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NEWPORT SUMMIT CLOSES WITH 200 NUTRITION EXECUTIVES SHOWING OPTIMISM
July 23rd, 2004 - HBP's
annual NBJ/Newport Summit in Coronado concluded on Friday July 23rd with
a group of nearly 200 executives sharing a growing optimism about both
current business conditions and prospects for the future.
This year's NBJ/Newport
Summit featured a keynote speech by Dr. Andrew Weil covering the state
of traditional and complementary & alternative medicine and its
pertinence to the nutrition industry, as well as his work in educating
practitioners about natural medicine. A data report from Nutrition
Business Journal detailed the 2003 turnaround in nutritional
supplements, a particularly good year in organic products and the
notable growth in the natural & specialty channel above that of the mass
market. There were also sessions on the role of supplements in reducing
healthcare costs; the status of regulatory and industry advocacy
movements; and the evolution of the food industry and lifestyle
marketing.
Lastly, attendees
particularly enjoyed the networking events including the six wines
served at the opening dinner, the sailing regatta and the golf
tournament. Dates and location for the 2005 NBJ Summit were also
announced as July 20-22 at the Ritz Carlton in Orange County,
California.
HBP
CLIENT BIO-ONE ACQUIRES ANOTHER NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS DISTRIBUTOR
June 21, 2004 – Bio-One announced that
its recently formed subsidiary ANI distribution had acquired the assets
of Florida Sport Nutrition Distributors, Inc. a $2 million distributor
of sports nutrition products based in Tampa, FL.
Health Business Partners is exclusive
buy-side financial advisor to Bio One Corporation. See also
www.bioonecorp.com
HBP CLIENT BIO-ONE
CORPORATION ACQUIRES MAJORITY CONTROL OF $16 MILLION CHINESE
PHARMACEUTICALS MANUFACTURER AND DISTRIBUTOR OF GLUCOSE
April 4, 2004 – Bio-One Corporation see
www.bioonecorp.com consummated a joint venture transaction with Weifang
Shengtai Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., a company organized under the laws of
the People's Republic of China and located in Shandong Province.
Pursuant to the Joint Venture Agreement, Bio-One acquired 51% of the
joint venture entity with Weifang Shengtai Pharmaceuticals for a cash
payment equal to $2 million and 2,090,000 shares of Bio-One Series A
Preferred Stock.
Weifang Shengtai Pharmaceuticals is a
manufacturer and distributor of glucose in China and holds various
patents. Product distribution is conducted through direct sales from the
Sales Department and sales branches with offices in nine major cities
and is a supplier of glucose to many of China's major pharmaceutical
companies. In January, Shengtai moved into their newly constructed
35-acre facility and is now one of the top three employers in their
county. The 450-employee business will continue to be operated with its
present management team.
Health Business Partners is exclusive
buy-side financial advisor to Bio One Corporation. See also
www.bioonecorp.com
www.chinaglucose.com
HBP ADVISES THE
SHANSBY GROUP IN ACQUISITION OF A $70 MILLION HEALTHY FOOD COMPANY
March 31, 2004 – The Shansby Group, a
leading private equity investment partnership, closed an acquisition of
a $70 Million (sales) undisclosed Healthy Food company.
As the leading Merger & Acquisition
advisory firm serving the nutritional products and consumer care
industries, Health Business Partners leveraged its deep industry network
and knowledge to introduce the Healthy Food company to The Shansby
Group. HBP then provided advice and assistance to help The Shansby Group
close a successful transaction.
HBP ADVISES BIO-ONE
CORPORATION ON C$30 MILLION ACQUISITION OF A GMP MANUFACTURER AND
DISTRIBUTOR OF SPECIALTY NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
March 31, 2004 – HBP client Bio-One
Corporation www.bioonecorp.com consummated the acquisition for an
aggregate purchase price of C$30 million of all the issued and
outstanding capital stock of Interactive Nutrition Inc.
Interactive Nutrition is a manufacturer
and distributor of branded, specialty nutritional supplements, which are
currently marketed in the United States, Canada and Hong Kong.
Interactive Nutrition specializes in providing research, development and
custom formulation of premium nutritional supplement private-label
formulas, including over-the-counter, pharmaceutical grade,private-label
formulations. Interactive Nutrition's products include:
SoyOne(TM)Protein for Women, SoyOne(TM) Nutrition Bars, ISOWhey(TM)
Protein Powder, Creative Blast(TM) and Total Whey. Interactive Nutrition
is a Current Good Manufacturing Practices manufacturer. Interactive
Nutrition operates in a 40,000 square-foot facility in Ottawa, Canada.
