SAN FRANCISCO & WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--
FOCUS LLC, a national middle market investment banking firm
providing merger, acquisition, divestiture and corporate finance
services, announced today that GeoCentral of Napa, Calif. has been
acquired by C.M. Paula, a privately-held giftware company based in
Mason, Ohio. FOCUS represented GeoCentral in this transaction.
Founded in 1978, GeoCentral is a distributor and wholesaler of a
wide array of gift items, including nature-related products,
educational kits, impulse items and jewelry. GeoCentral has maintained
steady and profitable growth over many years.
"After 29 years of building a successful business, co-founder Ken
Niehaus and I were ready to retire from the business and pursue
personal interests. We decided it was time to put GeoCentral under the
wing of a larger organization with the financial resources required to
realize the opportunities of our strong brand and reputation in the
industry," said Elizabeth Bush, president of GeoCentral. "Given their
proven M&A expertise, FOCUS was the ideal firm to help us find the
best acquirer and negotiate excellent terms that met our
expectations."
C.M. Paula was founded in 1958 and now operates several primary
consumer product businesses -- social expression gifts, pop-up
greeting cards and sports licensing gift products. Greg Ionna, CEO of
C.M. Paula, stated, "With its strong brand and unique products,
GeoCentral represents an excellent diversification opportunity for us.
We expect to aggressively grow both their distribution and product
selections."
"From the beginning, the owners of GeoCentral made it clear that
they wanted to find a buyer that embraced their unique corporate
culture," said David Roberts, senior advisor at FOCUS. "Despite a
challenging downturn in the market, we were pleased to be able to
achieve excellent terms that satisfied both the sellers and the
buyer." Laura Russell-Jones, a principal with FOCUS added that, "With
the growing number of M&A transactions within the gift industry, this
transaction demonstrated the opportunities for consolidation and
diversification that is driving many buyers and sellers in this
space."
About FOCUS LLC
FOCUS LLC provides a range of middle market investment banking
services with an emphasis on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and
corporate finance. FOCUS is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with
regional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Throughout the U.S. and worldwide, FOCUS specializes in middle market
transactions, serving entrepreneurs, corporate owners and various
types of investors across a broad range of industries. FOCUS bankers
are seasoned operating and financial executives with extensive
transaction experience. Securities transactions are conducted by Wm.
H. Murphy & Co., Inc. registered Broker Dealer member FINRA/SIPC. For
more information on FOCUS, visit www.focusbankers.com.
FOCUS LLC
Karen Kramer, 202-470-1973
karen.kramer@focusbankers.com
Copyright Business Wire 2008
