Milwaukee, WI – February 6, 2017 – Generation Growth Capital Fund III, LP (“GGC”), a Milwaukee-based private equity firm that invests in lower middle market companies, today announced the acquisition of BestMark, Inc. (“BestMark”). Madeira Partners acted as the exclusive financial advisor to BestMark on the transaction. Senior debt was provided by Bell Capital Finance. Mezzanine financing was provided by Exmarq Capital Partners. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The BestMark investment represents GGC’s sixth investment in the Greater Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
Located in Minnetonka, MN, BestMark is an industry-leading provider of customer experience measurement services and related analytics. The company assesses and improves customer satisfaction and loyalty for major companies in retail, automotive, hospitality, technology and other industries. BestMark was founded in 1986 in Minneapolis, its current headquarters. BestMark’s comprehensive suite of customer information services includes mystery shopping, customer surveys, compliance audits, customer intercept interviews, and employee feedback surveys.
“BestMark represents another great opportunity for GGC to partner with a solid management team to apply our planning and organizational development model to take advantage of numerous market expansion opportunities. Ann Jennings has built a fantastic business and we plan to invest in additional resources to help augment the existing team,” said John Reinke, Managing Director of Generation Growth Capital Fund III, LP.
“As we evaluated alternatives for the transition of our business, we felt that the GGC team was the best fit because they understood our culture and the complexities of investing in small companies. Their focus on growth and the further development of our operational platform were in sync with our expectations for a new investment partner,” said Ann Jennings the owner and CEO of BestMark, Inc.
About Generation Growth Capital Fund III, LP
Generation Growth Capital Fund III, LP is a Milwaukee-based private equity firm focusing on investments in small businesses to support ownership transition and growth opportunities. By partnering with solid management teams, GGC adopts a proactive, collaborative approach that builds the businesses in which they invest.
Please visit www.generationgrowth.com for more information.
Contacts
On behalf of Generation Growth Capital Fund III, LP:
John Reinke, Managing Director
Generation Growth Capital, Inc.
jreinke@generationgrowth.com | (414) 291-8915
On behalf of BestMark, Inc.:
Ann Jennings, CEO
BestMark, Inc.
annj@bestmark.com | (952) 922-2205