Mason Wells Newsletter 2017 – Volume 3

• Mason Wells Acquires King Juice Company, Inc.
• MGS Mfg. Group, Inc. Acquires New Molding Facility
• Nelipak Healthcare Packaging Joins Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC)

On August 1, 2017, Mason Wells, along with members of the management team, acquired King Juice Company, Inc. from the Kezman and Purpero families through a proprietary transaction. King Juice is the manufacturer and marketer of the Calypso brand of lemonade drinks and a leading co-manufacturer of nonalcoholic beverages and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Company’s Calypso brand of flavored lemonades is a leader within the shelf stable lemonade category. The Company has also developed leading-edge beverage manufacturing capabilities for both the Calypso product line and select co-manufacturing customers. Calypso brand Lemonades, Limeades, and Teamonades® are sold through a robust distribution network serving retailers nationally. The Calypso brand products are also distributed internationally in 20 countries.

“We are looking forward to driving growth of the Calypso brand and enhancing its already leading position within the flavored lemonade category,” said Jeff Outlaw, President of Calypso Brands. “Our ability to innovate, manufacture, and distribute our products on a national and international scale provides a strong platform for growth. We are thrilled to be partnering with Mason Wells to help us in this journey given their strong financial backing and other resources that will fuel our ability to increase the strength of our retail relationships and distribution networks through enhanced brand partnering.”

“King Juice possesses a unique combination of sophisticated manufacturing capability, a longstanding brand in the growing lemonade category, and a national distribution network. We are proud of the beverage platform we have built at King Juice and we are excited about the opportunity to partner with Mason Wells to continue the growth of the Company,” said CEO Tim Kezman, on behalf of the ownership group which includes the Kezman and Purpero families. Mr. Kezman will remain with the Company through a transitional period as a consultant.  Mr. Kezman added, “Mason Wells will provide additional resources to support the Company’s long-term growth initiatives for both the Calypso brand and the co-manufacturing business. This is an exciting day for our employees, customers, and suppliers.”

“We are extremely impressed with the workforce at King Juice, the industry-leading manufacturing capabilities, and the company’s market position in lemonade through the Calypso line of flavored lemonades,” said Ben Holbrook, Managing Director at Mason Wells. “These key factors along with the relationships that King Juice has forged with its customers and suppliers have enabled the business to achieve a high level of success over the past 30 years. We are delighted that Jeff Outlaw will continue to lead the Calypso brand along with the strong sales and marketing team. We look forward to supporting and growing the team as they expand the Company’s retail relationships and distribution network.”

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

MGS Mfg. Group, Inc. headquartered in Germantown, Wisconsin, announced on September 1, 2017, that it has purchased an injection molding facility in Juarez, Mexico from Jabil Inc.

The plant employs 500 people and runs 65 injection molding machines in a 125,000-square-foot space. As part of the agreement, the Jabil employees will continue as employees of MGS.

MGS has been experiencing strong growth in Mexico and sees the Juarez location as strategic for continued growth. MGS also operates a 125,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Chihuahua, Mexico.

“We are pleased to welcome the Juarez employees to the MGS team. MGS has experienced significant growth in the Mexican market, and the Juarez facility is a great fit for our continued expansion,” stated Paul Manley, President of MGS.

MGS Mfg. Group, Inc. is a leading global provider of optimized manufacturing solutions for high-precision plastics products, with services including injection molding, mold making, value-added contract manufacturing operations, scalable automation, and turnkey manufacturing systems.

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

Headquartered in Cranston, Rhode Island, Nelipak Healthcare Packaging, a global provider of custom thermoformed packaging that provides superior protection for medical devices and pharmaceuticals, announced that it has joined The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC). HPRC is a private technical coalition of industry peers across healthcare, recycling, and waste management industries seeking to improve the recyclability of plastic products within healthcare.

“Nelipak is committed to sustainable practices which benefit our customers, employees, and the environment. At Nelipak, we recognize the responsibility as packaging manufacturers to take the environmental impact of our products into consideration as we work with our customers to create more sustainable products,” said Seán Egan, Director of Global Marketing, Nelipak Healthcare Packaging. “We share HPRC’s vision of improving sustainability and increasing recycling of healthcare plastics in hospital settings. We are proud to be the first thermoformer to become part of this important initiative working in partnership with healthcare stakeholders.”

Nelipak’s team of healthcare-focused designers and engineers provides customers with the ability to proactively innovate packaging even at the earliest stages of development. As a result, Nelipak is able to help OEMs create more efficient and environmentally responsible device packaging that reduces material waste during development and production and allows for products that can be used and recycled more effectively in hospital environments.

HPRC is currently engaged in multiple initiatives aimed at enabling recycling of healthcare plastics. Other HPRC members include Baxter, BD, Cardinal Health, DuPont, Eastman Chemical Company, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, and Ravago Recycling Group.

“As a manufacturing leader in healthcare packaging, Nelipak offers important insights into new technologies and design best practices that can help increase the recyclability of these materials,” says Peylina Chu, Director of HPRC. “Their input and the wide range of expertise will be vital in helping support our goal of increasing the overall recycling of healthcare plastics.”

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