Z Capital Announces Expansion of Team

LAKE FOREST, Ill., March 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Z Capital Partners, L.L.C. ("Z Capital"), a leading private equity firm, today announced the following leadership appointments:

• Dennis R. Roberts has joined Z Capital as a Managing Director and Operating Partner. Mr. Roberts assists in the management and oversight of portfolio company human capital initiatives. Mr. Roberts was most recently founder and operator of Human Capital Strategies, LLC.
  
  
• Jeffrey P. Werner has joined Z Capital as a Managing Director and Operating Partner. Mr. Werner assists in the management and oversight of portfolio company initiatives including, but not limited to, the manufacturing, distribution, and services industries. Mr. Werner previously served as CEO of two Sun Capital Partners portfolio companies.
  
  
• Andrew C. Curtis has joined Z Capital as a Managing Director and a member of the Investment Team. Mr. Curtis is responsible for the management of portfolio leveraged finance investments. Mr. Curtis was most recently a portfolio manager at Mercer Parker LP.
  
  
• Elias G. Silverman has joined Z Capital as a Director and a member of the Investment Team. Mr. Silverman is responsible for research and analysis of existing and prospective portfolio company investments. Mr. Silverman was most recently an Associate in the Restructuring & Reorganization group at The Blackstone Group.
  
  
• Taylor S. Webb has joined Z Capital as an Associate and Corporate Counsel and a member of the Investment Team. Mr. Webb assists the Investment Team in due diligence, legal oversight of portfolio companies and compliance. Mr. Webb was previously an Associate with Chapman and Cutler LLP in their Banking Department.

"I am thrilled to announce the addition of these talented professionals to the Z Capital team," said James J. Zenni, President and Chief Executive Officer of Z Capital. "Dennis, Jeff, Andrew, Elias and Taylor are all proven leaders and bring to their respective roles a wealth of knowledge and experience. I am confident that we will be able to leverage their expertise and capabilities to drive growth in our robust portfolio and continue to achieve strong investment returns. With an exceptional team, proven investment strategy and track record of success, Z Capital is well-positioned to drive maximum value and capitalize on the significant opportunities ahead." 

Dennis R. Roberts
Mr. Roberts is a Managing Director and Operating Partner of Z Capital. Mr. Roberts is integrated into the Investment Team and assists in the management and oversight of portfolio company human capital initiatives. Mr. Roberts has over 30 years of extensive human capital experience in workforce transformation, talent acquisition, talent management, and due diligence and integration activities.  He has been successful in recruiting and deploying C-suite executives in a number of industries. Since 1999, he has held both SPHR and GPHR certifications, and is currently an active member of the Society for Human Resources Management. 

Prior to joining Z Capital, Mr. Roberts founded and operated Human Capital Strategies, LLC, a consulting practice focusing on workforce transformation and turnaround activities. Prior to that, he was EVP Human Capital for Bush Industries, a private equity portfolio company where he helped build the executive management team, established sourcing operations in China, and recruited and deployed senior executives in China and Germany.  

Mr. Roberts holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from University at Albany State University of New York, a Master's of Science degree in Organizational Leadership from Mercy College and studied Human Resource Development at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Jeffrey P. Werner
Mr. Werner is a Managing Director and Operating Partner of Z Capital. Mr. Werner is integrated into the Investment Team and assists in the management and oversight of portfolio company initiatives including, but not limited to, the manufacturing, distribution, and services industries. Mr. Werner's 30 years of global business experience includes CEO roles at both private equity portfolio companies and privately held firms, as well as senior executive roles at two Fortune 500 firms. 

Prior to joining Z Capital, Mr. Werner was the CEO of two Sun Capital Partners portfolio companies with operations throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. Most recently, Mr. Werner was the CEO of Perfect Timing Brands, a supplier and retailer of licensed stationery, gift and home decor products marketed by the Lang and Turner Licensing companies. Prior to these roles, Mr. Werner was the President and CEO of Senator USA. Mr. Werner was also President of Spilo Brands, a distributor of health and beauty products. Earlier in his career, Mr. Werner was the Vice President of Marketing for Sanford, a division of Newell Rubbermaid and Sr. Director/General Manager for ACCO Brands, a division of the Fortune Brands consumer products conglomerate.

