News Archive for 2009

December 30, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Archipelago Learning, Inc., a leading provider of Web-based products that help students and teachers in the K-12 and postsecondary education markets improve educational performance, with an Outperform rating and Aggressive Growth company profile.

December 23, 2009 - William Blair & Company served as exclusive financial advisor to Dutko Worldwide Holdings, Inc., a Lake Capital portfolio company, in connection with its sale to Huntsworth plc for a total consideration of $54.3 million.

December 21, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Deer Consumer Products, Inc. (DEER $10.11), a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of home and small kitchen electric appliances for international (export) markets and in China, with an Outperform rating and Aggressive Growth company profile.

December 17, 2009 - William Blair & Company acted as exclusive financial advisor to Ellicott Dredge Enterprises, LLC in connection with its sale to Markel Corporation.

December 8, 2009 - William Blair & Company acted as exclusive financial advisor to Ellerbe Becket, Inc. in connection with its sale to AECOM Technology Corporation.

December 8, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of DENTSPLY International Inc., a leading global dental products manufacturer, with an Outperform rating and Established Growth company profile.

December 7, 2009 - Please join us for William Blair & Company’s next Financial Talk Series Webinar which will discuss the pros and cons of a Roth IRA, how a conversion works, and the different variables that determine the net benefit of a Roth conversion.

December 4, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., a global industrial gas company, with an Outperform rating and Established Growth company profile.

December 1, 2009 – William Blair & Company, L.L.C., distributor to the William Blair Funds, today announced the launch of the William Blair Low Duration Fund. The fund seeks to maximize total return by investing in a diversified portfolio of investment-grade low duration debt securities.

November 19, 2009 - Brett Paschke, co-head of William Blair & Company’s Equity Capital Markets Investment Banking Group, will be at the Buyouts West 2009 conference today.

November 19, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Verisk Analytics, Inc., a leading provider of risk assessment solutions, with an Outperform rating and Core Growth company profile.

November 18, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Luminex Corporation, which develops, manufactures, and sells proprietary biological testing technologies and products with applications throughout the life science and diagnostic industries, with a Market Perform rating and Aggressive Growth company profile.

November 13, 2009 - On Friday, November 13th, William Blair & Company will host a luncheon presentation entitled, Women & Investing: Contemporary Healthcare Issues Facing Women.

November 13, 2009 - Brian Scullion, M.D., Principal, served as a panelist at the 7th Annual MidAmerica Healthcare Venture Forum.

November 13, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Echo Global Logistics, Inc., a non-asset-based transportation and logistics services company focused primarily on small and midsize shippers, with an Outperform rating and Aggressive Growth company profile.

November 11, 2009 - George Greig, William Blair & Company's Global Strategist for Investment Management, recently provided his Ninth Annual Global Market Outlook.

November 11, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Education Management Corporation, one of the largest and most diversified for-profit postsecondary education providers in the United States, with a Market Perform rating and Core Growth company profile.

November 10, 2009 - William Blair & Company served as a Co-Manager on MDC Partners’ recent public offering of $225 million in aggregate principal amount of its 11% Senior Notes due 2016.

November 9, 2009 - William Blair & Company hosted its first Pharmaceutical Outsourcing Industry Discussion and Reception.

November 5, 2009 - Geoffrey A. Richards, head of William Blair & Company's Special Situations & Restructuring group, is included in the annual "40 Under 40" list by Crain's Chicago Business.

October 28, 2009 - William Blair & Company hosted its 12th Annual Private Equity Conference this week.

October 27, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of APAC Customer Services, Inc., a provider of voice-centric customer care services to customers based primarily in the United States, with an Outperform rating and Aggressive Growth company profile.

October 21, 2009 - William Blair & Company's Mark Lane discusses Morgan Stanley in a live interview on CNBC's "The Call."

October 20, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Under Armour, Inc., one of the most prominent athletic brands in the United States, with an Outperform rating and Core Growth company profile.

October 20, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation, the leading U.S.-based provider of offshore IT services, with an Outperform rating and Aggressive Growth company profile.

October 19, 2009 – Chris Vincent, head of William Blair & Company’s Fixed Income Group, was a featured speaker at the 2nd Annual Retirement Income Symposium.

