CCMP Capital to Acquire Generac Power Systems 
Generac Power Systems, after 47 years of private ownership by its founder and Chairman Robert D. Kern, has signed an agreement that will result in a change of control. The company is a leading manufacturer of standby power products and is solely focused on that business. Its four manufacturing facilities are located in Waukesha, Eagle and Whitewater, Wisconsin and Maquoketa, Iowa.
In the next few months, the investment firm of CCMP Capital will assume ownership. It is important to Generac’s management and to CCMP Capital that the company maintains its successful business model and protects its corporate culture. To that end, the current Generac management team — William Treffert (CEO), Dawn Tabat (COO) and Aaron Jagdfeld (CFO) — will continue in their leadership roles. The Generac Power Systems name will not change, nor will the company’s focus on providing quality products at a superior value to its customers.
“CCMP Capital will be a welcome partner for Generac’s future success that will take the Company to even higher levels,” says William Treffert, CEO. “The excellent relationships that Generac has established with its dealers, distribution channels and vendors will be unaffected by this change in ownership. All of us will be focused on growing this dynamic business.”
“This transition has been long anticipated and I am confident that we have selected the best partner for Generac,” says Robert Kern. “The success we have enjoyed over the past decades has been a result of the excellent work of our employees and the strong relationships that we have built with our business partners. I know that those aspects are important to CCMP Capital and that Generac will continue to build upon its successes in the future. Our industry-leading reputation for quality and innovation will be as strong as ever.”
Under several brand names, Generac produces generators and automatic transfer switches for residential, commercial, industrial, telecommunication and recreational vehicle applications. The company is a single source supplier of fully integrated solutions ranging in output from 6 to 6000 kilowatts.
Generac introduced the automatic home standby generator in 1989 and today sells more residential generators than all other companies combined. These systems operate on natural gas or liquid propane (LP) vapor and come in both air- and liquid-cooled versions. Air-cooled models feature Generac’s own four-cycle OHVI ® (overhead valve industrial) engine, built at its facility in Whitewater.
The innovative new QT Series has been designed specifically for commercial applications. QT models range in output from 20 to 150 kilowatts and operate on natural gas, so there are no concerns regarding diesel fuel storage, spillage, spoilage or odor. QT gensets are also surprisingly quiet and amazingly affordable. The success of this product line in its first year of production has already made Generac the #1 brand in this market segment.
Besides single engine units, Generac offers industry-exclusive Modular Power Systems and Gemini ® twin gensets that provide scalability, flexibility and redundancy. These products feature onboard paralleling technology that combines the electrical output of multiple generators without the need for expensive, space-consuming switchgear.
Another of the company’s industry exclusive products, the Bi-fuel™ generator, was honored as 2005 Product of the Year by Consulting-Specifying Engineer magazine. Generac’s Bi-Fuel generators operate on a combination of diesel and natural gas, running on up to 90% gaseous fuel. In addition to producing lower emissions, the Bi-Fuel generator can run up to 10 times longer than a comparable diesel-only version.
Steve Murray, president of CCMP Capital, said, “Generac has a tremendous business model, supported by an outstanding array of products, great distribution partners and an experienced and entrepreneurial management team. We are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with a company that is so highly regarded, and will continue to build on the company’s track record of success in the North American generator market.”
CCMP Capital Advisors, LLC (“CCMP Capital”), formed in August 2006 by the former buyout/ growth equity investment team of JPMorgan Partners, is a leading private equity investor. Through active management and its powerful value creation model, CCMP Capital’s investment team has established a reputation as a world-class investment partner. CCMP Capital and its London affiliate manage approximately $8 billion in direct private equity investments, including investments in Quiznos, Cabela’s, and AMC Theaters. CCMP Capital’s proprietary global network includes its affiliate in Asia, CCMP Capital Asia Ltd., a leading private equity firm with approximately $2 billion under management, operating from offices in Hong Kong, Melbourne, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo. CCMP Capital is an investment adviser registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
For additional information, contact Stephanie Borowski at 262-544-4811, extension 2366.
