Bison Partners Professional Team represents a wide range of backgrounds in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, corporate development, commercial and investment banking, domestic and international corporate management, turnaround management and entrepreneurial startups. Our team has an average of more than 20 plus years experience across a broad range of functional roles and industry sectors.

Broad Based Experience on Both Sides of the Table
The Bison Partners Team collectively has served in the roles of private equity and venture capital investment principal, borrower and lender, consultant, corporate financial, senior executive and entrepreneurial manager and investment banking advisor. Bison's team has been on both sides of the table and brings that dual perspective to bear on behalf of its clients. The team has direct experience in the middle market company segment, Bison's target client market.

• Senior Marketing Officer, Acorn Capital Group LLC (“special situation” asset based specialty finance company acting as an asset based lender to restructuring and transitional middle market companies)
• CFO, All Financial Group LLC (specialty finance company in the insurance products market)
• CFO-iMIC Division, Mitsubishi International Corporation (US private equity and venture capital investment group of the global Japanese trading and investment company)
  
• Co-Founder, Red Diamond Capital Partners (New York-based $150 million buyout/growth equity fund affiliated with Mitsubishi International Corp)
  
• SVP-Finance & Administration, EBMatch.com (early-stage Internet company in the B2B e-business services sector)
  
• VP-Finance, MHC Investments LLC (private equity sponsored startup company in the recreational/sports sector)
  
• Vice President & Treasurer and Corporate Development executive, American Banknote Corporation (NYSE-traded multinational holding company with operating subsidiaries in the plastic transaction/smart card manufacturing, specialized security printing and fulfillment services businesses)
  
• Corporate and leveraged finance banking, Citibank and The Bank of New York

Bison Team Members

Financial Advisory Services

• Managing Partner- Harding Capital LLC (middle market corporate finance advisory firm)
• SVP & CFO – Country Road Communications LLC (private equity owned independent telephone company (ILEC) operating in four states)
• Director, Head of Packaging Industry Group – SG Cowen Securities Corp. (international clients in the paper, forest products and packaging industries)
• Associate Director, Natural Resource Group – Bear Stearns & Company (clients in the packaging, energy, waste management and specialty chemicals industries)
• Director, Industrial Coverage Group – Smith Barney Inc. (clients in the paper, forest products, packaging, auto parts, consumer products and imaging industries)
• Associate, Merger & Acquisition Group – PaineWebber Inc. (clients in the aerospace and defense industries)
• Analyst, Corporate Finance – Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. (clients in the health care, business services and general manufacturing industries)

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• Founder & Managing Member – Courtfield Capital LLC (private investment firm)
• Managing Director & Global Research Director – Duquesne Capital Management (multi-strategy hedge fund)
• Managing Director & Senior Analyst – Zimmer Lucas Partners (hedge fund focused on power and utility sectors)
• Analyst, Equity Research – Morgan Stanley Inc.
• Analyst – Value Line Inc.

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• Consulting Principal, Catalyst Consulting Group (middle market organizational/operations consultancy)
• Chief Operating Officer, AllFinancial Group LLC (specialty finance company in the insurance products market)
• Principal, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Ironwood Capital, Ltd. (private investment bank focused on the middle market) and affiliated with Ironbridge Mezzanine Fund (SBIC licensed mezzanine fund)
• Portfolio Manager, Smith, Whiley & Co. (middle market mezzanine fund)
• Investment Analyst, Aetna Insurance Bond Investor Department
• National Account Manager, Brulin & Co. (nationwide manufacturer of industrial cleaning and process chemicals)

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• Partner, KN Associates LLC (private merchant bank)
• Director, Credit Suisse First Boston (corporate and leveraged finance banking)
• Senior Vice President, Credit Suisse (corporate and investment banking in NY and Switzerland offices)
• Vice President, Chemical Bank (corporate banking)

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• Partner, KN Associates LLC (private merchant bank)
• Chief Executive Officer, Greenwich-based Merchant Bank
• Advisor, Boston-based Corporate Finance Firm
• Managing Director, Chase Investment Bank
• Corporate Development Executive, Thyssen Bournemisza Group, Inc.
• Corporate Development Officer, General Foods Corporation
• Vice President & General Counsel, Continental Can Company
• Associate General Counsel & Assistant Secretary, Dun & Bradstreet Corporation
• Associate Attorney, Shearman & Sterling

Business Consulting Services

• Consulting Operating Partner, Thompson Street Capital Partners (middle market focused private equity fund)
• President & COO – Truck Accessories Group ($160MM revenue private equity owned manufacturer of pickup truck bed caps/camper shells and tonneau covers with 1,200 employees and six manufacturing plants)
• SVP, Operations – NorthWestern Growth Corporation ($6 billion publicly-held utility in propane, telephone, HVAC and plumbing services markets)
• President – AEC Sterling Corporation ($140MM revenue private equity owned manufacturer of industrial process equipment used in the plastics/extrusion markets with 1,000 employees and seven manufacturing plants in the US and one plant in Italy)
• General Manager – GE Meter Business ($160MM revenue international manufacturer of electrical meters with 1,400 employees and four manufacturing plants in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Philippines and JV and licensees in Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan & Pakistan)
• SVP,Fleet Operations - GE Railcar Services Corp. ($700MM revenue GECC division that managed and leased 140,000 railcars to railroads and private shipping companies with 50 employees and 900 repair shops)
• President – GE Railcar Repair Services & Wheel Services Corp. ($130MM revenue division providing railcar maintenance/rebuilding and wheel remanufacturing services with 900 employees and sixteen repair/remanufacturing facilities)
• President – Crown Coach Inc , a GECC subsidiary ( $35MM revenue manufacturer of buses and specialty chassis for the school, municipal and state bus, RV and specialty coach markets with 300 employees)
• Manager, Manufacturing & Engineering - Midwest Electric Products, a GE subsidiary ($30MM revenue manufacturer of specialty outdoor electrical equipment for the marine, RV, industrial panel/control and residential air conditioning markets with 220 employees)
• Manager, Sales/Project/Manufacturing Engineer & Supervisor – GE Distribution Transformer and GE Apparatus Service divisions

