Fifth Third Business Capital, a division of Fifth Third Bank, announced it acted as sole lender and administrative agent on the funding of an $8,000,000 senior credit facility to Troy Lee Designs, LLC.

Based in Corona, California, Troy Lee Designs is a designer and distributor of high-quality helmets, apparel, safety gear and accessories used in the off-road motorcycling and mountain biking industries. It was founded in 1989 by Troy Lee, a motocross and mountain biking enthusiast who has been racing and painting helmets for other motocross and biking enthusiasts since the company’s inception.

Fifth Third’s credit facility will be used to fund the company’s capital expansion and working capital needs going forward.

Troy Lee Designs is a portfolio company of Spanos Barber Jesse & Co. The private investment firm is located in Walnut Creek, California, and manages approximately $300 million of committed capital. It focuses on lower middle-market consumer, business services and healthcare services companies and finances buyouts, recapitalizations, acquisitions and growth investments.

“Troy Lee Designs is an exciting company that sponsors its own motocross and mountain bike racing teams and has developed significant brand equity in addition to its traditional collateral value,” said Michael Sharkey, president of Fifth Third Business Capital. “We hope Troy Lee Designs will be the first of many financings with Spanos Barber Jesse & Co., a respected and well-known private equity sponsor in the San Francisco Bay Area.”

“We valued Fifth Third’s partnership approach to lending and appreciate their support as we look to continue to grow Troy Lee Designs,” said Patrick Muller, vice president at Spanos Barber Jesse & Co.