Mason Wells Newsletter 2017 – Volume 1

• Mason Wells Sells Dedicated Computing
• Nelipak Healthcare Packaging Announces Acquisition, Expansion, and Team Growth
• CE Power Names Chief Executive Officer
• AWT Labels & Packaging Launches New Impression Cylinder Press
• Pacon Corporation Announces New Distributor of Strathmore Artist Papers™
• Michael Graves Promoted to Senior Associate

Mason Wells recently closed on the sale of Dedicated Computing, a Mason Wells Buyout Fund II portfolio company, to McNally Capital, a family capital investment firm.

Dedicated Computing, headquartered in Waukesha, Wisconsin, is an original design manufacturer of proprietary, highly engineered computing systems for blue-chip OEM customers in the Healthcare, Life Sciences, Training & Simulation, and Industrial markets.

“We have enjoyed working with the talented management team at Dedicated Computing for many years. Under their leadership, the Company has expanded its technological capabilities and become a well-respected and reliable supplier of highly sophisticated compute engines within its core vertical markets,” said Tom Smith, Executive Managing Director of Mason Wells.

Don Schlidt, Dedicated Computing President and CEO stated, “We greatly appreciate all the support and resources Mason Wells has provided to Dedicated over the years. They have been a wonderful partner as we worked to further establish Dedicated as a mission-critical provider of hardware, software, and services to our customers. We are excited to have found a new partner in McNally Capital who, like Mason Wells, has a reputation of partnering and collaborating with management teams to help them advance, grow, and create shareholder value.”

Nelipak Healthcare Packaging continues to make significant investments to exceed the expectations of its global customers. As part of its ongoing commitment to the market, in July of 2016, the business closed on the acquisition of its sixth facility, a thermoforming company based in Juncos, Puerto Rico. This facility will allow Nelipak to take advantage of growth opportunities with pharmaceutical and medical OEMs in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the broader Caribbean regions. Additionally, in late August, Nelipak completed construction of a new Class 8 Cleanroom at its Phoenix, Arizona site for its new Sencorp thermoform line to meet increased demand from customers in the Southwestern, United States. Its Costa Rican facility continues to experience growth in its business and Nelipak announced it will expand this site in 2017 as a result.

In Europe, the Company has consolidated its two Venray sites in the Netherlands, bringing together the group’s European sales, design, and manufacturing into one location at its Spurkt site. Nelipak has commenced the construction of new cleanrooms at the Spurkt and Galway, Ireland facilities and the addition of new production lines to meet demand from the drug delivery device market.

As Nelipak continues to grow and evolve as a company, it recognizes the need to invest in talent to support this growth.  Mike Kelly, CEO, and President, announced a series of new additions to the leadership team effective immediately:

Rolando Salas, currently General Manager, Costa Rica, is being promoted to Director of Quality, Americas.

Jose Villafane has been appointed to the role of Director of Operations, Puerto Rico and Costa Rica.

Jeremy Vargas, currently Production Superintendent at Costa Rica, has been promoted to Operations Manager for Costa Rica.

Rafael Aponte has been appointed to the position of Controller, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica.

Mike Kelly said, “These leadership changes are designed to improve our operational effectiveness, quality approach, and overall customer focus as Nelipak continues to grow and support our customers on a global basis.”

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

CE Power Engineered Services, LLC, a Mason Wells Buyout Fund III portfolio company and leading provider of outsourced power system engineering, project management, testing, and maintenance services, announced on February 1, 2017, that Paul Cody has joined the company as Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Cody is returning to the power engineering and services industry, having previously led Eaton Corporation’s Engineering Service & Systems Division from a start-up in 2000 to a global leader in the industry by 2012 serving customers in multiple markets and geographies. Mr. Cody also previously led Eaton’s Power Distribution division, which designs and manufactures power switchgear, integrated power centers, and related products. He began his career in the power engineering and services industry at Westinghouse Electric where he held a variety of leadership positions for over twenty years with the company. Most recently, Mr. Cody was President and CEO of Consolidated Glass Holdings, a fabricator, manufacturer, and distributor of high-performance glass and related products. Mr. Cody holds an electrical engineering degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

He joins Bill McCloy, Founder of CE Power, and the rest of the senior management team in continuing to pursue the company’s growth initiatives and investment in industry-leading safety and service.  Bill McCloy commented, “We are thrilled to have Paul join CE Power.  His leadership and deep experience in our industry will help further accelerate the growth of the business as the company continues to expand into new geographic markets and add new services to our customers. I look forward to assisting Paul in that growth as a member of the Company’s board of directors.”

Paul Cody said, “CE Power is a premier independent provider of power engineering and related services. I look forward to further building the Company and continuing to provide CE Power’s customers with high-quality service delivered by an exceptionally talented and safety-focused employee base.”

For more information, please visit the Company’s website at www.cepower.net.

In December 2016, AWT Labels & Packaging, a Mason Wells Buyout Fund III portfolio company, completed the installation of a new 52-inch, 10-color W&H Miraflex Central Impression Cylinder press at its South Elgin, Illinois facility.

The new press is equipped with ten printing decks, automated wash-up decks, and several state-of-the-art setup reduction modules that allow for faster make-readies and color changes.

The press can accept roll widths from 31.5 inches to 52 inches and can print an image up to 50 inches wide. The large repeat capabilities up to 31.5 inches will accommodate large format bags and pouches. Other features include print speeds up to 1,300 feet per minute, auto registration, 100% print inspection, registered matte coatings, and higher definition print quality.

“This Press has the latest features available and expands our capacity significantly, ” said Mike Gallagher, Vice President and General Manager of the AWT South Elgin facility. “We intend to grow our complex film structure business in our existing food market segments and allow us to expand into the Pet Foods and Gourmet Coffee segments too.”

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

Pacon Corporation, a leading global supplier of education and arts & crafts products, announced on January 17, 2017, that Royal Talens, headquartered in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, has agreed to be the exclusive distributor of Strathmore Artist Papers™ in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Royal Talens will be utilizing its current network of experienced sales representatives, distributors, and retailers to help Strathmore® build a more global brand of artist papers.

Through this collaboration, Strathmore and Royal Talens are bringing a new and fresh paper assortment to these markets, giving many artists the chance to experience quality-made Strathmore products for the first time. The initial item assortment will consist of existing Strathmore papers in new sizes and updated packaging information in five languages, making the products more relevant to these artists.

“We could not think of a better match for Strathmore than Royal Talens,” said Jim Schmitz, President, and CEO of Pacon Corporation, a Mason Wells Buyout Fund III portfolio company. “It is a company of the highest integrity and intelligent marketing. They have a great reputation for selling high-quality art supplies, which fits perfectly with the Strathmore® brand. We look forward to building our long-term relationship with the talented professionals at Royal Talens and are excited about the opportunity to engage with a new community of artists.”

Royal Talens will begin distributing in April of 2017.

For more information, please visit Pacon’s website at www.pacon.com.