October 15, 2009 - William Blair & Company's Mark Lane shares his reaction to recent financial earnings announcements on CNBC's "The Call."

October 15, 2009 – William Blair & Company recently hosted a series of roundtable discussions on trends that are shaping the investment and financial landscape of the technology sector.

October 12, 2209 - William Blair & Company healthcare analyst Ryan Daniels will discuss trends and potential investment opportunities in pet healthcare. Daniels will also look at how spending on veterinary services has been affected by the recession and explain why pet healthcare may provide an attractive investment alternative to human healthcare.

October 6, 2009 - William Blair & Company is No. 31 in Barron's 2009 ranking of the “Top Wealth Managers” in the United States.

October 6, 2009 - William Blair & Company today kicked off its Third Annual Emerging Growth Stock Conference in New York City, hosting about 60 companies and hundreds of clients at the conference, which is devoted to small- and midcap stocks.

October 2, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Praxair, Inc., a global industrial gas supplier, with an Outperform rating and an Established Growth company profile.

October 2, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of PetSmart, Inc., the largest pet specialty retailer, with a Market Perform rating and a Core Growth company profile.

October 1, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of CardioNet, Inc., a leading provider of outpatient monitoring solutions for cardiac arrhythmia and an emerging provider of clinical research services, with a Market Perform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

September 30, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Quidel Corporation, a leader in the professional point-of-care (POC) rapid diagnostic testing market, with a Market Perform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

September 29, 2009 - William Blair & Company acted as exclusive financial advisor to Temcor, Inc., a portfolio company of Solis Capital Partners, in connection with its sale to CST Industries, Inc., a portfolio company of The Sterling Group.

September 29, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Evercore Partners Inc., a boutique investment bank that advises multinational corporations on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, and other strategic corporate transactions, with an Outperform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

September 28, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of SmartHeat Inc., a leader in the fast-growing Chinese heat exchanger market, with an Outperform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

September 28, 2009 - Please join us for William Blair & Company’s next Financial Talk Series Webinar as Geoff Richards, head of William Blair & Company's Special Situations and Restructuring Group, discusses the strategic alternatives available for companies facing liquidity crises and other distressed situations.

September 26, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of American Express Company and Discover Financial Services with Outperform ratings.

CHICAGO, September 24, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of three participants in the hepatitis C market—Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, Pharmasset, Inc., and Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.—all with Outperform ratings.

September 23, 2009 - William Blair & Company, L.L.C. acted as exclusive buy-side financial advisor and debt placement agent and advisor to London-based Emerisque Capital Limited and Mumbai-based S. Kumars Nationwide Limited in their crossborder acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Chicago-based Hartmarx Corporation.

September 22, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Airgas, Inc., the largest U.S. distributor of packaged industrial, medical, and specialty gases, with an Outperform rating and a Core Growth company profile.

September 21, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Emdeon Inc., a leading provider of healthcare transaction processing, revenue cycle management, and business process outsourcing solutions, with an Outperform rating and a Core Growth company profile.

September 21, 2009 – William Blair & Company served as co-managing underwriter in connection with the issuance by The Regents of the University of California of General Revenue Bonds.

September 18, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Pegasystems Inc., a provider of a market-leading business process management (BPM) platform, with an Outperform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

September 18, 2009 - William Blair & Company issued a report on the cyber-security market and initiated research coverage of three companies in the space.

September 17, 2009 – William Blair & Company acted as Co-Senior Managing Underwriter to the State of Iowa in connection with the issuance of IJOBS Program Special Obligation Bonds (Build America Bonds – Direct Payment).

September 17, 2009 - William Blair & Company issued a report on the agricultural irrigation market and initiated research coverage of Lindsay Corporation, which holds the No. 2 market share position in the global mechanized agricultural irrigation market, with a Market Perform rating and a Core Growth company profile.

September 16, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., the world’s leading provider of Fibre Channel (FC) storage networking switches, with a Market Perform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

September 15, 2009 - Please join us for William Blair & Company's next Financial Talk Series Webinar as Tina Milligan and Michael Lee present alternative methods for addressing single-stock risk, along with the relative benefits and costs of each strategy.

September 15, 2009 - William Blair & Company issued a report on the semiconductor microprocessor market and initiated research coverage of four companies in the space.

