Business Services

Business & Legal Reports, Inc. ("BLR") is a leading provider of human resources, employment, safety, and environmental compliance and training solutions. BLR was founded in 1977 by Robert Brady to provide executives and decision makers with reliable, easy-to-understand analysis of the ever-increasing and complex state and federal laws. The Company is headquartered in Connecticut.

M. Lee Smith Publishers ("MLSP") provides legal information, training, and compliance tools related to state and federal employment law, supervisor training, and employee management for human resources and other business professionals. M. Lee Smith is a portfolio company of Chicago-based Prairie Capital. MLSP was founded in 1975 and is based in Tennessee.

Shields & Company represented BLR in structuring and negotiating a merger with MLSP, creating a new entity called Fortis Business Media ("Fortis"). Fortis combines 35 years of experience in providing top-rated compliance products that serve over 250,000 professionals in the fields of Human Resources, Environmental Compliance Management, Employee Safety, Workers' Comp Management and Workplace Training. Prairie Capital and NewStar Financial will continue to be investors in merged entity.

The Bard Group LLC, a leading physician-led healthcare consulting firm, retained Shields & Company to evaluate alternatives that would provide the company's partners with liquidity and enable it to strengthen its leading position in the healthcare industry. As a result of the sale process, The Bard Group was acquired by NCI Healthcare LLC, an independent business services consulting firm and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navigant Consulting, Inc. The acquisition provided enhanced healthcare consulting capabilities to both The Bard Group and NCI Healthcare.

BirdDog Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of contingency-based Parcel Shipping Optimization services, retained Shields & Company to assist in a strategic acquisition to expand growth prospects. The company subsequently acquired Lakota Solutions, a consulting services firm specializing in parcel freight expense management and reporting and related logistic services. Through the partnership, BirdDog Solutions was able to expand its customer and technology bases, improve its access to capital, invest more in customer support, and develop new services.

BirdDog Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of contingency-based Parcel Shipping Optimization services, retained Shields & Company to advise the company in a capital raising initiative to finance a potential acquisition and expand growth prospects. Through Shields & Company, BirdDog Solutions was able to raise $10,000,000 of Series C Preferred Stock and $10,000,000 of Subordinated Debt.

The Boston Copico Corporation, leading provider of vended copying and print management services, retained Shields & Company to assist in the company's refinancing. In the process, Boston Copico was able to raise $2,250,000 of senior debt and $1,350,000 of subordinated debt, successfully positioning the company to pursue plans for business expansion. The refinancing also enabled the company to engage in an eventual sale.

BV Investment Management, an Internet-focused early stage venture capital firm, retained Shields & Company to assist in seeking a suitable equity investment to expand its portfolio. The process resulted in the company's acquisition of a preferred minority interest in CEA Group Companies LP, an investment bank focused on the media, entertainment, Internet, and telecommunications industries. The investment provided the combined shareholders with access to invest on a general partner basis in a growing organization, while the company gained greater access to worldwide merchant banking opportunities.

Country Club Enterprises, a leading distributor of golf and utility vehicles, retained Shields & Company to pursue a range of recapitalization options that would support the company's expansion and provide liquidity for certain shareholders. This process resulted in a partnership with the Mustang Group and Gladstone Investment Corporation and culminated in a transaction, which achieved both objectives and enabled the company's senior management to retain a substantial equity position.

High Road, Inc., a chain of large specialty stores for the adventure sports market and cycling industry, retained Shields & Company to assist in raising capital stock required to fund a potential acquisition. This recapitalization enabled the company to acquire International Bicycle Center, Inc., the largest specialty bicycle retailer in Boston, Massachusetts. The deal strengthened High Road's senior management, significantly increased its market share, and fulfilled its expansion model.

The Board of Directors of Mass-Save, Inc., an independent, non-profit corporation established by investor-owned electric and gas companies and municipal light departments in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, retained Shields & Company to find a suitable acquirer. The result of the sale process was a merger between the company and Conservation Services Group, Inc., a non-profit corporation of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with goals similar to those of Mass-Save. Mass-Save was able to uphold its mission statement and retain a majority of its employees.

National Energy Choice, LLC, a consumer energy and utilities consulting firm, retained Shields & Company to identify potential acquirers and facilitate the eventual sale of the company. National Energy Choice was subsequently acquired by NewEnergy, Inc., a subsidiary of the AES Corporation, a leading global power company. This strategic transaction achieved company shareholders' liquidation objectives.

New England Adding Machine Company, a leading distributor of imaging supplies, information storage equipment, and office equipment, retained Shields & Company to assist in its sale to a strategic acquirer. The sale process resulted in the company's sale to Carolina Wholesale Office Machine Company, Inc., a national leader in distributing imaging and electronic products. The transaction provided substantial liquidity for the shareholders and positioned the company for continued success in its markets.

The Management of Pell Rudman, a Boston, Massachusetts-based wealth management firm, retained Shields & Company to represent their interests in a process that would allow Pell Rudman's parent company, Old Mutual plc, to divest its ownership in Pell Rudman and provide management with a new strategic partner to meet the needs of the its clients, employees and shareholders. Pell Rudman was subsequently acquired by AMVESCAP plc, a London-based global wealth management firm.

Structural Graphics, an industry leader in high-impact dimensional marketing solutions, retained Shields & Company to assist in the acquisition of Intervisual Communications, Inc., a Santa Monica, California-based dimensional print and promotions company. Backed by a 30-year history in dimensional marketing, the combination of the two industry leaders brought together end-to-end design, fulfillment, and project management, with a library of more than 40,000 innovative dimensional designs.

Structural Graphics LLC, the market leader in providing high-impact advertising materials to Fortune 500 corporations, retained Shields & Company to assist in a potential recapitalization. Shields & Company facilitated the company's refinancing by Alta Communications, a Boston-based private equity firm specializing in equity investments in media and communications companies. This transaction positioned Structural Graphics for expansion and growth through acquisitions.

Sudbury River Consulting Group, Inc., a leading provider of Enterprise Resource Planning solutions to New England and the Midwest, retained Shields & Company to find a suitable acquirer that would provide liquidity for shareholders and enable the company to continue growth. The sale process resulted in the company's acquisition by Complete Business Solutions, Inc., a Michigan-based, publicly-traded information technology services company. Shields & Company was successful in structuring and negotiating a transaction which maximized shareholder value and allowed the company to increase its resources as a division of a well-capitalized company.

The Tower Group, a provider of research subscription and consulting advisory services, retained Shields & Company to find a suitable global partner and to structure a transaction which maximized shareholder value and increased its resources as a division of a well-capitalized, global company. Shields & Company facilitated the Tower Group's sale to Reuters Group PLC, the premier global news and information group. The company's shareholders reached their transactional objectives upon achieving substantial liquidity, and the Tower Group received additional investment capital to pursue outstanding growth and leadership prospects.