Avondale Partners Expands Investment Banking Group.

Business Editors

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 6, 2003

Avondale Partners has expanded its investment banking practice with the addition of two veteran bankers from Thomas Weisel Partners, Karsten Lampka, who has joined Avondale as a Director, and Chris Calton, who has joined as Vice President. Both Mr. Lampka and Mr. Calton are relocating to Nashville.

Jeffrey C. Nahley, Managing Director, Investment Banking, commented, "We are pleased to announce the addition of two experienced senior investment bankers to Avondale Partners. Since the firm's founding in June 2001, we have built the investment banking practice into a talented group of professionals whose expertise covers the spectrum of transaction types and deal sizes for companies across the country. We are confident Karsten and Chris will contribute to our growing reputation as focused, long-term high quality partners in helping growth companies throughout America achieve their financial goals.

Karsten Lampka was formerly with Thomas Weisel Partners' San Francisco M&A group. Mr. Lampka has over ten years of investment banking experience, and has completed more than $30 billion of M&A and capital raising transactions. Prior to his tenure with Thomas Weisel Partners, he was an investment banker with Warburg Dillon Read (now UBS) in New York and Dallas. Mr. Lampka began his investment banking career as a financial analyst with Stephens Inc. in Little Rock, AR. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas - Austin and an MBA from The Wharton School.

Chris Calton previously worked in Thomas Weisel Partners' Technology Investment Banking and M&A groups. Prior to joining Thomas Weisel Partners, Mr. Calton was a member of the private equity department of Cramer, Rosenthal and McGlynn, a $3 billion hedge fund based in New York. He began his finance career in the equity research and investment banking groups with Robertson, Stephens & Company in San Francisco. He graduated from Washington and Lee University and earned an MBA from Columbia University.

In addition, Drew Dixson and Michael Jordan have joined Avondale's investment banking analyst program. Mr. Dixson is a recent graduate of Vanderbilt University, while Mr. Jordon recently graduated from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce.

Avondale Partners, LLC is a leading institutional investment bank headquartered in Nashville, TN. The firm focuses on providing high quality equity research, sales and trading and investment banking services to institutional clients throughout the US, Canada and Europe.