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Senior management executives and consultants focused on providing companies with merger integration advisory services, growth strategy/business development, lean manufacturing/operational performance improvement and executive management and human resource support. Messrs. Recardo, Waldron and Olson are the principals of The Catalyst Consulting Group LLC ("Catalyst"), a management consultancy serving middle market companies. Catalyst provides expertise in M&A due diligence, pre and post-merger integration and rapid organizational and operational performance improvements. Clients have included divisions of GE, Johnson & Johnson and Chemtura as well as middle market companies and private equity firms. The firm provides a variety of "best practice" methodologies and analytical tools to assist companies that need to increase revenues and develop new business opportunities. Mr. DeForge is the founding principal of Lean Value Solutions International LLC ("LVSI"), known for leading operational improvements and turnarounds at companies such as Pratt & Whitney, Otis Elevator, Witco Chemical, Dresser Rand, Caterpillar, JDS Uniphase, Sikorski Helicopter, Carrier Corp, Siemens Westinghouse, Emerson Appliances, Exide and Praxair. Catalyst and LVSI have entered into a partnership to provide proven value creation services tailored for privately-held middle market companies and private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies.

Mr. Recardo is the founder and Managing Partner of Catalyst Consulting and has over 25 years of experience as both a corporate executive and management consultant. He has worked as an executive for Fidelity Investments and Arthur Anderson & Company in its strategy and change management group. He has worked with over 100 companies in the manufacturing, high tech, financial services, life sciences, publishing and business services industries. Mr. Recardo's former clients include: Asea Brown Boveri, General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, Pennsylvania Power & Light, Pfizer, PPG Industries, Yale University, VNU, Lehigh Portland Cement, Schick Wilkinson Sword and Southern California Edison. His areas of expertise focus on strategic planning and merger integration, work redesign/operational improvement, human capital management and planning. Mr. Recardo is a published author of four books addressing corporate performance management, balanced scorecard methodology and organizational and executive team design as well as articles in professional journals.

Mr. Waldron is a Consulting Principal of Catalyst Consulting and most recently served as the Chief Talent Officer and Partner for Porter Novelli, a leading international public relations firm, where he led the firm's knowledge development, organizational/leadership strategy, learning and human resources functions. Prior to Porter Novelli, he served as the Chief Human Resources Officer for APL Logistics, a global logistics technology company; VP-Human Resources for Starwood Hotels & Resorts; SVP-Human Resources for Young & Rubicam and Burson-Marsteller and international human resource positions with Chase Manhattan Bank and Salomon Brothers. Mr. Waldron has significant experience in the marketing communications, financial services, consumer products, travel and hospitality and logistics technology industries where he provided executive management and leadership development and human resources planning for organizations involved in acquisitions and divestitures, management transitions and IPOs.

Mr. Olson is a Consulting Principal of Catalyst Consulting and a Managing Director of Bison Partners. Mr. Olson's biographical description is highlighted in Bison's Financial Advisory Services Group.

Mr. DeForge is a Principle Consultant with Lean Value Solutions International. He has served in management positions with United Technologies and Pratt & Whitney where he was a graduate machinist apprentice, front line supervisor and a Manager in the Pratt & Whitney kaizen promotion office responsible for implementing lean manufacturing in both the supplier base and internal business units. Mr. DeForge has studied lean principles in the US and Japan with the originators of the Toyota Production System and has facilitated numerous improvement workshops in the US, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Central America. Mr. DeForge has an extensive background in helping organizations develop and implement lean manufacturing strategies within a variety of production settings using the structured approach and analysis tools taught by the Shingijutsu consulting group, the first tier associates of Taiichi Ohno. Mr. DeForge has extensive experience in designing custom training materials, assisting organizations in implementing internal functional "offices of continuous improvement", executive level coaching and shop level operational assistance. He also has extensive hands on experience implementing Kaizen on the shop floor throughout various services and manufacturing industries in over 65 companies worldwide.

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Mr. Willams currently serves as the CEO of Entrepreneurial Resources Group (ERG), a 16-member management and business consulting firm focused on domestic and international public and privately-held companies seeking CEO, COO, CFO and sales/marketing resources and support. ERG provides operational performance improvement, M&A integration, strategic planning, transitional/turnaround and interim management, sales/marketing/pricing analysis, working capital/cash flow management and financial advisory services.

• Senior Executive positions at HK Porter Corp., Carborundum Corp., AB Electrolux, Keene Corp., Arlon Corp. and Kevlin Corp.

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Mr. Marks founded JDR Marketing, a direct marketing and telemarketing company serving Fortune 500 customers and sold the business to NCO Group. He has provided business mentoring services for early-stage companies and has assisted in the venture financing process frequently serving as an angel investor in seed-stage companies. Mr. Marks has a BSE- Economics from Rutgers University, Cook College.

Mr. Zink most recently served as Vice President of Yahoo! where he was responsible for East Coast operations including sales, strategic alliances and business development and successfully grew the region’s revenue base. Mr. Zink also served as a publisher of a number of magazines in the entertainment, travel and design industries as well as a worked with independent media organizations to develop new publications, software, trade shows, interactive services, television programs and other marketing services.

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