ConEst® Software Systems Acquires RapidBOM Telecommunications Design and Estimating Software ConEst moves to expand offering to the datacom and networking market
ConEst Software Systems recently announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire RapidBOM, the premier telecommunications network estimating system from Catalyst Data Inc. of Athens, AL. RapidBOM will be sold and marketed by ConEst Software Systems and Mainstay Software Corporation of Englewood, CO. RapidBOM becomes the newest addition to ConEst’s standard line of estimating programs and continues as an integral asset to Mainstay’s suite of proposal pricing, analysis and estimating software. Mainstay will also be responsible for all ongoing software development and enhancements, as well as user training and support programs related to RapidBOM. RapidBOM is a complete telecommunications network estimating system that automatically creates a Bill of Materials (BOM), including both material and labor costs, needed to totally design a network from the faceplate to the router. RapidBOM was designed specifically for telecommunications estimating professionals by telecommunications professionals with years of field experience. Among its unique features, RapidBOM boasts a regularly updated, electronically enhanced product catalog containing more than 100,000 products (complete with cut sheets) from more than 100 major telecommunications manufacturers. “RapidBOM is an invaluable estimating product with the most comprehensive database of telecommunications-specific products ever created and made available commercially,” said Dan Walkovitz, president of Mainstay. “Mainstay is excited to join forces with ConEst to further position RapidBOM as the superior choice for telecommunications professionals.”
RapidBOM has a proven ability to enable telecommunications network designers and estimators to develop higher quality estimates more quickly and accurately when compared to traditional manual process, and to do so simultaneously as part of the design process. In fact, current users of RapidBOM have found the tool to reduce their design and estimating time from 60 to 90 percent when compared to traditional spreadsheet methods.
RapidBOM also boasts an internal intelligence system that validates the design against BICSI, TIA and EIA standards, thus limiting errors in the design process by preventing an estimator from creating a substandard, or incomplete, design. RapidBOM ensures that all of the parts of a network build have been accounted for so that bids are fully priced and no time is lost on site for lack of appropriate materials.
“We are extremely excited about the acquisition of RapidBOM and the strength this product will bring to our telecom offering,” said ConEst President George Hague. “It will be a great complement to our IntelliBid electrical estimating program for those contractors working in both the electrical and telecom fields.”
Emerson Network Power Introduces Liebert Battery Monitoring Service to Maximize Availability of Battery Systems
Emerson Network Power recently announced the availability of the Liebert Battery Monitoring Service. As the most robust monitoring and service solution of its kind, the offering is designed to maximize the availability and performance of battery systems.
The Liebert Battery Monitoring Service combines state-of-the-art battery monitoring technology with proactive maintenance and service response to deliver a complete battery solution that helps companies achieve high network availability, increase useful battery life and eliminate costly downtime. Whereas traditional battery monitoring programs are reactive by nature, rely on dial-up connections to deliver alarm data, and only notify end users after a problem has occurred, Emerson Network Power’s customizable Liebert solution integrates on-site and remote preventive maintenance activities with predictive maintenance to identify problems before they occur.
“With Emerson’s Liebert Battery Monitoring Service, data center managers now gain the confidence of knowing the true condition of their battery systems at all times and ensuring that their batteries are available when they need them,” said Jeff Donato, service product manager at Emerson Network Power Service Business. “If a problem is developing, Emerson Network Power Customer Engineers will monitor and take corrective action before the trouble turns into a serious issue and possibly causes downtime. And, if a battery were to fail, customers will know quickly not only what the problem is, but also what Emerson Network Power is doing to fix it.”
The Liebert Battery Monitoring Service relies on the latest Albér battery monitoring technology, and continuously diagnoses all critical battery parameters, such as cell voltage, overall string voltage, current and temperature. It provides a constant “pulse” on the system by gathering a steady stream of information about the batteries. Once data is gathered, it is archived and trended to help identify anomalies associated before they lead to failure.
For more information, visit www.liebert.com or www.emersonnetworkpower.com.
Alicia Weider Named General Manager of ITW Buildex and Illinois Tool Works Construction Products Company 
Alicia Weider has been named general manager of ITW Buildex, and Illinois Tool Works Construction Products company based in Itasca, IL. ITW Buildex is a leading manufacturer of productivity-enhancing products for the commercial construction market. Weider joined Buildex in 1986 as senior engineer. During this time, Weider was instrumental in the start-up of the current Buildex Roselle manufacturing location along with several other key manufacturing and engineering projects. In 2002, Weider was promoted to Industrial Unit Manager, Staples and Finish Nails for ITW Paslode and in 2005 was promoted to General Manager, Paslode Industrial.