Mr. Werner received his Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of Missouri-Columbia and his Masters of Business Administration in International Business from DePaul University's Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.

Andrew C. Curtis
Mr. Curtis is a Managing Director of Z Capital and a member of the Investment Team for Z Capital Credit Partners. Mr. Curtis has extensive experience in leveraged credit and is responsible for the management of portfolio leveraged finance investments.

Prior to joining Z Capital, Mr. Curtis was a Portfolio Manager at Mercer Park LP ("Mercer Park"), where he managed all aspects of the Sandelman Finance 2006-2 CLO. Mr. Curtis also served as Mercer Park's Head of Research, conducting and overseeing fundamental credit research for the firm's relative value, distressed, and CDO investing strategies. Before joining Mercer Park, Mr. Curtis worked at Sandelman Partners as a senior credit analyst for the firm's capital structure arbitrage, CLO and distressed investing efforts. He joined Sandelman Partners from Lazard Freres' Restructuring Group ("Lazard") where he advised corporations and creditors in connection with out-of-court restructurings, chapter 11 bankruptcies and distressed mergers and acquisitions as well as advised companies on corporate M&A transactions, including the buyout of TXU Corp. Before joining Lazard, Mr. Curtis began his career at Merrill Lynch's Global Energy and Power group.

Mr. Curtis graduated with honors from Brown University and holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and an Master of Arts from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Elias G. Silverman
Mr. Silverman is a Director of Z Capital and a member of the Investment Team. Mr. Silverman has experience in value-oriented private equity and mergers & acquisitions. Mr. Silverman is responsible for research and analysis of existing and prospective portfolio company investments.

Prior to joining Z Capital, Mr. Silverman was with The Blackstone Group ("Blackstone") where he was an Associate in the Restructuring & Reorganization group. Mr. Silverman provided financial advice to both debtors and creditors involved in bankruptcies and distressed situations. Mr. Silverman's transaction experience at Blackstone includes the restructuring of OGX (a Brazilian E&P company), Edison Mission Energy, and work on several consumer retail companies. Prior to his time with Blackstone, Mr. Silverman was with Colony Capital, a global real estate private equity firm, focused on hospitality, gaming, and property investments.

Mr. Silverman received his Masters of Business Administration in Finance from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Duke University.

Taylor S. Webb
Mr. Webb is an Associate and Corporate Counsel and member of the Investment Team of Z Capital. Mr. Webb assists the Investment Team in due diligence, legal oversight of portfolio companies and compliance.

Prior to joining Z Capital, Mr. Webb was an Associate with Chapman and Cutler LLP in their Banking Department where he worked with foreign and domestic credit providers in municipal, non-profit, higher education and healthcare financings.

Mr. Webb holds a Juris Doctor degree with honors from the University of Michigan Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Business: Finance and Economics, summa cum laude, from Liberty University.

About Z Capital Partners
Z Capital Partners, L.L.C. is a leading private equity firm with approximately $1.9 billion of regulatory assets under management and with offices in Lake Forest, IL and New York, NY. Z Capital pursues a value-oriented approach in private equity that includes making control investments in companies that may require growth capital, balance sheet and or operational improvements.

Z Capital portfolio companies currently have aggregate worldwide annual revenues of approximately $1.5 billion, sell products in over 30 countries, and have in excess of 190,000 associates directly and through joint ventures.

Z Capital's investors include prominent global sovereign wealth funds, endowments, pension funds, insurance companies, foundations, family offices, wealth management firms and other financial institutions in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. For more information, please visit http://www.zcap.net/.

Contacts
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
Jonathan Keehner / Leigh Parrish
212-355-4449

SOURCE Z Capital Partners, L.L.C.

Related Links

http://www.zcap.net