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Just after the turn of the millennium, Al Pastino had a vision. With 35 years of financial management and investment experience under his belt, he saw an opportunity to create an investment bank dedicated to the middle market - but not a typical Wall Street investment bank. The firm he envisioned would be run by professionals who understood closely-held and family-owned businesses. It would be a place where middle market clients would receive the same talent, expertise and respect that the large multinational corporations receive.

To make this idea a reality, Pastino knew he needed to ally himself with an organization that combined an entrepreneurial culture with a depth of middle-market expertise and top-notch resources in tax and financial management. Based on past experiences with Amper, Politziner & Mattia (Amper), Pastino knew the call he needed to make.

After two years of strategic planning, recruiting and execution, Amper Investment Banking (AmperIB) was launched in 2005. The new firm has completed over a dozen transactions in its first year, with primary services in mergers & acquisitions, capital formation and strategic advisory counsel. In addition, AmperIB recently received its NASD membership, reinforcing its commitment to adhering to the highest standards in the securities industry.

Getting Started
Al Pastino and Al Mattia met more than 20 years ago at the "Owner/President Management Program," an executive education program offered by the Harvard Business School. Throughout the years, they have remained friends and professional colleagues. Pastino knew Al Mattia had helped grow the accounting and consulting firm organically, from a modest start, to become the CPA profession's 30th largest firm - and one of its most respected.

More importantly, Pastino observed that Mattia had helped build an organization with the kind of values and environment that he was looking for. "I felt my plans for this investment bank would mesh with the firm's mission and entrepreneurial mindset. The CPA firm's excellent reputation, abundance of resources and unrivaled industry experience were also very important factors," said Pastino.

Building on Expertise
Pastino put together a team of professionals with the support of the firm. His own background spanned 35 years at firms such as Alex Brown & Sons, Kohlberg & Company, Deloitte & Touche and Fortis Private Capital. The many experienced professionals at AmperIB have extensive backgrounds at major Wall Street firms, including significant operating, direct investment and strategic consulting experience. Among them, they have handled more than 75 M&A transactions, raised more than $5 billion in growth capital, and conducted nearly 50 capital formation transactions.

In one short year, AmperIB has become well known for its middle-market expertise in business sectors. AmperIB takes on assignments from a variety of industries, and focuses on:

• Business process outsourcing
• Value-added manufacturing
• Specialty retailing
• Distribution and logistics

"Middle market companies need the global reach of a large investment bank with the passion and senior-level involvement of a boutique firm," Pastino noted. Yet with clients whose revenues generally range between $10 million and $250 million, AmperIB's Directors understand that each transaction - and each set of owner/managers - have unique circumstances that need to be addressed with care.

Managing Director, Allen Wilen notes, "We understand that a transaction is one of the toughest things in a client's business life. We deal with transactions every day, but for our clients, it's often a once-in-a-lifetime situation." That's why at AmperIB, each transaction is overseen by two senior bankers, and our clients have full access to the deal team throughout the course of the transaction.

A recent assignment for Crompco Corporation, a leading provider of environmental compliance services to major oil companies, highlights AmperIB's distinct style. When Crompco's entrepreneurial owner found himself at a crossroads - he needed to take on a financial partner to launch a new growth strategy, but didn't want to disrupt the smooth functionality of the company - he turned to AmperIB for help. Amper brought to the table their depth of industry knowledge and a clear understanding of the owner's priorities that it to accurately describe the business opportunity - and the potential growth trajectory - to prospective investors. In the end, AmperIB was able to negotiate a recapitalization of the company with Lineage Capital LLC, and the owner successfully launched the new product line.

NASD Membership Granted
Recently, AmperIB was granted NASD membership, a big advantage to a young organization. As the primary private sector regulator of the U.S. securities industry, the NASD oversees the activities of more than 5,000 brokerage firms and 650,000 registered securities representatives, and maintains stringent rules and regulations that member companies must adhere to in order to protect the integrity of the country's financial markets. As part of the NASD registration, all AmperIB professionals must pass examinations on topics that range from NASD rules and regulations, to economic theory, to portfolio theory and analysis, to demonstrate competence in the areas in which they will work.

With a wide variety of backgrounds in corporate finance, investment banking, private equity, commercial banking, accounting, LBOs, and venture capital, the team of bankers and analysts at AmperIB look at their clients' situations from a variety of vantage points. As a result, they are often able to spot opportunities for clients in unexpected places.

AmperIB offers clients a breadth of knowledge in strategic advisory services, drawing upon Amper's extensive heritage in taxation, bankruptcy, and restructuring work. In a recent example, the firm was able to leverage these skills to effect a turnaround situation. A client in the entertainment industry was facing a liquidity crisis that threatened its existence. AmperIB worked with the management to address inventory and distribution issues, and in the process of doing so, identified a potential purchaser. AmperIB was then able to help management structure and negotiate a transaction that provided the owners a significant portion of the purchase price in cash, as well as a minority interest in the new company.

Moving Forward
As AmperIB looks to 2007 and the future, capital formation and mergers and acquisitions work will play a central role. Pastino does not plan to change the firm's service or sector focus in the future.

"I believe Amper Investment Banking's uniqueness is our goal to provide consistency over time. Like Amper, we plan to grow the business organically, by continuing to build on the strength, reputation, and resources that we have right out of the gate. Before long, we will be an established presence in the industry and a "go to" bank for the middle market," said Pastino.

For more information on Amper Investment Bank, check us out at www.amperib.com.