GE Antares served as administrative agent on a senior secured credit facility to support the acquisition of Kellstrom Defense Aerospace, Inc. by the Merex Group, a portfolio company of Dubin Clark & Company, Inc. GE Capital Markets served as sole lead arranger and joint bookrunner on this facility.
Headquartered in Miramar, FL, Kellstrom Defense is an industry leader in aftermarket logistics and inventory support for a variety of Defense Derivative aircrafts. Kellstrom Defense is a globally-recognized provider of inventory management solutions and aftermarket services, specializing in the defense aircraft aftermarket support.
“GE Antares is a valued business partner, bringing more than just capital,” said Michael Hompesch, partner at Dubin Clark. “They also brought GE’s expertise in aerospace, helping us realize the opportunity we see to drive consolidation and scale in the global defense aftermarket space.”
“We're excited to provide debt and equity financing in support of Dubin Clark,” said Chip Cushman, managing director of GE Antares. "We look forward to continuing to support the strong growth opportunities at Merex Group and Kellstrom.”
The Merex Group is a global provider of comprehensive support for U.S. manufactured legacy defense platforms including aircraft, helicopters and their respective engines. Supporting more than 35 armed forces worldwide that operate legacy defense platforms, Merex Group's "Total Support" approach of providing spares/components, repair/overhaul management, and project management of systems upgrades, has been instrumental in the Company's success in this growing market. The Merex Group is headquartered in Camarillo, CA and is a Dubin Clark portfolio company.
Dubin Clark & Company, Inc. is a private investment firm headquartered in Greenwich, CT with a 30-year history of investing in control-position, middle-market buyouts and building businesses in partnership with the management teams of its portfolio companies. Best known for building CompUSA from a two-store operation into a multibillion-dollar national chain, Dubin Clark has a national reputation for helping successful middle-market companies reach new levels of sales and earnings.
GE Antares is a unit of GE Capital. With offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, GE Antares is a leading middle-market lender, offering a “one-stop” source for GE’s lending and other services offered to middle market private equity sponsors.