Aligned Asset Managers, a portfolio company of private equity firm GTCR, has completed its investment in The Townsend Group. Townsend, established in 1983, is the largest global specialty real estate advisory and investment firm, with over USD100 billion of total advised assets. Townsend allocates real estate capital on a discretionary

Niagara LaSalle Corporation (Niagara LaSalle) has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by strategic buyer Optima Specialty Steel, Inc.  Pursuant to the merger agreement, Optima Specialty Steel will acquire 100% of Niagara LaSalle, a portfolio company of US private equity firm Kohlberg & Company. Harris Williams & Co is

A private equity sponsor group led by JH Partners and the Highland Consumer Fund, is acquiring a majority interest in J McLaughlin. The existing management team, which includes co-founders and brothers Jay McLaughlin and Kevin McLaughlin, as well as Steven Siegler, CEO, will continue in its current role and will

Baird Capital Partners (BCP), the US-based buyout fund of Baird Private Equity, has acquired Digi-Star Holdings, Inc, an international manufacturer of agriculture scales and weighing equipment. Senior financing for the transaction is being provided by The PrivateBank and US Bank National Association with Fifth Street Finance Corp providing the mezzanine.

BeavEx Incorporated has secured a growth equity investment from Eos Partners and its affiliates, a New York based private investment partnership with approximately USD1.6 billion of capital under management. The equity investment will enable BeavEx to significantly accelerate its business expansion activities. The company’s management team will continue to own

Middle market investment bank Harris Williams & Co has advised Crisis Prevention Institute, Inc (CPI), a portfolio company of The Riverside Company (Riverside), on its sale to Brockway Moran and Partners. CPI is a training organisation specialising in the safe management of crisis situations and disruptive behaviour.  The transaction closed on

Odyssey Investment Partners has acquired TNT Crane and Rigging from MML Capital Partners. TNT is the leading mobile crane rental company serving the Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma region. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, with eight additional branches in the region, TNT provides

Quad Partners, a private equity firm focused exclusively on the education industry, has announced the closing of the firm’s fourth investment fund, Quad Partners IV LP (Quad IV). Quad IV closed at its hard cap of USD200 million with commitments from leading institutional limited partners. Quad Partners was founded in

Rapid7, a provider of security risk intelligence solutions, has secured USD50 million in a series C round from Palo Alto, California-based Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV). The new funding will support Rapid7’s growth strategy in three main areas: hiring critical talent to accelerate product innovation, strategic acquisitions and international expansion.  

Some 291 secondary buyouts worth USD60.4bn have been announced in 2011 to date, surpassing 2010 figure in both volume and value. Transaction type has doubled market share since 2008, and the surge in secondary buyouts is likely to continue apace, with 48% of GPs expecting the number of such transactions