TOPDOWN HAS BEEN ACQUIRED BY VALESCO INDUSTRIES

Prestwick is pleased announce the sale of TopDown to Valesco Industries.  Valesco Industries led a consortium of investors which included Brookside Capital Partners, Patriot Capital, Tecum Capital, and members of TopDown management.  Prestwick acted as the exclusive advisor to TopDown and its private equity sponsor, River Associates.  The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

TopDown (www.topdownauto.com) is a leading designer, manufacturer, and supplier of branded automotive aftermarket soft goods.  TopDown is the global leader in aftermarket, OEM-quality replacement convertible tops and has a sizable and growing presence in aftermarket seat covers, interiors, and aftermarket Jeep tops.  TopDown’s portfolio of brands include GAHH, Robbins, E-Z ON, and CalTrend.

Valesco Industries is a Dallas, Texas-based private equity firm that focuses on making control and non-control investments in select growth-oriented lower middle-market businesses engaged in manufacturing, distribution, and business-to-business services.

Brookside Capital Partners, a Stamford, Connecticut-based private investment firm, is a leading provider of debt and minority equity to small and mid-sized companies throughout the United States.

Patriot Capital is a Baltimore, Maryland-based private investment firm focused on debt capital and minority equity investment opportunities in small and medium-sized privately-held companies.

Tecum Capital is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based private investment firm deploying capital in lower middle-market companies.  Tecum provides mezzanine debt and equity investments in growth-oriented companies across many industries, including manufacturing, value-added distribution, and business services.