Lower Middle Market Weekly Outlook

ACG has formed an informal working group to help address growing concerns about the host of regulatory challenges faced by middle-market private equity funds. The group, which will interact with the SEC, has created a survey to capture the thoughts of the middle-market community. If you are interested in participating, you can fill out the survey here.

In other news, the quality of life improving across Wall Street and Eric Cantor is joining Moelis & Co.

Transactions:

• Highlander Partners acquires Versatex Building Products
• Castanea Partners invests in Essentia Water
• 1-800-Flowers to buy Harry & David
• Argonne Capital buys Lube Stop
• Dave & Busters to file for IPO as early as this week
• Woodlawn adds Cerda to Omnitank platform
• Ridgemont Equity Partners acquires Abrasive Products & Equipment
• The Riverside Company invests in Tate’s Bake Shop
• Playtech acquires Aristocrat Lotteries
• Palladium Equity Partners exits Sahale Snacks
• Western Capital Resources to acquire AlphaGraphics
• Triton Pacific Capital Partners sells Custom Credit Systems
• Spring Mountain Capital backs Activate Healthcare
• Oaktree said to seek $10 billion for distressed fund
• Veritas Capital acquires BeyondTrust
• Mattress Firm Holding to buy Sleep Train

Events:

• Monday: Great Lakes ACG Capital Connection
• Wednesday: The New Normal for Special Situations Investing
• Friday: Understanding and Bridging the Valuation Gap

Opinions:

• How to choose the best investment bank: 5 critical questions to ask
• CalSTRS’ PE portfolio outperforms benchmark by 300 bps
• Is PE coming to your 401 (K)?
• Top 10 mergers and acquisitions in internet of things space 2014
• LBO funds have been strong performers
• Why many small business cannot be sold
• This has been a huge year for US IPOs, and it’s just warming up
• 6 tips for selling your online business
• First-time PE vehicles look to stand out from the crowd
• Middle-market execs bullish about financing
• Five tips for making partner at your PE firm
• 9 tips for winning investors in the 5 minutes you have their attention
• Investment banks face 10-year wait for pre-crisis fee levels

This week in history… AOL acquires CompuServe for $1.2 billion (1997).