Yukon Partners (Yukon), a provider of mezzanine capital for middle market private equity transactions, has partnered with Northern Pacific Group (NPG) in its investment in United Language Group (ULG).
United Language Group, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, provides translation, localisation and other language-related business services to customers across a diverse array of end markets, including life sciences, manufacturing, legal/financial, IT, and hospitality. ULG was formed in 2015 by industry veterans Jeff Brink, Hans Fenstermacher, Greg Brink and later joined by CFO Karrie Willis, along with private equity backing from NPG, as a platform to assemble a family of complementary companies, with a goal of becoming one of the largest language service providers in the world.
In June 2016, ULG completed its acquisition of Merrill Brink International (Merrill Brink), the languages services division of Merrill Corporation. The Brinks founded Merrill Brink as PH Brink International in 1987, and sold the business to Merrill Corporation in 2005. Merrill Brink’s customer base includes multi-national companies in industries such as life sciences, manufacturing, and travel/hospitality, as well as government entities and law firms. The transaction immediately ranks ULG in the top 25 language service providers globally and sixth in the US by revenue, according to industry analysts Common Sense Advisory.
NPG sponsored the transaction in which it and Yukon made an investment in ULG. Yukon also provided mezzanine capital and Bell Capital Finance provided the senior credit facility. Schiff Hardin LLP served as legal counsel to Yukon.
“We are thrilled to launch our strategy with the acquisition of Merrill Brink,” says Jeff Brink, CEO of ULG. “The company has maintained a sterling reputation over many years, has an outstanding operation and is well-known for innovation. We view Merrill Brink as an ideal platform for our expansion plans, which include additional near-term acquisitions.”
“We’re excited about this investment in the language business and we see tremendous opportunities for growth, both organically and through further acquisitions. We fully support ULG’s vision and expect to be very active in this highly-fragmented USD40 billion industry,” says Peter Offenhauser, Partner of NPG. He also added, "Yukon has a strong record of partnering with private equity firms and management teams to support their efforts to drive growth and create value. NPG looks forward to strengthening our relationship with Yukon through our investment in ULG.”
Mike Hall, Managing Partner of Yukon, adds: “We are excited to partner with NPG and the ULG management team to support the Company’s growth strategy. We are confident that with NPG’s leadership, alongside management’s strong operational expertise and industry experience, the ULG platform is well positioned for future growth.”
