Since 1976, Harbour Group has acquired more than 160 companies mainly in the consumer and industrial product manufacturing and distribution industries. Its portfolio includes both new and mature businesses that make everything from plastic processing equipment (Plastic Automation Exchange) and LED lighting (Watchfire) to music and entertainment systems (Merit Industries) and kitchen and bath hardware (Top Knobs USA). Harbour Group generally looks to invest in and build market-leading companies valued anywhere from $30 million to $500 million. The Fox family controls Harbour Group.

Braemar Group plc was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Hale, the United Kingdom. As of July 20, 2010, Braemar Group PLC operates as a subsidiary of Brooks Macdonald Group Plc. Braemar Group plc engages in the fund management, corporate finance, and property management businesses. The company operates in two divisions, Braemar Securities and Braemar Estates. The Braemar Securities division provides advisory and fund raising services for public and private companies. It also enables the company and other property fund managers to create property-based funds, as well as advises companies on fundraising via AiM, EIS, and other forms of equity finance. In addition, this division provides and operates tax efficient property funds for the high net worth individuals. The Braemar Estates division provides property management services. It offers residential property management services for individual landlords, developers, and fund managers. This division also provides building services, such as general repairs and maintenance in the areas of gardening and grounds maintenance, electrical work, electrical safety checks, decoration, brickwork, roofwork, plastering, cleaning, and plumbing.

Cressey & Company LP was founded in 2007 and is based in Chicago, Illinois with an additional office in Nashville, Tennessee. Cressey & Company LP is a private equity firm specializing in buy-and-build, add-on acquisitions, and growth equity investments. It prefers to make control investments, but can also make minority investments in special situations. The firm prefers to invest in healthcare services, facilities, and provider businesses. It also invests in software, education, distribution, financial services and consumer products industries. The firm prefers to invest in the United States healthcare market. It prefers to invest between $10 million and $100 million with an average investment of $50 million in the companies with more than $10 million of EBITDA. The firm prefers to exit its investments between three years and seven years.

TriNorth is a Canadian-based investment company that manages a diversified investment portfolio to generate long-term capital growth for shareholders. TriNorth takes an active interest in its investee companies from the earliest stages, providing strategic and financial counsel, support and direction to assist in their growth and success. Trinorth's investment strategy includes structuring and initiating deals focused on particular resources, themes or regions as well as launching the development of businesses in select industries by providing assistance with the hiring of management teams, providing seed capital and facilitating IPOs. TriNorth is managed by Lawrence Asset Management Inc.

Chartwell Investments Inc. was founded in 1992. Chartwell Investments seeks investment opportunities in middle-market companies, primarily in the US. Chartwell Investments company is particularly interested in consumer products, manufacturing, distribution, and service businesses; it shies away from tech companies or venture capital investments. It typically invests from $50 million to more than $500 million per transaction, usually taking majority stakes its portfolio companies, holding them for the long term, and taking an active role in their management. Chartwell has stakes in about a half-dozen companies and manages some $750 million worth of assets.

Vining-Sparks IBG wants to help institutional investors kindle an investment blaze. Operating as Vining Sparks, the firm provides broker/dealer services to institutional investors including financial companies, money managers, funds, insurance firms, and municipalities. Through its alliance with Howe Barnes, Vining-Sparks IBG offers investment banking services including debt and equity offerings and mergers and acquisitions advisory. Headquartered in Memphis, far from the capital of capital centers, Vining Sparks has more than a dozen offices in the US and another in London. Chairman James Vining founded Vining-Sparks IBG to serve community banks in 1981.

Torch Energy Royalty Trust (“Trust”) is a grantor trust which provides unit holders with quarterly cash distributions from a 95% net profits interest (“Net Profits Interest”) in proved developed oil and gas properties in Texas, Alabama and Louisiana. The Trust was formed effective October 1, 1993 under the Delaware Business Trust Act pursuant to a trust agreement among Wilmington Trust Company as trustee for the Trust (“Trustee”), Torch Royalty Company (“TRC”), Velasco Gas Company, Ltd. (“Velasco”) and Torch Energy Advisors Incorporated (“TEAI”) as grantor. TRC and Velasco created a Net Profits Interest which burdens certain oil and gas properties (“Underlying Properties”), and conveyed such interest to TEAI. TEAI conveyed the Net Profits Interest to the Trust in exchange for an aggregate of 8.6 million units of beneficial interest (“Units”). Such Units were sold to the public through various underwriters in November 1993. The Units of the Trust are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TRU.The Underlying Properties constitute working interests in the Chalkley field in Louisiana, the Robinsons’ Bend field in the Black Warrior Basin in Alabama, fields that produce from the Cotton Valley formations in Texas and fields that produce from the Austin Chalk formation in Texas. On January 29, 2008, holders of more than 66 2/3% of the outstanding units of beneficial interest in the Trust affirmatively voted for a proposal to terminate the Trust in accordance with the terms and provisions of the Trust Agreement. Accordingly, the Trust is currently in the wind up and liquidation process.

GAM Holding isn't afraid to gamble on risky bets. The asset management firm offers private clients, institutional investors, and intermediary clients such investment vehicles as equity, fixed income, private-label funds, and alternative investment funds, as well as portfolio management. GAM Holding was spun off in late 2009 from Swiss private banker Julius Baer. Now its own separate, public entity, GAM Holding comprises GAM, Swiss & Global Asset Management, and a 28% stake in Artio Global Investors. (Swiss & Global focuses on traditional investments, while GAM is known for alternative and absolute-return strategies, such as hedge funds). GAM Holding has assets under management of CHF$124 billion ($119 billion).

Dubai Holding has its fingers in a lot of pies -- hospitality, real estate, financial services, telecom, media, health care, and more. The company has a portfolio of seven main corporations (including hotelier Jumeirah Group) that span across 13 industries. Each main corporation has its own subsidiaries, giving Dubai Holding interests in about 250 companies in the UAE. Dubai Holding is primarily involved in funding development, whether it's building a 3 billion sq. ft. theme park (Dubailand) or a 30 million sq. ft. research park (DuBiotech, owned by TECOM Investments). Dubai Holding is ultimately controlled by the emirate's ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Founder and CEO Tom Gores, who started Platinum Equity in 1995, is the brother of Alec Gores, who founded another investment firm, Gores Technology Group. Platinum Equity typically seeks to acquire private companies, public firms that want to become private, and units that large corporations are looking to divest; these companies usually have established brands and customer bases, and most importantly, recurring revenues. Platinum Equity also looks for acquisitions as strategic add-ons to its portfolio companies, which have operations worldwide. It focuses on such sectors as manufacturing, distribution, technology services, and communications.

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