Los Angeles, CA, West Conshohocken, PA, Toronto, ON, February 7, 2019 – AEG Facilities, the venue management subsidiary of AEG, and SMG, an Onex (TSX: ONEX) portfolio company, today announced they have signed a definitive agreement to merge. This combination will create a new, standalone global facility management and venue services company that will operate as ASM Global (“ASM”). Onex and AEG’s subsidiary will each own 50% of the company following the completion of the transaction. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
ASM will be headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, with key operations based in West Conshohocken, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia. Led by the most experienced team in the industry, the company will operate a diversified portfolio of arenas, stadiums, convention centers and performing arts centers, with more than 310 venues across five continents.
Wes Westley, Chief Executive Officer and President of SMG, said, “This merger is a major step for our industry. We are excited to bring together these complementary businesses to further elevate the standard of excellence in venue management. We plan to accelerate innovation by combining our expertise to deliver increased value and offer enhanced capabilities to municipalities and venue owners worldwide. At the same time, we expect that this transaction will offer employees at both our corporate headquarters and field operations tremendous new opportunities.”
Bob Newman, current President of AEG Facilities and formerly a Regional Vice President at SMG, said, “It is an honor and privilege to be a part of this exciting new company, which brings together the two organizations where I have worked for the bulk of my professional career. This transaction draws upon the depth of our combined talent and resources to create an organization that will deliver value and long-term success, as well as innovative services to our clients around the world.”

Following the completion of the transaction, Mr. Newman will be named President and CEO of ASM. Mr. Westley will join ASM’s Board of Directors, where he will actively support the merger integration.

Dan Beckerman, President and Chief Executive Officer of AEG, said, “AEG Facilities has flourished under Bob’s leadership since it was established a decade ago and this combination will position ASM for growth by joining the resources and talents of these two companies. ASM will offer an impressive array of capabilities that will accelerate the development and deployment of new services and bring diverse business, sports and entertainment experiences to municipalities, partners and fans around the world.”

Amir Motamedi, a Managing Director of Onex, added, “With Wes at the helm, SMG became a gold standard in venue management. We are grateful for his stewardship over the last 25 years and look forward to his continued involvement on the board. Looking forward, we are thrilled to be partnering with Bob Newman and the talented AEG team to create a larger, more diverse company to better serve ASM’s clients.”
AEG will retain ownership of its real estate holdings outside of this venture, including its entertainment districts and owned venues in Los Angeles, London, Hamburg and Berlin, as well as its extensive development, sports, music and sponsorship divisions. Onex is contributing its entire equity investment in SMG into the merger. The transaction is expected to be completed later this year subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

About Onex
Onex is one of the oldest and most successful private equity firms. Through its Onex Partners and ONCAP private equity funds, Onex acquires and builds high-quality businesses in partnership with talented management teams. At Onex Credit, Onex manages and invests in leveraged loans, collateralized loan obligations and other credit securities. Onex has more than $33 billion of assets under management, including $6.9 billion of Onex proprietary capital, in private equity and credit securities. With offices in Toronto, New York, New Jersey and London, Onex and the team are collectively the largest investors across Onex’ platforms.
Onex’ businesses have assets of $52 billion, generate annual revenues of $32 billion and employ approximately 218,000 people worldwide. Onex shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol ONEX. For more information on Onex, visit its website at www.onex.com. Onex’ security filings can also be accessed at www.sedar.com.

About SMG
Founded in 1977, SMG provides management services to more than 240 public assembly facilities including convention and exhibition centers, arenas, stadiums, theatres, performing arts centers, equestrian facilities and a variety of other venues. With facilities across the globe, SMG manages more than 20 million square feet of exhibition space and over 1.6 million sports and entertainment seats. SMG provides venue management, sales, marketing, event booking and programming, construction and design consulting, and pre-opening services. SMG Europe manages entertainment venues and food and beverage operations at locations throughout Europe, including in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Poland. For more information visit www.smgworld.com or www.smg-europe.com.

About AEG Facilities
AEG Facilities is a subsidiary of AEG, a leading sports and live entertainment company. AEG Facilities operates some of the industry’s preeminent venues worldwide, across five continents, providing complete venue management, as well as specialized programs in operations, guest services, ticketing, booking, sales and marketing. AEG Facilities also provides its clients resources and access to other AEG-affiliated entities, including AEG Presents, one of the largest live music companies in the world, AEG Global Partnerships and AEG Real Estate, as well as such programs as AEG 1Earth and AEG Encore to support the success of its venues across the globe. For more information, please visit www.aegworldwide.com.