The 75-employee business will continue to be operated with this present
management team.
Health Business Partners identified
Interactive Nutrition Inc. as an acquisition candidate and advised
Bio-One Corp. on this transaction.
See also
www.bioonecorp.com and
www.interactivenutrition.com
HBP CLIENT BIO-ONE
CORPORATION ACQUIRES $7 MILLION WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTOR OF NATIONALLY
BRANDED NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
February 4, 2004 – Long-standing HBP
client Bio-One Corporation, see www.bioonecorp.com, consummated a stock
acquisition of American Nutritional Exchange, Inc., a Florida
corporation. Pursuant to the Stock Purchase Agreement, Bio-One purchased
shares of American Nutritional's capital stock representing 80% of the
votes of all issued and outstanding shares of American Nutritional's
capital stock.
American Nutritional is a Florida-based
business that is a wholesale distributor of nationally branded
nutritional supplements. American Nutritional sells nutritional
supplement products to retail stores representing independents, large
and small chain vitamin outlets, health clubs and convenience stores
throughout the Southeast United States. American Nutritional has
achieved distribution rights with approximately 25 of the manufacturers
of nutritional brands in the natural products industry. The 35-employee
business will continue to be operated with its present management team.
Health Business Partners identified
American Nutritional Exchange as an acquisition candidate and advised
Bio-One Corp. on this transaction. See also
www.bioonecorp.com and
www.americannutritional.com
DRUGSTORE.COM, INC.
ACQUIRES HBP CLIENT - CUSTOM NUTRITION SERVICES; NEW SERVICE OFFERS
PERSONALIZED VITAMIN AND NUTRITION PACKS TO CONSUMERS
April 29, 2003 – drugstore.com, inc. (Nasdaq:DSCM),
the leading online retailer of health, beauty, wellness, personal care,
and pharmacy products, today announced an agreement to acquire
privately-held Custom Nutrition Services (CNS) of Carlsbad, California.
Under terms of the agreement,
drugstore.com, inc. acquired CNS for $5.3 million in a combination of
cash, equity, and assumption of debt. The agreement also provides
additional value to be earned over the next three years via a revenue
share arrangement.
CNS provides personalized nutrition
services to consumers in the form of an online assessment (Vitamin
Assessment) of an individual's specific nutritional supplement needs,
and then delivers the personalized vitamins, minerals, herbs, and
supplements in pharmaceutical grade, daily dose package (CustomPak(TM)).
CNS is the exclusive online distributor for CustomPaks from Dr. Andrew
Weil at www.DrWeil.com and The Pritikin Longevity Center at
www.Pritikin.com. Jason Brown, founder of Custom Nutrition Service, will
serve as Vice President, Specialty Retail for drugstore.com, Inc.
Health Business Partners has a
long-standing relationship with CNS and advised them on the transaction.
PENTON MEDIA AND HBP
JOIN FORCES TO HOST NEWPORT SUMMIT IN SAN DIEGO JULY 17-19, 2002
March 18, 2002 - HBP and Penton announce
agreement to team-up to host the Newport Summit at a new venue.
Roy Bingham, Managing Director of Health
Business Partners, LLC ("HBP") said:
"In New Hope, we knew we had found a
partner who not only understands the objectives of the event, but also
has extensive contacts and great skills in event planning and execution.
HBP is delighted to continue to play a pivotal role and will be a
premier level sponsor of the Summit."
"Since we founded it, the primary
objective of the Newport Summit has been to serve as the premier
networking event in the industry for Senior Executives to share ideas,
discuss business challenges and explore the potential of corporate
finance transactions. There have been more than a dozen M&A and
licensing transactions as well as numerous other contracts between
participants and in many cases, HBP was an advisor in the
transaction."
HBP CLIENT NATURADE, INC. SECURES $2.5 MILLION
INVESTMENT TO BOLSTER WORKING CAPITAL
January 3, 2002 - Naturade, Inc. (OTCBB:NRDC
- news), a leading marketer of soy protein products for heart health,
reported an infusion of capital earmarked to help maintain the Company's
#1 share in supermarket, drug store and mass merchandiser accounts.
In simultaneous transactions closed on
January 2, 2002, Naturade sold Series B Convertible Preferred Stock and
Warrants to Westgate Equity Partners, L.P. (Westgate) of St. Louis for
$2.5 million, converted its $5.3 million of debt to Health Holdings
& Botanicals, LLC (HHB) to common stock, cancelled its Series A
Convertible Preferred Stock held by HHB and amended its existing Credit
and Security Agreement with Wells Fargo Business Credit. The amended
Wells agreement extended the relationship through December 31, 2003,
increased the credit line to $4.5 million, waived existing defaults and
increased the interest rate.