September 11, 2009 - William Blair & Company served as Co-Managing Underwriter to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago in connection with the issuance of its $600,000,000 Taxable General Obligation Capital Improvement Bonds.

September 10, 2009 - William Blair & Company acted as exclusive buy-side financial advisor and debt placement agent and advisor to London-based Emerisque Capital Limited and Mumbai-based S. Kumars Nationwide Limited in their cross-border acquisition of substantially all the assets of Chicago-based Hartmarx Corporation pursuant to §363 of the United States Bankruptcy Code.

September 8, 2009 – William Blair & Company acted as Senior Managing Underwriter to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission in connection with its issuance of $50,000,000 Student Loan Revenue Bonds.

September 3, 2009 – William Blair & Company served as co-managing underwriter to the County of Cook, Illinois in connection with its issuance of Series 2009A and Series 2009B Bonds.

September 3, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Apple Inc. with an Outperform rating and a Core Growth company profile.

September 1, 2009 - William Blair & Company acted as financial advisor to LEWA GmbH, a portfolio company of Deutsche Beteiligungs AG and Quadriga Capital, in connection with its sale to Nikkiso Co., Ltd.

August 31, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of CareFusion Corporation, a spin-off of Cardinal Health, Inc. composed of mainly the businesses from the Clinical and Medical Products division, with an Outperform rating and Core Growth company profile.

August 26, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Biogen Idec Inc., a Cambridge, Massachusetts–based company that has developed key drugs for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and inflammatory disease, with a Market Perform rating and Established Growth company profile.

August 20, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Tyler Technologies, Inc., a provider of integrated information management solutions and services focused on local governments, with an Outperform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

August 17, 2009 - William Blair & Company acted as exclusive financial advisor to Waterworks, Inc. in the sale of substantially all of its assets to an affiliate of Design Investors, LLC, pursuant to a §363 sale.

August 14, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Manpower Inc., the third-largest provider of temporary staffing and related services in the world, with a Market Perform rating and a Core Growth company profile.

August 10, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Fuqi International, Inc., a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of a wide selection of jewelry targeted toward the growing Chinese middle class, with an Outperform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

August 10, 2009 - William Blair & Company acted as exclusive financial advisor to Vocollect, Inc. in assisting the company to secure a growth equity investment from Riverside Partners.

August 4, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Myriad Genetics, Inc., a provider of genetic-based tests for inherited cancer risk as well as treatment response, with an Outperform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

July 27, 2009 - Please join us for William Blair & Company's next Financial Talk Series webinar.

July 24, 2009 - The Summer 2009 issue of Investment & Pensions Europe includes the 'Top 400 Asset Managers' supplement, IPE's listing of asset managers active in the European marketplace.

July 17, 2009 - William Blair & Company issued a report on the global business process outsourcing (BPO) market and initiated research coverage of five companies in the space.

July 16, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Cerner Corporation, a leading provider of clinical and financial healthcare IT systems, with an Outperform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

July 13, 2009 - William Blair & Company acted as exclusive Financial Advisor to Molex Incorporated with respect to obtaining their first senior unsecured, multi-currency committed revolving credit facility.

July 10, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Netezza Corporation, a leading provider of turnkey data warehousing appliances, with an Outperform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

July 10, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Greenhill & Co., Inc., a preeminent advisory-focused investment bank, with an Outperform rating and a Core Growth company profile.

Date: Wednesday, July 8, 2009 Time: 12:00 noon CDT

July 1, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc., which operates the second-largest U.S. cash equities exchange group, and NYSE Euronext, which operates the world's largest exchange group, with Market Perform ratings and Core Growth company profiles.

June 26, 2009 - Geoffrey A. Richards, head of William Blair & Company’s Special Situations and Restructuring Group, was named Restructuring Financial Advisor of the Year by Global M&A Network.

June 16, 2009 - William Blair & Company today announced that it has hired Andy Kaye as Head of Asia, expanding its Asian investment banking expertise.

June 16, 2009 - Tina Milligan, Wealth Advisor, William Blair & Company and Domingo Such, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, will discuss steps investors can take to strengthen their estate plans in light of these anticipated developments.

June 9, 2009 - William Blair & Company, L.L.C. today kicked off its 29th Annual Growth Stock Conference, a three-day event featuring nearly 185 companies and attracting investors from around the world.

