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Deutsch Capital and Saw Mill Capital Acquire Meteor Education

Deutsch Capital and Saw Mill Capital Acquire Meteor Education

White Plains, New York — December 20, 2017 – Deutsch Capital LLC, in partnership with Saw Mill Capital LLC and management of Meteor Education, LLC, today announced the acquisition of Meteor from Hudson Ferry Capital.  Meteor is the creator of High Impact Learning Experiences™ through modern learning environments.  As one of the largest providers of learning spaces, including furnishings and interior design services, Meteor’s focus is the integration of best practices for teaching and learning to drive inquiry-based instruction, effective use of modern classrooms, and increased student achievement. The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

Bill Latham, CEO of Meteor, commented, “The partnership with Deutsch Capital and Saw Mill Capital further supports Meteor’s commitment to developing long-term solutions that enable holistic transformations of learning environments and experiences.  We worked closely in the past with Mark Deutsch when Meteor (then, Contrax Furnishings) entered into its first private equity transaction in 2010.  We look forward to his involvement with the company again.”

Mark Deutsch, President of Deutsch Capital, said, “Since my initial involvement with Bill Latham and his team in 2010, it was very clear that this company was the thought leader in the education sector.  The programs and strategies pursued by Meteor Education have selectively changed the education landscape and its most significant work is yet to come.  I am delighted to be working with Bill again.  I have known Howard Unger, Managing Partner of Saw Mill Capital, for a long time and look forward to working with him and the team from Saw Mill Capital.”

ABOUT Meteor Education

Meteor Education designs, supplies, outfits, and trains teachers in the deployment of K-12 learning spaces, including common areas, media centers, STEM labs, makerspaces, and learning studios/classrooms that optimize student learning, attention spans, and interactions with other students and educators.  Headquartered in Gainesville, FL and established in 1967, Meteor offers end-to-end design and project management services with a product portfolio consisting of adaptable furniture, technology-integrated classroom equipment, learning displays, décor, and both consultative and online teaching resources.  Serving school districts in over 30 states, the company is the recognized leader in providing High Impact Learning Environments™.  To learn more, visit www.meteoreducation.com.

ABOUT Deutsch CAPITAL

Based in White Plains, NY, Deutsch Capital is a private equity firm that invests in lower middle-market companies across a wide range of industries.  Typical investments are in privately owned niche manufacturing, business services and building products companies with sales of $10 million to $100 million. Selectively, the firm also invests in early stage businesses. To learn more, visit www.DeutschCapital.com.

Mark Deutsch Forms Deutsch Capital LLC

Mark Deutsch Forms Deutsch Capital LLC

White Plains, New York — December 1, 2017 – Mark L. Deutsch, a senior private equity investor with over 30 years of experience, has formed Deutsch Capital LLC to pursue equity investments in the lower middle market.  The firm intends to partner with successful management teams to provide resources and guidance to help grow entrepreneurial businesses.  While the majority of the firm’s investments are expected to be in niche companies that have a demonstrated history of profitability and the ability to generate above average margins and strong cash flows, the firm will also selectively look at early stage businesses.

Mark Deutsch, President of Deutsch Capital, commented, “After three decades of successfully investing in private equity with several firms, I have decided to form my own company to continue my private equity investing.  Over my long career, I have established strong relationships with many private equity firms, institutional investors, family offices and accredited investors who will invest alongside the principals of Deutsch Capital.  I am working on several new investment opportunities and am very excited about the future.”

Mr. Deutsch has transferred three prior investments into Deutsch Capital.  In 2013 and 2015, Mr. Deutsch organized investments in MM.LaFleur, a vertically-integrated womenswear company.  In 2016, Mr. Deutsch led an investment in Skyline Windows, a premier window manufacturer focused predominantly on the New York City market.  Deutsch Capital expects to close on its fourth investment in the next few weeks.

Joining Mr. Deutsch as senior advisors will be Anthony (Tony) Graham and Carl Hedlund.  Mr. Graham is a successful software entrepreneur and former investment banker to the Media, Technology and Telecommunications industries.  Tony and Mark have been good friends since their days together at Harvard Business School.  The two of them have been pursuing investments as a team since 2014.  Carl Hedlund is a senior operating executive with a distinguished career in the building products industries.  Carl and Mark have worked closely together since 2000, when Carl was CEO of Therma-Tru Doors and Mark’s firm was the lead private equity investor.  Since that time, they have worked on many investments together and have served jointly on several Boards of Directors.

“I am delighted that Tony and Carl have agreed to join me,“ said Mr. Deutsch.  “Over 11 years, Tony built and ran a company providing mission-critical software for the public safety industry.  Having built a successful company from the very early stages, he has the experience to evaluate the risks and opportunities in relatively young companies.  We have looked at several business opportunities together over the past few years.”  Mr. Deutsch further commented, “Carl is one of the most respected executives in the building products industry.  His operating skills cover the range from strategy to sales and marketing to operations to human resources.  I have witnessed firsthand his ability to guide senior management teams to excellence.  I feel fortunate that these two outstanding senior executives have chosen to join Deutsch Capital.”

ABOUT Deutsch CAPITAL

Based in White Plains, NY, Deutsch Capital is a private equity firm that invests in lower middle-market companies across a wide range of industries.  Typical investments are in privately owned niche manufacturing, business services and building products companies with sales of $10 million to $100 million. Selectively, the firm also invests in early stage businesses. To learn more, visit www.DeutschCapital.com.