Edge Healthcare Partners joins with Edge Corporate Finance to provide M&A and capital raising services

Aug 24 2009

Edge Healthcare Partners, LLC, an independent Atlanta-based investment banking firm led by industry veterans, has joined forces with Edge Corporate Finance, LLC (a wholly owned subsidiary of Edge Capital Partners, LLC), to provide M&A and other advisory services to middle-market healthcare companies and private equity firms. Edge Healthcare Partners will supplement Edge Corporate Finance’s M&A and capital raising services with dedicated healthcare expertise. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Edge Capital Partners is a leading independent investment firm founded to provide wealth management and corporate finance advisory services to a select group of wealthy families, institutions and entrepreneurs.

The founders of Edge Healthcare Partners previously held senior investment banking positions at Houlihan Lokey, Smith Barney, SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and its predecessor, The Robinson-Humphrey Company, LLC.

Edge Healthcare Partners will focus principally on representing private and public healthcare companies in sales, divestitures and acquisitions; and representing private equity firms in the sale of portfolio companies. The firm will help companies raise capital for growth, acquisitions, recapitalizations, going-private and management buy-out transactions, and also will provide valuations, fairness opinions and strategic advisory services. For transactions involving securities, the securities will be offered through Edge Corporate Finance, LLC.

Consistent with the founders’ healthcare backgrounds and experience, Edge Healthcare Partners will primarily seek transactions with values ranging from $25 million to $500 million.

Through their affiliation, Edge Corporate Finance and Edge Healthcare Partners will be able to deliver a more expansive set of services to their respective clients and interact with a broader network of companies, private equity sponsors and entrepreneurs.

“We believe this is a very exciting time to be starting an independent healthcare investment banking platform. The increasing demand for healthcare services and focus on providing and paying for healthcare creates tremendous demand for independent and experienced advisors to work with companies and private equity sponsors,” said Todd Watkins, Partner of Edge Healthcare Partners.

Watkins continued, “Several factors make advising healthcare companies complex and experience and expertise essential including: the diversity of products and services within the industry, the dynamic government and private payer environment and the constantly evolving compliance, regulatory and reimbursement backdrop.”

“The vast majority of middle market advisory firms have been acquired by banks and other lending institutions during the last economic cycle. As the credit markets deteriorated over the last 18 months, the number and complexity of conflicts that this ownership structure has created are more apparent,” Watkins said.

Bryan Pope, Partner at Edge Healthcare Partners, commented, “Over the last 10 years, we have built our business and reputation on providing senior level attention to each client, listening first before crafting and executing on a strategy designed to meet our client’s needs and exceed their expectations. We try to advise clients as if we were a part owner of their business. Todd and I believe Edge Healthcare Partners will provide the right structure and environment to deliver the senior level attention our clients deserve.”

Edge Capital Partner’s Bill Maner commented, “Dedicated expertise in a growing vertical such as healthcare is a significant benefit to clients and we are pleased to have such an experienced group join our firm.”

Commenting on the opportunity to expand Edge Capital Partner’s business by aligning with veteran healthcare bankers, Partner Paul Izlar said, “A founding principle of Edge Capital Partners is that there is no substitute for experience and independence. In our wealth management business, the conflicts of interest that often arise at larger firms can be limiting to the advisor and detrimental to the client. Edge Healthcare Partners shares our belief that each and every client should be able to hire an advisor without fear of what other institutional pressures or limitations may exist. We both value our unique position as the trusted advisor for our clients.”