June 4, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of RiskMetrics Group, Inc., the market leader in providing quantitative risk measurement solutions, qualitative risk insight, and corporate governance best practices and research to financial market participants, with a Market Perform rating and Core Growth company profile.

June 3, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Masimo Corporation, a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of products focused on delivering noninvasive patient measurement and monitoring technologies, with a Market Perform rating and a Core Growth company profile.

May 27, 2009 - Tom Lanctot, head of William Blair & Company’s Public-Private Partnerships (P3) team, participated in a panel discussion hosted by West Legalworks on the privatization of publicly owned parking spaces and garages.

May 27, 2009 - William Blair & Company acted as lead financial advisor to the City of Chicago in connection with the long-term concession of the Chicago Metered Parking System.

May 27, 2009 - The Debt Capital Markets Department is pleased to announce the closing of the following transaction: $611,016,650 City of Chicago General Obligation Bonds.

Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2009 Time: 12:00 noon CDT

May 26, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Bridgepoint Education, Inc., a rapidly growing provider of postsecondary education degrees, and Rosetta Stone Inc., a provider of technology-based language learning solutions in more than 30 languages, with Outperform ratings and Aggressive Growth company profiles.

May 21, 2009-William Blair & Company issued a comprehensive report on U.S. private label and initiated research coverage of four companies in the space.

May 19, 2009-William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of hhgregg, Inc., a leading specialty retailer of premium video products, appliances, audio products, and accessories, with an Outperform rating and Aggressive Growth company profile.

May 18, 2009 - Six William Blair & Company equity research analysts received Financial Times/StarMine Top Analyst Awards.

May 15, 2009 - We believe that the events of the past year highlight the competitive advantages of private ownership and the distinction of the client-centric culture William Blair & Company has built over seven decades. Please join us on Monday, May 18, 2009, when John R. Ettelson, president and chief executive officer, will discuss the firm’s independence, strong financial position, and steps taken to ensure its soundness, and why we believe our differentiated approach matters to clients.

May 4, 2009 - William Blair & Company announces the success of its client, Filtrona plc, in connection with the sale by its subsidiary, Filtrona Extrusion, Inc., of all of the issued and outstanding common stock of the Filtrona Extrusion Holding Companies to Saw Mill Capital for an aggregate maximum consideration of $115 million on a cash and debt-free basis.

April 30, 2009 - William Blair & Company was voted Large Corporate Finance House of the Year by the U.K. private-equity community.

April 29, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of CEVA, Inc., a leading designer and licensor of silicon intellectual property, with an Outperform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2009 Time: 12:00 noon CDT

April 27, 2009 - William Blair & Company is pleased to announce the success of its client, FCA, Inc. in connection with its sale to Ancor Capital Partners and Prairie Capital.

April 22, 2009 - William Blair & Company was a Bookrunning Lead Manager on Rosetta Stone's initial public offering.

April 14, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of C.R. Bard, Inc., a diversified provider of medical products that are essential for the delivery of therapy for primarily acute or life-threatening conditions, with an Outperform rating and a Core Growth company profile.

April 8, 2009 – William Blair & Company hosted several events during the recent Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS) Annual Conference and Exhibition, held in Chicago at McCormick Place.

April 7, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Nektar Therapeutics, a drug developer focusing on the treatment of infectious diseases with significant unmet medical need, with an Outperform rating and Aggressive Growth company profile.

April 7, 2009 - William Blair & Company announces the success of its client, ExtruMed LLC, a portfolio company of Inverness Graham Investments and Wedbush Capital Partners, in connection with its sale to Vesta, Inc., a portfolio company of RoundTable Healthcare Partners.

Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2009 Time: 12:00 noon CDT

April 3, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of MEDNAX, Inc., a national group practice encompassing the physician services of Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc. and American Anesthesiology, Inc., with an Outperform rating and a Core Growth company profile.

April 2, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Starent Networks, Corp., a leading provider of data routers designed for mobile network cores, with a Market Perform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

April 1, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of FedEx Corporation, a leading global transportation services provider, with a Market Perform rating and an Established Growth company profile.

March 31, 2009 - William Blair & Company's Tom Lanctot discusses public-private partnership transactions.

