Behrman Capital names William Matthes partner; Veteran Buyout Specialist Joins San Francisco Office.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 19, 1996--Behrman Capital, which manages an investment fund specializing in management buyouts of growth companies, announced today that veteran buyout specialist William Merrill Matthes has joined the firm as a partner.

Mr. Matthes, 35, was most recently Chief Operating Officer of Holsted Marketing, Inc., a direct marketing firm with annual revenues of more than $25 million. The Manhattan-based company is one of the leaders in the field of continuity marketing.

Previously, Mr. Matthes was a General Partner at Brentwood Associates, a buyout and venture capital firm in Los Angeles with more than $500 million in capital under management. Mr. Matthes was involved in about a dozen buyout transactions valued at more than $1 billion in aggregate purchase price during his eight-year tenure at the firm. He joined Brentwood in 1986 and was promoted to General Partner five years later.

"After gaining some extremely valuable operating experience, I am excited to be returning to the investment world as part of one of the most dynamic teams in the business," Mr. Matthes said. "Behrman Capital's management is widely respected and its singular focus on growth companies provides a challenging career opportunity. I hope to make some meaningful contributions to the success the firm has enjoyed during the past five years."

Behrman Capital was founded by Darryl and Grant G. Behrman, who previously held senior positions at major Wall Street institutions. The firm invests in management buyouts of growth companies in industries as diverse as health care services, contract manufacturing, information technology, and special situations. The firm also provides expansion capital to emerging growth companies, principally in high technology industries.

Behrman's investment fund had its final closing in July 1993 with committed capital of $67 million. The company last fall increased the capital committed to its limited partnership fund to $123 million with a rights offering that was fully subscribed by virtually all of the limited partners.

Ninety percent of Behrman Capital's limited partners are institutional investors, including the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS).

Underscoring Behrman Capital's investment activity in California, the firm will open a San Francisco office at Four Embarcadero Center on April 1, where Mr. Matthes will be located.

"We are delighted to have attracted someone of the caliber of Bill Matthes," said Darryl G. Behrman. "His investment experience is ideally suited to Behrman Capital both in terms of his investment style in leveraged buildups as well as his industry focus, particularly in the information technology area. Together with his operating experience, he will no doubt enhance the firm's strengths." A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Mr. Matthes holds an MBA from the Harvard School of Business Administration, where he was a Baker Scholar and a Loeb Rhoades Fellow. He also holds an A.B. in Economics from Stanford University, where he graduated with honors and distinction.

CONTACT: Darryl Behrman

Behrman Capital

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