Advisor)
• Finalist: 2007 Manufacturing Deal of the Year (consumer products below $100 million) (The M&A Advisor)
• Finalist: 2007 International/Cross Border Deal of the Year (below $100 million) (The M&A Advisor)

About Jordan Knauff & Company
Jordan Knauff & Company is a knowledgeable and experienced provider of a comprehensive line of investment banking services to private companies. Services include mergers and acquisitions advisory, capital formation, and strategic financial advisory services to companies in a variety of industries. Typical transaction sizes range from $10 million to $300 million in total consideration.

To learn more about Jordan Knauff & Company, please visit www.jordanknauff.com or contact Mr. G. Cook Jordan, Jr. at 312-254-5901.