March 31, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Syntel, Inc., a provider of high-quality IT and value-added business process outsourcing (BPO) services, with a Market Perform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

March 26, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of PetMed Express, Inc., the leading online pet pharmacy retailer, with an Outperform rating and a Core Growth company profile.

March 25, 2009-William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Netflix, Inc., the leading by-mail rental service provider of premium content, with a Market Perform rating and Aggressive Growth company profile.

March 24, 2009—William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group LLC, one of the largest alternative asset managers, with a Market Perform rating and Aggressive Growth company profile.

March 20, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. with an Outperform rating and Aggressive Growth company profile.

March 19, 2009-William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Phase Forward Incorporated, which provides clinical trial software and services for biopharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, and CROs, with an Outperform rating and Core Growth company profile.

March 17, 2009-William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Allergan, Inc., a diversified healthcare company that develops and commercializes specialty pharmaceutical, medical device, and over-the-counter products for the ophthalmic, aesthetic, and therapeutic markets, with a Market Perform rating and a Core Growth company profile.

Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 Time: 12:00 noon CT

March 13, 2009-William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Inc., a leading global consulting firm focused on human capital and financial management services, with a Market Perform rating and Core Growth company profile.

March 12, 2009-William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Quality Systems, Inc., a leading provider of practice management, electronic health record, and revenue cycle management solutions to physician and dental offices, with a Market Perform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

March 10, 2009, CHICAGO - William Blair & Company hosted more than 60 invited guests at its inaugural Aesthetics & Dermatology Industry Reception. The reception, held in San Francisco during the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, featured an industry discussion led by Michael Moretti.

March 10, 2009-William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Resources Connection, Inc., a provider of project-oriented professional services, with a Market Perform rating and a Core Growth company profile.

March 6, 2009 - William Blair & Company’s president and CEO, John R. Ettelson, today announced several organization changes designed to address marketplace opportunities for the firm’s businesses.

March 6, 2009-William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (VIVO $18.95), a leading provider of rapid diagnostic tests for common diseases, with a Market Perform rating and a Core Growth company profile.

February 26, 2009, Chicago, IL - Brian F. Scullion, M.D., a principal in William Blair & Company's Healthcare Investment Banking group, will be a panelist at the McGuireWoods LLP 6th Annual Health Care and Life Sciences Private Equity & Finance Conference today.

February 23, 2009 - William Blair & Company announces the success of its client, Xactly Corporation, in connection with its acquisition of Centive, Inc. William Blair & Company served as exclusive financial advisor to Xactly Corporation for the transaction, the terms of which are not disclosed.

February 20, 2009, Chicago, IL - Geoffrey Richards, principal and co-head of William Blair & Company's Special Situations and Restructuring Group, will be a panelist at the 8th Annual Beecken Petty O'Keefe & Company Private Equity Conference today.

February 20, 2009 - William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Catalyst Health Solutions, Inc., a full-service pharmacy benefit manager through subsidiary Catalyst Rx, with a Market Perform rating and an Aggressive Growth company profile.

February 4, 2009 - William Blair & Company investment bankers spoke to a media-only audience about the outlook for investment banking in 2009.

CHICAGO, January 29, 2009 - William Blair & Company today announced that its head of mergers and acquisitions, Mark Brady, has been named “Mid-Market Banker of the Year” by Investment Dealers’ Digest.

January 28, 2009 - William Blair & Company announces the success of its client, TDX Group Ltd., in conjunction with the sale of a 40% equity stake to Investcorp Technology Partners for £28 million.

January 22, 2009 - William Blair & Company announces the success of its client, Pensar Electronic Solutions, LLC, in connection with its sale to LaBarge, Inc. for $45 million in cash, with potential for additional consideration to be paid upon achievement of certain earn-out targets.

January 13, 2009—William Blair & Company initiated research coverage of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR $33.90), a high-growth specialty coffee company and—through Keurig—a leader in the promising single-cup segment, with a Market Perform rating and Aggressive Growth company profile.

January 12, 2009 - William Blair & Company recently announced that it has named 13 new partners.

January 6 - William Blair & Company announces the success of its client, the shareholders of Sorex Holdings Ltd., a portfolio company of Indigo Capital LLP, in connection with its sale to BASF SE.