CARL MARKS & CO. LAUNCHES RENEWED DRIVE TO INCUBATE AND BUILD INVESTMENT BUSINESSES

Partners with Sand Oak Capital

NEW YORK – October 15, 2014 – Carl Marks & Co. (“Carl Marks”), a leading middle-market merchant bank with nearly 90 years of history and a track record of incubating investment businesses, has entered into a new partnership, the first in its renewed drive to build businesses on its platform. The partnership is with Sand Oak Capital (“Sand Oak”), a private equity firm that acquires privately held industrial and manufacturing businesses in the U.S. Rust Belt.

Known for its principal investing and advisory experience, family-owned and -operated Carl Marks also serves as a growth catalyst for investment managers seeking the right home. In the case of Sand Oak, Carl Marks is working with partners Jeremy Schwimmer and Jeff Mizrahi to seize attractive opportunities in their area of focus, supporting existing ownership or management teams of U.S. industrial businesses by providing strategic and operational support and investing $10 million to $50 million of equity. 

Carl Marks partners with emerging private capital managers to provide the resources of an established investment firm, including physical and back office support, as well as access to the expertise of its investors and advisors across a variety of asset classes including private equity, real estate, distressed credit and turnarounds. The firm also invests seed capital. Since the 1960s the firm has provided support and capital to a range of emerging managers who ultimately have developed successful investment businesses, including Leucadia National Corporation and The Jordan Company. Its current principal investment businesses include CM Equity Partners, a private equity business focused on the U.S. Federal services and aerospace & defense sectors, and Carl Marks Management Company, which manages investment funds focused on distressed credit opportunities and special situations. 

“We pride ourselves on bringing broad experience and deep resources to proven and energetic investment professionals looking for a home for to build their businesses,” said Katherine Boas, Executive Vice President of Carl Marks and a fourth-generation family member helping to run the firm. “We see many talented investment managers exploring taking their businesses to the next level. We believe the backing of a partner like Carl Marks creates an easier path to success.”

“We have been in the business of building investment businesses for decades,” said Mark Claster, President of Carl Marks. “We are excited to partner with Sand Oak as the first of what we hope will be several new businesses that will thrive in partnership with Carl Marks for years to come.”

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About Carl Marks & Co.
Founded in 1925, Carl Marks & Co. is one of the investment community’s most experienced merchant banks. The family-owned and -operated firm serves as a platform for a range of investment and advisory business. Its areas of operations include advisory services, distressed investments, investment management, private equity, real estate, and new businesses. Carl Marks also serves as a growth catalyst for investment managers seeking a platform on which to build their businesses.

Additional information about Carl Marks & Co. is available at www.carlmarks.com.

Media Contact:

Katrin Lieberwirth
Stanton PR & Marketing
646-502-3548
Klieberwirth@stantonprm.com