Mesirow Financial Investment Banking Wins The M&A Advisor 2012 "Deal of the Year Award"

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Mesirow Financial is pleased to announce that our Investment Banking group has been named the winner of the 2012 “Deal of the Year Award” (Between $250mm and $500mm) by The M&A Advisor for our role as financial advisor to Oliver Products Company (“Oliver Products” or the “Company”) in its sale to Berwind Corporation.

Winners were announced at the 11th Annual M&A Advisor Awards Gala on Tuesday, December 11th at the New York Athletic Club in New York City. Louis Mitchell, managing director and the lead on the Oliver Products transaction team, was on hand to accept the award, along with several other members of the firm's investment banking team.

Oliver Products, headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is one of the world's leading producers of sterile-grade medical device packaging and pharmaceutical packaging, producing the industry's highest quality and most innovative products. The Company sells its healthcare packaging products to nearly every major, globally-recognized medical device company. Additionally, the Company, through its food packaging & equipment segment, is the largest supplier in complete food packaging solutions for Meals on Wheels in the United States. Oliver Products was a portfolio company of Mason Wells, a leading Midwest-based private equity firm.

“Mesirow Financial Investment Banking always strives to provide our clients with exemplary, innovative advisory services, and to be recognized for that effort and for our work in the sale of Oliver Products to Berwind Corporation is truly an honor,” said Mitchell.

Award winners were selected by an independent panel of judges from more than 400 nominations representing more than 600 companies, honoring top performers of the year for creativity, resourcefulness and perseverance in the transaction process.

The gala is the premier celebration of the year for the industry's leading dealmakers. The 11th Annual Awards Gala was held in conjunction with the 2012 M&A Advisor Summit that featured over 350 of the industry's leading M&A professionals participating in exclusive interactive forums led by over 50 M&A, restructuring, media, academic, and political stalwarts.

About The M&A Advisor

Since 1998, The M&A Advisor has been presenting, recognizing the achievement of and facilitating connections between the world's leading mergers and acquisitions, financing and turnaround professionals with a comprehensive range of services including M&A SUMMITS; M&A AWARDS; M&A CONNECTS™; M&A ALERTS™, M&A LINKS™ MandA.TV and M&A MARKET INTEL™. Visit www.maadvisor.com to learn more.

About Mesirow Financial Investment Banking

Mesirow Financial Investment Banking focuses exclusively on middle-market transactions and serves established middle-market companies and large corporations, both public and private, in merger & acquisition advisory, debt advisory, restructuring and special situations, fairness and solvency opinions, board of directors advisory and special committee representation. We are a national firm with a global reach, successfully advising on a number of cross-border transactions. Our practice combines rich industry knowledge and long-standing relationships with expert advisory services in the middle market, and our full range of services allows us to serve clients at any the stage of their business.

About Mesirow Financial

Mesirow Financial is a diversified financial services firm headquartered in Chicago. Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, the firm remains independent and employee-owned with approximately 1,200 employees globally. With expertise in Investment Management, Global Markets, Insurance Services and Consulting, Mesirow Financial strives to meet the financial needs of institutions, public sector entities, corporations and individuals. For more information about Mesirow Financial, visit our website at mesirowfinancial.com.