| Type | Limited liability company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Private Equity |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Founder(s) | Robert L. Rosner, Daniel O'Connell, James P. Kelley, Norman Alpert, Sander Levy, Arthur Nagle |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, United States |
| Key people | Daisuke Saji, Federico Peña, John D. Howard (former), |
| Products | Private equity funds, Leveraged buyouts |
| Total assets | $7 billion |
| Employees | 95+ |
| Website | www.vestarcapital.com |
Vestar Capital Partners is an American private equity firm focusing on leveraged buyout transactions in the United States, Europe and Asia.[1]
The firm, which was founded in 1988 is headquartered in New York City with offices in Boston, Massachusetts, Denver, Colorado in the US as well as Paris, Milan, Munich and Tokyo. The firm has approximately 95 employees across its various offices although its various portfolio companies employ more than 3,000 people worldwide.
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Vestar was founded in 1988 by seven principals of The First Boston Corporation’s Management Buyout Group.[2] Six of the seven original founders, including Daniel O'Connell, Robert L. Rosner, James P. Kelley, Norman Alpert, Sander Levy and Arthur Nagle are still with the firm.
The company was created in order to focus on long term leveraged buyouts instead of quickly flipping bonds or securities. In fact, only 65 transactions have been completed by Vestar in its 20 year history.[1][3] However, these 65 transactions have involved some $17 billion.[3]
Since its inception in 1998, Vestar has raised five private equity funds with total investor commitments of approximately $7.3 billion. Of these five funds the first two have been fully invested and liquidated and as of 2008, Vestar V was currently being invested and Vestar IV was more than 90% invested:
Over the past 20 years, Vestar Capital Partners has completed more than 65 transactions. Vestar owns Sun Products which produces some of the best-known brands in the fabric care industry, All, Wisk, Surf, Snuggle and Sunlight, and the nation's leading private label brands under the umbrella company. Other notable investments include Birds Eye Foods, a frozen foods producer,[4] AZ Electronic Materials, a leading supplier of electronic materials for flat screen TVs.
European deals include Sab Wabco, a manufacturer of brake systems, wheels and couplings for the railway industry, MediMedia, a content and marketing service provider in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, and Seves, a leader in the insulation market. Vestar Europe has also invested in OGF, a European leader in funerary services.
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