About AEG
Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, AEG is a leading sports and live entertainment company. With offices on five continents, AEG operates in the following business segments: AEG Facilities, which manages or consults with preeminent arenas, stadiums and convention centers around the world; AEG Presents, which is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performances, including producing and promoting global and regional concert tours, music and special events and world-renowned festivals; AEG Real Estate, which develops world-class venues, as well as major sports and entertainment districts like STAPLES Center and L.A. LIVE; AEG Sports, which is the world’s largest operator of sports franchises and high-profile sporting events; and AEG Global Partnerships, which oversees worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships including naming rights, premium seating and other strategic partnerships. Through its worldwide network of venues, portfolio of powerful sports and music brands and its integrated entertainment districts, AEG entertains more than 100 million guests annually. More information about AEG can be found at www.aegworldwide.com.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on current expectations and are subject to known and unknown uncertainties and risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by such forward-looking statements. The companies are under no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein should material facts change due to new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information:
Onex
Emilie Blouin
Director, Investor Relations
Tel: +1.416.362.7711
SMG
Steve Patterson
Res Publica Group
Tel: +1.312.504.7848
AEG and AEG Facilities
Michael Roth
VP, Communications
Tel: +1.213.472.7255

Semantix continues its acquisition drive and invests in on-demand interpreting by acquiring Tolkvox AB. This acquisition is an important addition to the company’s portfolio of multilingual services and is in line with the increasing demand for flexible online solutions. It also solidifies the company’s position as the leader in language technology in the Nordic region.

“The acquisition of Tolkvox is a very important and logical step for us to take in extending our digital offer into the growing on-demand market in the Nordics. Mobile on-demand human interpretation will help users overcome language barriers anywhere and in real time. It is an exciting development of language technology, disrupting conventional language services,” says Patrik Attemark, CEO Semantix.

Tolkvox is a Swedish on-demand interpreting start-up, founded three years ago. Tolkvox provides interpreting services between 178 languages and English in an easy-to-use app. Via the app, customers can reach qualified interpreters within 30 seconds, with just the push of a button and no need to pre-book.

“I am looking forward to Tolkvox becoming a part of the Semantix service offer and being able to make on-demand interpreting available to all Semantix customers 24/7,” says Mattias Schain, founder of Tolkvox, who will take on the new role of Business Development Manager On-demand Interpreting at Semantix.

For more information

Patrik Attemark, CEO, patrik.attemark@semantix.se, 070 166 56 01

Semantix is the largest language technology company in the Nordics, providing interpreting, translation and advanced language solutions to the public sector and private corporations for more than 50 years. Semantix has a turnover of approximately SEK 1 billion and operates in accordance with ISO 9001:2015. The group has offices in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland and representatives in China, Chile and Spain. Semantix has some 400 full-time employees and manages a comprehensive network of thousands of language specialists all over the globe. Semantix is majority owned by the private equity fund Segulah V L.P. 

Launches Technology-Driven Claims and Noticing Administration Practice

NEW YORK – Duff & Phelps, the global advisor that protects, restores and maximizes value for clients, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Prime Clerk, a claims and noticing administrator based in New York. The transaction, terms of which were not disclosed, is expected to close during the first quarter of 2019, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval.

Prime Clerk provides claims administration services through its proprietary software and industry-leading team. The company’s suite of services includes case filing preparation, noticing solutions, claims administration, balloting and tabulation, securities noticing and balloting, corporate events (including rights offerings, tender offerings and treatment elections), secure disbursements, strategic communications and call center support, and case-specific websites.

Prime Clerk was founded in 2013 to bring a technologically advanced, professional and cost-effective claims management solution to the claims administration industry. Following the acquisition, Shai Waisman, Chief Executive Officer of Prime Clerk, will remain in his current position and head the Prime Clerk business unit of Duff & Phelps. Waisman will report directly to Jacob Silverman, President of Duff & Phelps.

Noah Gottdiener, Chief Executive Officer of Duff & Phelps, commented: “Prime Clerk is the undisputed leader in its industry, and I am thrilled to welcome this talented and accomplished group of professionals to Duff & Phelps. This acquisition, along with the addition of Kroll last year, creates a world-class suite of dispute, investigation and claims administration services for the legal channel. I share Shai’s vision for building the business, and I am confident that together we can accelerate growth in this vibrant arena.”

“Prime Clerk has a legacy of delivering superb client service leveraging the most respected professional staff and unmatched industry technology. Duff & Phelps has built a global and diversified franchise that helps clients protect and enhance their value through this shared philosophy. I am excited to bring our market-leading business into partnership with this outstanding group of professionals. I look forward to expanding the services we can offer to our clients and continuing our growth. All of us at Prime Clerk are excited about this new chapter for our firm,” said Waisman.

Shary Moalemzadeh, Co-Head of Carlyle Strategic Partners, said, “The combination of Duff & Phelps and Prime Clerk will benefit current and prospective clients of both companies. We are pleased with Prime Clerk’s growth and success during our investment and are excited to be investing in this transaction and to be a stakeholder in Duff & Phelps going forward as it adds the Prime Clerk platform to its business.  I am confident the combined company will continue to innovate and be a key strategic partner to companies throughout the U.S. and globally.”

