Highlander Partners Overview

Highlander Partners, L.P. is an investment firm founded in 2004 by Laurence E. Hirsch, former CEO and Chairman of Centex Corporation, and Michael R. Nicolais, former Co-head of the Dallas Corporate Finance office and Managing Director for Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.  Highlander Partners has investments in a wide range of asset categories, but its principal focus is making direct private equity and mezzanine investments in healthcare, food products, basic materials, retail, consumer products, and manufacturing companies.

Highlander Partners is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA, and its U.S. office makes private equity and mezzanine investments throughout the United States.  In 2008, we opened an office in Warsaw, Poland for the purpose of making private equity investments in Central Europe.  Highlander Partners has several hundred million of capital, over $300 million of which is allocated to direct private equity and mezzanine investments in the U.S. and Central Europe.

Highlander Partners differs from a typical private equity firm in that we manage our own capital and do not have limited partners whose varying interests can weigh on the investment process.  Our competitive advantages include our non-bureaucratic infrastructure, flexible decision making process, long-term investment horizon, ability to accommodate special needs of sellers and management teams, operational and transaction expertise, and opportunistic investment strategy.

Highlander Partners typically invests in small- to mid-size private companies with capable management teams, fundamentally strong operations, and strong track records that need capital and strategic help to “get to the next level.”  Our typical equity investment size is between $10 and $50 million; however, we are able to underwrite larger transactions that require up to $100 million of equity under the right circumstances.  For mezzanine financing, our typical investment size is between $10 and $25 million.

Highlander Partners uses a “buy and build” investment approach, which includes organic growth and selective acquisition strategies.  The Highlander Partners team leverages its broad skill set to create value in its portfolio companies by:

• Helping management teams formulate business strategy and performance goals;
• Identifying, monitoring, and improving key performance metrics;
• Advising on the optimal organizational and compensation structure, including management incentive plans;
• Accessing a variety of resources from our universe of contacts and relationships;
• Collaborating in the creation of flexible capital structures;
• Analyzing acquisitions, divestitures, and major capital projects;
• Providing experienced and confidential advice on other important company matters, including product lines, expansion plans, and other market opportunities.