June 6, 2016

Yukon Supports Northern Pacific Group’s Investment in United Language Group

MINNEAPOLIS (June 6, 2016) — Yukon Partners (“Yukon”), a provider of mezzanine capital for middle market private equity transactions, is pleased to announce that is has partnered with Northern Pacific Group (“NPG”) in its investment in United Language Group, Inc. (“ULG” or the “Company”).

 

United Language Group, Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, provides translation, localization and other language-related business services to customers across a diverse array of end markets, including life sciences, manufacturing, legal/financial, IT, and hospitality. ULG was formed in 2015 by industry veterans Jeff Brink, Hans Fenstermacher, Greg Brink and later joined by CFO Karrie Willis, along with private equity backing from NPG, as a platform to assemble a family of complementary companies, with a goal of becoming one of the largest language service providers in the world.

 

In June 2016, ULG completed its acquisition of Merrill Brink International (“Merrill Brink”), the languages services division of Merrill Corporation. The Brinks founded Merrill Brink as PH Brink International in 1987, and sold the business to Merrill Corporation in 2005. Merrill Brink’s customer base includes multi-national companies in industries such as life sciences, manufacturing, and travel/hospitality, as well as government entities and law firms. The transaction immediately ranks ULG in the top 25 language service providers globally and sixth in the U.S. by revenue, according to industry analysts Common Sense Advisory.

 

NPG sponsored the transaction in which it and Yukon made an investment in ULG. Yukon also provided mezzanine capital and Bell Capital Finance provided the senior credit facility. Schiff Hardin LLP served as legal counsel to Yukon.

 

“We are thrilled to launch our strategy with the acquisition of Merrill Brink,” said Jeff Brink, CEO of ULG. “The company has maintained a sterling reputation over many years, has an outstanding operation and is well-known for innovation. We view Merrill Brink as an ideal platform for our expansion plans, which include additional near-term acquisitions.”

 

“We’re excited about this investment in the language business and we see tremendous opportunities for growth, both organically and through further acquisitions. We fully support ULG’s vision and expect to be very active in this highly-fragmented $40 billion industry,” said Peter Offenhauser, Partner of NPG. He also added, “Yukon has a strong record of partnering with private equity firms and management teams to support their efforts to drive growth and create value. NPG looks forward to strengthening our relationship with Yukon through our investment in ULG.”

 

Mike Hall, Managing Partner of Yukon, added, “We are excited to partner with NPG and the ULG management team to support the Company’s growth strategy. We are confident that with NPG’s leadership, alongside management’s strong operational expertise and industry experience, the ULG platform is well positioned for future growth.”

 

About United Language Group

United Language Group is a global organization that is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and has offices in New York City, New York, Hong Kong, China, Galway, Ireland, and London, England. ULG is dedicated to building and managing a portfolio of high-performing and complementary language service providers. ULG adds value and leverages synergies for the collective benefit of its companies and customers.

 

About Yukon Partners

Yukon Partners is an independent and unaffiliated mezzanine firm primarily serving middle market private equity sponsored business transactions with a typical investment range of $10 to $40 million in the U.S. and Canada. The transactions in which Yukon invests include buyouts, growth and platform strategies, recapitalizations, mergers/acquisitions, and public-to-private buyouts. Yukon Partners is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For more information, please visit www.yukonpartners.com.

 

About Northern Pacific Group

Northern Pacific Group is a Minnesota-based private equity investment firm focused on acquiring and investing in growing companies in the Midwest. NPG seeks to partner with ownership groups and management teams in order to add value beyond providing capital. NPG has completed four platform acquisitions to date, and its investment focus is on companies in the technology and business services industries. Existing NPG investments include United Language Group, Delaget, Outsell, and Renters Warehouse. For more information, please visit www.northernpacificgroup.com.

 

For more information, please contact:

Michael Hall

Managing Partner

Yukon Partners

612-435-7802