News

February 12, 2008

Norwest Mezzanine Partners Announces Senior Level Promotions

Norwest Mezzanine Partners (NMP) is pleased to announce the promotions ofCarter J. Balfour to Partner and Shani Graber to Principal.

Timothy DeVries, NMP Managing General Partner, stated, “Carter and Shani have both been key players in the continued growth and success of NMP; their promotions are indicative of the strength of the NMP team. They are both motivated and committed to NMP’s investment strategy and sponsor relationships, as well as the continued development of the NMP investment team. On behalf of the entire partnership, we congratulate them on their new positions.”

Prior to joining NMP in July 2003, Balfour worked as a vice president in the Mezzanine Capital division of Wells Fargo Bank, where he was active in deal origination, structuring and portfolio management. Prior to that, he was in Wells Fargo’s Leveraged Finance division. His background has focused around middle-market leveraged buyout transactions, where he has participated in originating senior and subordinated debt transactions ranging from $2 million to $75 million. Balfour has a BBA degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, an MBA from DePaul University, Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, and he is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder.

Graber joined NMP in October 2005 after working for GE Capital’s Global Sponsor Finance group, focusing on underwriting and portfolio management of middle market leveraged buyout transactions. In addition to GE Capital, she also performed underwriting and portfolio management at Heller Financial and Prudential Capital Group. Graber has a BBA from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder.

Norwest Equity Partners (NEP) is a leading middle market investment focused on partnering with business owners and building companies into industry leaders. With a reputation for quality investments and exceptional financial returns since 1961, NEP manages nearly $5 billion of capital through a series of equity and mezzanine funds. Offering creative and flexible transaction solutions through management buyouts, recapitalizations and growth financings, NEP seeks $30-$150 million equity investment opportunities for growing and profitable companies within the agriculture, applied technology, business services, consumer products and services, distribution, healthcare and industrial industry sectors. NEP is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota; please visit nep.com for more information.