Executive Officers

Alan B. Menkes, 52
Chief Executive Officer and Director

Over a 24-year career in the private equity business, Mr. Menkes has played a lead role in 21 platform transactions and more than 50 add-on acquisitions totaling approximately $1 billion in equity capital and almost $7 billion in total enterprise value. Since 2009, Mr. Menkes is also a Managing Partner of G2 Investment Group, a diversified financial services firm, and heads up its private equity activities. From 2007 to 2009, he was a partner at Enterprise Infrastructure Ventures, a real estate investment firm focused on acquiring and developing data centers and other mission-critical real estate assets. From 2002 to the present, Mr. Menkes has been the Managing Partner of Empeiria Capital LLC, a private equity firm he co-founded. From 1999 to 2002, he was Co-Director of Private Equity and a member of the Executive Committee of Thomas Weisel Partners, an investment banking and investment management firm focused on growth sectors. From 1992 to 1998, Mr. Menkes was a Vice President and partner at Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Inc., a leveraged buyout firm. Prior to Hicks Muse, he was with The Carlyle Group, a global alternative investment manager, from its founding in 1987 to 1992. Mr. Menkes currently serves on the board of directors of CS Technology, a private IT consulting firm focused on data centers and physical IT infrastructure. He previously served on the board of directors of Conner Steel Products, a private manufacturer of equipment for the oil and gas industry, from June 2006 to May 2011, and Stellent, Inc., a publicly-traded software company, from January 2004 to December 2006. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia, where he earned his B.A. in Economics with Highest Distinction. Mr. Menkes earned an M.B.A. with Distinction from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Keith E. Oster, 49
President and Director

Mr. Oster has been in the private equity industry for more than 20 years. From 2006 to 2007, he was a Managing Director with Genstar Capital, a middle-market buyout firm with over $2.5 billion under management. From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Oster worked at Fremont Partners, the private equity arm of the Fremont Group, a private investment firm sponsored by the Bechtel family. From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Oster served as co-founder of Empeiria Capital LLC and from 2000 to 2002 he was a partner with Thomas Weisel Partners, an investment banking and investment management firm, where he had principal responsibility for private equity investments in the industrial technology sector. From 1992 to 2000, Mr. Oster was a partner and founder of J.F. Lehman & Company, a private equity investment firm that focuses exclusively on acquiring middle market companies in the defense, aerospace and maritime industries and the technologies that originate from them. From 1988 to 1992, he served as an Associate at The Carlyle Group, a global alternative investment manager. Mr. Oster in the past has served on the boards of the following private companies: Racal Instruments Group (2001 to 2003), McCormick Selph, Inc. (1999 to 2000), Special Devices Incorporated (1998 to 2000), Elgar Electronics Incorporated (1998 to 2000) and Burke Industries, Inc. (1997 to 2000). He graduated with a B.A. in Economics and English from Oberlin College and earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Joseph Fong, 37
Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President

Since 2009, Mr. Fong has also been a Managing Director at G2 Investment Group, a diversified financial services firm, and is involved in its private equity and real estate activities. From 2007 to 2009, he worked in the private equity business of Fortress Investment Group, a global investment manager with over $40 billion of assets under management. At Fortress, Mr. Fong was a member of the acquisitions team and held a variety of responsibilities with respect to a major portfolio company, including capital investments, asset dispositions, business planning and financial reporting. From 1999 to 2007, Mr. Fong worked in investment banking at Lehman Brothers, where he was involved in over $30 billion of completed transactions for real estate companies and opportunity funds, with transaction types that included buy- and sell-side mergers and acquisitions, high-yield and investment-grade debt financings, initial public offerings, secondary equity and convertible offerings, and asset-based financings. Mr. Fong graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University with majors in economics and architecture, and also received Master of Architecture and M.B.A. degrees from Yale.

Michael Dion, 53
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Over a 32-year career in the consumer products industry, Mr. Dion has played a lead role in executing financial performance turnaround plans, implementing cost-cutting strategies, and managing post-acquisition integration. Since 2007, Mr. Dion has been a business consultant working with a variety of companies and investors on acquisition transactions. From 2001 to 2007, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Pinnacle Foods Corporation, a consumer products corporation formed from the purchased assets of Vlasic Foods International with brands including Swanson Frozen Foods, Vlasic Pickles, and Open Pit. Mr. Dion joined Pinnacle Foods after its formation by Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst in 2001 and continued in this role after the company was acquired by CCMP, JW Childs, and CDM Equity in 2003. In 2003, Pinnacle Foods purchased the brands of Aurora Foods including, among others, Duncan Hines, Mrs. Paul’s, Aunt Jemima Frozen Breakfast, and Mrs. Butterworth’s Syrups. From 1999 to 2004, he was Vice President of Finance of Hillsdown Holdings, PLC and Mumm and Perrier-Jouet (1999 to 2001), as a member of the C. Dean Metropoulos Group which managed the investments on behalf of Hicks Muse. From 1996 to 1999, Mr. Dion was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of International Home Foods, a consumer products company with brands such as Chef Boyardee, PAM Cooking Spray, Polaner All-Fruit, and Crunch n’ Munch. From 1994 to 1997, he was Vice President of Finance of Morningstar Dairy Group. From 1990 to 1994, Mr. Dion was Vice President of Finance for International Cheese Company. From 1989 to 1990, he was Vice President of Finance of Aquatec, Inc. From 1984 to 1989, Mr. Dion was Chief Financial Officer of Karl Suss America, an industrial technology supplier. From 1979 to 1983, he was a Senior Auditor of Coopers and Lybrand, LLC. Mr. Dion received a B.S. in Business Administration from University of Vermont in 1979, where he was on the Dean’s List all semesters.

Katharine Kaplan, 26
Vice President

Since 2010, Ms. Kaplan has also been a Vice President at G2 Investment Group, a diversified financial services firm. From 2008 to 2010, Ms. Kaplan worked at Lubert-Adler, a real estate investment management firm, where she was an Associate specializing in acquisitions and asset management. At Lubert-Adler, she underwrote and oversaw existing and new investments in the apartment, self-storage, hotel and office sectors in major markets across the U.S. Ms. Kaplan previously worked in the investment banking group at Lehman Brothers, where she was responsible for valuation analysis and structuring for a wide variety of advisory and capital raising transactions. She has extensive experience in assessing, underwriting, valuing, and conducting due diligence on public and private companies, portfolios, and individual assets. Ms. Kaplan graduated cum laude with an A.B. in History from Harvard University.

Board of Directors

James N. Mills, 73
Chairman of the Board

Mr. Mills has served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Mills & Partners, Inc., a management and investment firm that specializes in the acquisition and operation of commercial and industrial manufacturing companies, since its formation in 1985. Mr. Mills has, in the past, served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of each of the Mills & Partners portfolio companies, including Clarke Floor Equipment, Palco Industries, Wirekraft Industries, Berg Electronics, Jackson Products, Crain Holdings, International Wire Group, and Viasystems Group. Mr. Mills also previously served on the board of directors of Conner Steel Products, a manufacturer of equipment for the oil and gas industry from June 2006 to May 2011. Mr. Mills has over 40 years of operating experience in senior and corporate level positions with a variety of successful major manufacturing companies. From 1978 to 1985 Mr. Mills was a senior executive of McGraw-Edison Company, a company engaged in the electronic, industrial, commercial, and automotive industries. At McGraw-Edison, he served as Executive Vice President of the Industrial, Power Systems and Service sectors, where he was responsible for $1.1 billion of corporate revenue, President of the Industrial Group and President of the Bussmann Division, where he led a major corporate divestiture program which resulted in the sale of 15 operating companies with combined sales of over $1 billion. From 1977 to 1978, Mr. Mills served as Executive Vice President of the Admiral Group of Rockwell International and as President and Chief Executive Officer of Litton Industries’ Royal Typewriter Division. Mr. Mills’ affiliations have included the National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Foundation, the National Aid to Visually Handicapped Children, the American Management Association, the President’s Council of St. Louis University, and the Presidents’ Association of the American Management Association. He attended the University of Missouri majoring in Business Administration.

Barry Brigman, 64
Director

Mr. Brigman is a business consultant and investor. He is a partner in Empeiria Capital LLC and was the Chairman of the Board of Conner Steel Products from June 2006 to May 2011. From March 2003 to June 2006 he was the Managing Partner of Hanley Partners Asia (“HPA”) and has been managing global businesses in a variety of industry segments for over 25 years. HPA was a global consulting group that assisted North American and European middle market businesses to access the market opportunities, material and product sourcing supply chains, and the manufacturing potential available in China. Prior to co-founding HPA, Mr. Brigman was employed by Viasystems Group, Inc. from January 1997 to December 2002 as President of the Telecom Division, President of the Global PCB business and President of the Americas. In July 2001, Mr. Brigman was appointed Executive Vice President responsible for all global business functions within Viasystems Group, Inc. From 1997 to 2002, Viasystems grew through multiple acquisitions and internal growth from $200 million to $1.5 billion in revenue with 32 global manufacturing sites and over 25,000 employees in the Americas, Europe, and China. Mr. Brigman was involved in and often led the financial due diligence process for the purchase of companies. Prior to Viasystems, Mr. Brigman was Senior Vice President and General Manager, Americas of Berg Electronics from March 1993. During Mr. Brigman’s tenure, the company moved from the No. 7 position in the connector industry to No. 3. Prior to joining Berg, Mr. Brigman was employed by DuPont as the Director of Connector Systems — Americas from 1989 to 1993. Mr. Brigman had held numerous professional and management positions in the Fibers, Central Research and Development, Medical Products, Corporate Plans, and Electronics divisions of DuPont. His functional experience includes assignments in technical sales, marketing, manufacturing, strategic planning, and general business management. He managed global businesses with presences in the Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific regions. Mr. Brigman joined DuPont in 1969. Mr. Brigman holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Virginia Polytechnic Institute.