Blackford Capital Moves Headquarters to Grand Rapids, Mich.

April 25, 2011 – GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. –Blackford Capital, a private equity firm that acquires, manages and builds middle-market manufacturing, distribution and services companies, has moved its headquarters in Irvine, Calif. to Grand Rapids, Mich. to expand its geographic footprint in the Midwest. Blackford Capital began its operations in 2000 in Chicago and originally moved West to ensure the successful performance of some of its early investments. It will retain an office in San Francisco.

“We are very pleased to relocate to my hometown of Grand Rapids, which will allow us to focus on adding new platform companies in the Midwest,” said Martin Stein, founder and managing director of Blackford Capital. “Given that roughly 70% of our investments have taken place in the Midwest and the East Coast, it was a natural progression for our firm to eliminate the redundancy of two offices in California.”

Blackford reviews roughly 2,000 transactions per year with the goal of closing four to six deals, and has closed nearly 20 transactions in the past five years. The firm’s investment criteria include mature, profitable businesses with revenues between $20 million and $100 million, and earnings between $2 million and $10 million, with owners looking to retire or exit from the business.

Blackford’s current staff consists of 11 investment professionals (eight based in Michigan) and approximately 15 operating partners. Blackford’s current portfolio companies employ approximately 750 people in six states and generate roughly $200 million in revenue.

With more than 10 years of private equity experience, Stein leads the firm's acquisition sourcing activities and serves on the boards of five of the firm’s portfolio companies.  Additionally, he is Chairman of the Board of Amtech Corporation and Staging Concepts.  He has been involved in approximately 20 acquisitions, investments and exits, and has worked as a consultant with Mercer Management Consulting where he developed growth strategies for Fortune 500 clients such as Sears, Dow, Searle Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer and PacifiCare Health Systems.
Stein attended Forest Hills Northern in Grand Rapids, graduating as class valedictorian in 1990. He received his Bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Chicago and was selected by USA Today as one of the "Best and Brightest Leaders in America." He is a graduate of the Coro Fellows Program in St. Louis and received his MBA from Harvard Business School with a focus in operations.  Stein is a frequent speaker at numerous industry and trade show conferences.  He and his family reside in Grand Rapids, Mich.

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About Blackford Capital
Founded in 2000, Blackford Capital is a private equity firm that acquires, manages and builds middle-market manufacturing, distribution and service companies. The firm combines detailed due diligence and operational experience with the seasoned M&A expertise of a traditional financial buyer. Blackford Capital currently has portfolio companies based in six states with combined revenues of approximately $200 million. Blackford Capital maintains offices in Grand Rapids, Mich. (headquarters) and San Francisco, Calif. For more information, visit www.blackfordcapital.com.

For more information, please contact:

Lambert, Edwards & Associates
Kristie Burns
kburns@lambert-edwards.com
(616) 233-0500