HBP was financial advisor to Naturade in
raising the equity capital from Westgate.
HBP CLIENT FAIRFIELD
FARM KITCHENS ACQUIRES RIGHTS TO BOSTON CHOWDA LINE
January 4, 2002 - Fairfield Farm
Kitchens, Inc., a high quality custom food manufacturer, has entered
into a license agreement with the Boston Chowda Company, Inc. to
manufacture the Boston Chowda line of chowders, soups and related
products.
The Boston Chowda Company manufactures a
complete line of award winning chowders and soups for a range of
customers in the food service and retail channels. The company currently
produces frozen and fresh clam chowder, lobster bisque, chicken noodle
soup, shrimp & sausage gumbo, chili and other products in the soup
and chowder category. Products sold under the Boston Chowda brand are
available in supermarkets, restaurants and Boston Chowda Cafes. The
Boston Chowda Cafes and affiliated restaurants are not part of this
transaction.
HBP was engaged exclusively by Fairfield
Farm Kitchens and facilitated the transaction.
HBP CLIENT THORN LEDGE
INVESTMENTS ACQUIRES FAIRFIELD FARM KITCHENS
July 30, 2001 - Thorn Ledge Investments,
L.L.C., a private investment firm focused on leading food manufacturing
businesses, has purchased all of the assets of Fairfield Farm Kitchens,
a high quality custom food manufacturer located in Brockton,
Massachusetts.
Fairfield Farm Kitchens, established in
1985, provides custom food manufacturing and packing services for a
range of customers including Goya Foods, Ian's, Breugger's, Marriott and
Gardenburger. The firm also produces and sells its own licensed brands
under the Howard Johnson's and other labels. Fairfield operates a USDA
certified 200,000 square foot facility equipped with a wide range of
cooking, packaging and freezing capabilities that support customer's
standard or custom manufacturing needs.
Thorn Ledge concentrates on acquiring and
investing in food manufacturers principally based in the northeastern
United States. Thorn Ledge was founded by Norman A. Cloutier, former
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of United Natural
Foods, Inc. (UNFI Nasdaq), the nation's largest publicly traded
wholesale distributor of natural and organic foods.
HBP was financial advisor to Thorn Ledge
and facilitated the purchase.
PENTON MEDIA ANNOUNCES PURCHASE OF NUTRITION
BUSINESS JOURNAL FROM HEALTH BUSINESS PARTNERS
February 20, 2001 - Penton Media,
publisher of Natural Foods Merchandiser and producer of Natural Products
Expo trade shows, has announced its acquisition of Nutrition Business
Journal. Co-founded by Grant Ferrier and Tom Aarts in 1996, NBJ is the
world's leading provider of market data, targeted lists and financial
statistics concerning the nutrition, natural products and alternative
health care industries.
"NBJ is a highly respected source of
business information for the natural products industry as well as for
executives at crossover companies such as mainstream food and
pharmaceutical manufacturers-a key group for us to reach," said Kim
Paulsen. "NBJ's research capabilities and database will be
extremely valuable assets to our company."
"The acquisition expands our scope from that of a small
entrepreneurial company and enables us to dramatically expand our reach
to new customers and new markets," Ferrier said. "Through New
Hope and Penton, we'll participate in a broader strategy for a healthy
living and nutrition business platform on a global scale."
Roy Bingham, Managing Director of Health Business Partners said "We
made our original investment in NBJ in early 1998. We thoroughly enjoyed
working with the NBJ team as they built the business to prominence and
profitability and we are delighted not only with the terms of the sale,
but also to pass on ownership to Penton, who we are sure will be an
excellent custodian of NBJ."
HEALTH BUSINESS
PARTNERS ANNOUNCES THE FORMATION OF HEALTH BUSINESS PARTNERS CONSULTING
LLC
Strategic Consultants Specializing in
Health-Based Business Guidance
January 31, 2000 - Health Business
Partners announces the emergence of Health Business Partners (HBP)
Consulting LLC, a separate but close strategic partner designed to
provide health-based strategic consulting services. HBP Consulting is
under the direction and ownership of Tom Clough, former partner of
Health Business Partners.
HBP Consulting is comprised of a group of
professionals with expertise in research, development and implementation
of health-based strategies for nutrition, food and pharmaceutical
companies. With global knowledge reaching from technology development
and ingredient manufacturing, to licensing and retailing, the firm
provides customized consulting services including strategic development
and implementation, market overviews and research, partnering, and
specialized industry reporting and workshops.
Health Business Partners LLC remains a
close affiliate and strategic partner of HBP Consulting.
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