Mason Wells Newsletter 2013 – Volume 3

• Mason Wells Seeks to Acquire Specialty Household Products Company
• Mason Wells Hires Analyst

• Charter NEX Films, Inc.
• Coating Excellence International, LLC

Mason Wells is actively seeking a platform company acquisition in the specialty household products sector. The company should possess the following characteristics:

• Consumable, regular-use products
• Performance-driven (proven efficacy)
• Branded and/or Private Label
• Products sold into the Food, Drug, Mass, DIY, and/or Specialty Retail channels
• Niche focus
• $50 million or greater in annual revenue
• Headquarters in the Midwestern United States
• Companies outside of the Midwest will be considered for follow-on acquisitions

Market trends including demand for convenience, eco-friendly/natural products, high performance/efficacy, and reduced chemical content are a few examples of key industry dynamics that present compelling growth opportunities for companies in the household products sector.

The target company should maintain a focus on niche end markets. Below are several end markets of interest within the household products sector:

• Household Care

          Examples: natural surface cleaners, water filtration

• Lawn/Garden

          Examples: eco-friendly fertilizer, weed control

• Outdoor living

          Examples: patio cleaning, insect repellent

• Pet Care

          Examples: treats, pet food, pet wellness

All inquiries will be held strictly confidential and should be directed to Ben Holbrook, Director at 414-727-6422 or via email at bholbrook@masonwells.com.

Michael Graves recently joined Mason Wells as an Analyst and will be supporting the partners’ investment activities. In this capacity, Michael is responsible for new investment analysis, financial modeling, market research, due diligence support, and the monitoring of portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Mason Wells in 2013, Michael was an Investment Banking Analyst in Lazard’s Middle Market Minneapolis office, where he focused on middle market M&A advisory engagements. Prior to Lazard, Michael was an Audit Associate in KPMG’s Minneapolis office, where he worked on a variety of engagements for financial services, manufacturing, business services, retail, and real estate clients.

Michael received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with Top Honors in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He also earned his Certified Public Accountant designation in 2011.

Charter NEX Films, Inc. announced the purchase of two new Windmoeller & Hoelscher (“W&H”) three-layer blown film lines in the April Issue of Flexible Packaging Magazine. Both lines will be installed in the Milton, Wisconsin facility and are expected to be fully operational by year-end. This is the first of several additions and upgrades that Charter NEX Films is planning as the company continues to leverage its expertise in high-performance blown film manufacturing.

“With our recent merger and the strong support of our ownership group, we believe that the time is right to expand and upgrade our Milton plant,” said Kathy Bolhous, CEO. “This expansion reinforces our commitment to provide our customers with unparalleled quality, service, and technical support.”

Chris Trapp, COO, states, “We believe in the superiority of W&H extrusion equipment. It has allowed our company to provide unsurpassed quality to our customers and has been a significant contributor to our successful growth. The two new lines in our Milton plant will provide increased flexibility and needed capacity while maintaining our ability to supply the highest quality, best performing, and most consistent film in the industry.”

For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.cnginc.com.