UBS Investment Bank and Goldman Sachs acted as financial advisors to Duff & Phelps and provided committed financing in support of the transaction. Kirkland & Ellis and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP acted as legal advisor to Duff & Phelps and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP acted as legal advisor to Prime Clerk and The Carlyle Group.

* * * * *

About Duff & Phelps

Duff & Phelps is the global advisor that protects, restores and maximizes value for clients in the areas of valuation, corporate finance, investigations, disputes, cyber security, compliance and regulatory matters, and other governance-related issues. We work with clients across diverse sectors, mitigating risk to assets, operations and people. With Kroll, a division of Duff & Phelps since 2018, our firm has nearly 3,500 professionals in 28 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.duffandphelps.com.

About Prime Clerk

Prime Clerk, a claims and noticing agent founded in 2013 and based in New York, was established by veteran attorneys and consultants to bring next generation technology, leading professionalism and reliable service into a stagnant industry. Prime Clerk delivers tailored, practical and client-collaborative solutions to claims administration. www.primeclerk.com

About The Carlyle Group

The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) is a global alternative asset manager with $212 billion of assets under management across 339 investment vehicles as of September 30, 2018. Carlyle’s purpose is to invest wisely and create value on behalf of its investors, many of whom are public pensions. Carlyle invests across four segments – Corporate Private Equity, Real Assets, Global Credit and Investment Solutions – in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America. Carlyle has expertise in various industries, including: aerospace, defense & government services, consumer & retail, energy, financial services, healthcare, industrial, real estate, technology & business services, telecommunications & media and transportation. The Carlyle Group employs more than 1,625 people in 31 offices across six continents. www.carlyle.com

CONTACTS:

Duff & Phelps
Angela Tucciarone
+1 212-871-6237
angela.tucciarone@duffandphelps.com

The Carlyle Group
Liz Gill
+1-202-729-5385
Elizabeth.gill@carlyle.com

Transaction Represents the 4th Acquisition Completed Under Gryphon’s Ownership

Charlotte, NC – January 18, 2019 —

HEPACO, LLC (“HEPACO”), a leading provider of environmental and emergency response services, announced today that it has acquired PetroChem Recovery Services, Inc. (“PetroChem” or “the Company”) from Succession Capital Partners. Headquartered in Norfolk, VA, PetroChem is a leading environmental services provider for transportation, industrial, and government clients. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. HEPACO is majority-owned by San Francisco-based Gryphon Investors, a leading middle market private equity firm. This transaction represents the fourth acquisition completed under Gryphon’s ownership.

HEPACO Chief Executive Officer Ken Smith said, “We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of PetroChem and welcome their team to HEPACO.” Mr. Smith added, “We look forward to working with the PetroChem team to enhance our emergency response and environmental service offerings and better serve our customers.” HEPACO Chairman and Gryphon Operating Partner Phil Petrocelli said, “We are excited to continue our successful acquisition strategy with the PetroChem transaction. We anticipate continuing HEPACO’s expansion through new geographies and greater coverage density in attractive markets.”

Succession Capital Partners Managing Partner Matt Malone stated, “We have very much enjoyed working with the talented team at PetroChem and are delighted to announce the Company’s sale to HEPACO, which we believe is the ideal partner to facilitate PetroChem’s next phase of growth for both its customers and employees.”

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP acted as legal advisor to HEPACO, while Queen Saenz + Schutz PLLC represented PetroChem.

About HEPACO
HEPACO (www.hepaco.com) is a leading provider of emergency response, environmental remediation, maritime services, wastewater treatment, and other industrial services across a diversified group of end markets including rail, oil & gas, transportation, power & utility, and manufacturing. The company has a broad geographic footprint more than 40 locations in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast United States and offers a three-hour or less response time within its footprint and on a national basis through its managed network of third-party emergency response vendors. HEPACO provides services on both an emergency response and planned basis.

About PetroChem Recovery Services 
Based in Norfolk, VA, PetroChem (www.petrochemrecovery.com) serves as a full service environmental consulting and remediation company in the Mid-Atlantic region to large industrial, government agencies, small business, and residential clients. PetroChem provides emergency response to spill incidents in addition to hazardous material stabilization and packaging, facility decontamination, and hazardous waste transportation and disposal.

About Gryphon Investors
Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors (www.gryphoninvestors.com) is a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management teams. The firm has managed more than $4.5 billion of equity investments and capital since its founding in 1997. Gryphon targets making equity investments of $50 million to $200 million in portfolio companies with sales ranging from approximately $100 million to $500 million. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon’s capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise.