Mason Wells Newsletter 2012 – Volume 3

• Acquisition of Whitehall Specialties, Inc.
• Sale of GAMFG Precision, LLC
• New Analyst is Hired at Mason Wells

• Coating Excellence International, LLC
• Paragon Development Systems, Inc.
• Paris Presents Incorporated

Mason Wells recently announced that it has closed on the acquisition of Whitehall Specialties, Inc. (“Whitehall”), headquartered in Whitehall, Wisconsin. Whitehall was founded in 1994 and operates from three production facilities, two in Whitehall and one in Hillsboro, Wisconsin. The Company is a leader in the production and marketing of custom analog and processed cheese products. Analog, or imitation, cheese products contain a unique blend of natural dairy and non-dairy ingredients. Product lines include block, shredded, diced, grated, individually wrapped slices, and slice-on-slice. Whitehall’s’ products are sold worldwide as branded and private label retail products and are also sold as ingredients to food processors and foodservice providers. “We are excited about our new partnership with Mason Wells and believe its experience in supporting growth-oriented businesses by bringing additional resources to the table will benefit Whitehall’s customers, suppliers, and employees, and enable us to grow globally,” said Steve Fawcett, Whitehall’s President, and CEO. For more information on Whitehall, visit www.whitehall-specialties.com.

Mason Wells closed the sale of GAMFG Precision LLC (“GA”) on November 2, 2012, to Senior plc (“Senior”). GAMFG Precision, LLC, located in Franklin, Wisconsin, is a leading manufacturer of highly engineered, tight tolerance, precision-machined components for aerospace, diesel engines, diesel fuel systems, and other industrial applications. Senior is an international manufacturing group with operations in 13 countries. The Company designs, manufactures, and markets high technology components and systems for OEMs in the aerospace, defense, land vehicle, and energy markets. Senior is listed on the London Stock Exchange. During Mason Wells’ ownership of the Company, GAMFG Precision successfully implemented a number of margin improvement and capital management programs and diversified the customer base and end markets served by GA. Mason Wells acquired GA in January of 2000.

Damon Thome recently joined Mason Wells as an Analyst. Prior to joining Mason Wells, Damon spent two years as an Investment Banking Analyst for Piper Jaffray & Company, in their Minneapolis office. While at Piper Jaffray, Damon worked on a number of investment banking projects for large companies in the industrial product industry. Damon graduated with Top Honors with a B.S. in Business Administration in Finance and Accounting from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. At Mason Wells, Damon will initially be responsible for completing financial analyses and strategic/market assessments on both new business prospects and current portfolio companies.

Coating Excellence International, LLC (“CEI”) was featured in the March Issue of Packaging & Converting Intelligence Magazine because of its pet food packaging innovation. Pet food continues to be a key market for CEI as it has remained one of the fastest-growing food segments in the packaging industry. Since 2006, CEI has been a domestic manufacturer of woven polypropylene bags and is the unsurpassed market leader in the industry and remains the only commercial domestic supplier of pinch closure woven poly bags in the market today. As a forward-looking market leader with a grasp on its customers’ requirements, CEI knew there was a need for it to continue to develop its award-winning bags to be able to offer pet food manufacturers options that would allow them to differentiate themselves. With this in mind, this year CEI will debut its next-generation pinch bottom bags. These bags offer the strongest seal strength on the market, and the highest grease and moisture barrier available, as well as being able to run on existing equipment. Whether talking about the pet food market specifically or any of the other food or industrial markets CEI services, one thing is certain: CEI will continue to deliver the best customer service, product quality, and innovation to the flexible packaging industry. CEI was also featured in the cover story in the July Issue of Flexible Packaging Magazine. The article titled “Top 25 Converters” ranked CEI number 20 out of 25 based on 2011 sales. Please visit www.coatingexcellence.com for more information.

Paragon Development Systems, Inc. (“PDS”) a leading technology integrator for data center and end-user computing solutions, headquartered in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin has been awarded by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as one of the “Top Work Places” in Southeastern Wisconsin. PDS was ranked 21 out of 29 award-winning companies within the midsize category of 150-400 employees. PDS currently has 314 employees. This is the 7th time PDS has been recognized for its work environment, efficiency, and overall culture. “The Top Workplaces award reflects the amazing people who have contributed their talents throughout the years,” said Todd Radke, Director of Human Resources for PDS. “Their contributions, passion, and pursuit of purpose are the reason for this recognition.”