Columbus 11:00 AM Topic: “Generalist v. Sector-Focused: The Case for Each” Moderator – Thomas Pampush, Ice Miller Tim Lewis, Southfield Capital Jason Burmer, Edgewater Capital Jeremy Eberlein, Fifth Third Securities Jeremy Falendysz, UHY Advisors Register Here: https://members.opusconnect.com/events/ohio_deal_connect_investment_banks_2019_11_21 About Southfield Capital Southfield Capital is a private equity firm that invests in exceptional, growing companies in the lower middle market. The firm makes control investments in North American companies generating $4 - 12 million in EBITDA with proven business models, attractive growth and profitability trends, and strong leadership. For more information, please visit www.southfieldcapital.com Our Team Andy Levison, Managing Partner Andy Cook, Partner Heb James, Partner Tim Lewis, Partner Brandon Pinderhughes, Principal Chris Grambling, Vice President Josh Sylvan, Associate Logan Vorwerk, Associate Jon Goldstein, Chief Financial Officer Southfield Capital 53 Greenwich Avenue, 2nd Floor Greenwich, CT 06830 Phone: 203.813.4100 Fax: 203.813.4141 www.southfieldcapital.com
GREENWICH, CT – Southfield Capital, a premier lower middle market private equity firm, announced today that it has completed the sale of Spectrum Automotive Holdings Corp. (“Spectrum Automotive” or the “Company”) to Cornell Capital LLC. Spectrum Automotive is an agent, marketer and administrator of finance and insurance products and services for the automobile market. Spectrum Automotive’s clients include over 1,400 automobile dealerships, OEMs and administrators across the US. Terms of the private transaction were not disclosed. Southfield Capital acquired Spectrum Automotive in 2015 in partnership with the Company’s management team. Spectrum Automotive realized significant growth over the 4-year investment period, more than quadrupling the earnings of the business through expanding the sales platform, executing five strategic acquisitions and broadening the product offerings to include an extensive suite of solutions for its clients. The sale represents a highly successful exit for Southfield’s investors. The management team is continuing as significant shareholders in partnership with Cornell Capital. “Southfield was an outstanding partner,” said Jim Polley, Spectrum Automotive CEO. “Everything they said they would do they did and then some. They provided great support as well as great mentorship. They are gentlemen to work with regardless of the situation. They are very open minded, fair and always looking for ways to grow. I would not hesitate to be partners with them again, and I have a great deal of gratitude for all the wonderful things that came of our time and relationship together.” Andy Cook, a Partner with Southfield Capital, stated, “Working with Spectrum Automotive’s senior leadership over the last few years to strengthen the value proposition and expand the service offering to our clients was a great experience. We are thrilled with the growth achieved in a short period of time and the team’s ability to create a truly unique asset in the F&I industry. We wish everyone the best of luck in the next chapter.” Sandler O’Neill & Partners, L.P. served as financial advisor, PwC provided transaction advisory services and Finn Dixon & Herling acted as legal advisor to Southfield in this transaction. About Spectrum Automotive Holdings Corp. Founded in 1999, Spectrum Automotive is an agent, marketer and administrator of vehicle service contracts for automobile dealers, OEMs and administrators across the US. It is one of the largest independent F&I agencies in the US and assists dealers with improving profitability, enhancing brand awareness and increasing customer retention. About Southfield Capital Southfield Capital is a private equity firm that invests in exceptional, growing companies in the lower middle market. The firm makes control investments in North American companies generating $4 - 12 million in EBITDA with proven business models, attractive growth and profitability trends, and strong leadership. For more information, please visit www.southfieldcapital.com Our Team Andy Levison, Managing Partner Andy Cook, Partner Heb James, Partner Tim Lewis, Partner Brandon Pinderhughes, Principal Chris Grambling, Vice President Josh Sylvan, Associate Logan Vorwerk, Associate Jon Goldstein, Chief Financial Officer Southfield Capital 53 Greenwich Avenue, 2nd Floor Greenwich, CT 06830 Phone: 203.813.4100 Fax: 203.813.4141 www.southfieldcapital.com
Acquisition Furthers Ongoing Growth Strategy and Positions FastLane as Integrated Growth Platform Supporting Franchisors from Concept Through Scale . Greenwich, CT – March 20, 2026 – Southfield Capital (“Southfield”), a premier lower middle market private equity firm, today announced that its portfolio company, Franchise FastLane (“FastLane” or “the Company”), a leading franchise sales organization, has completed the strategic acquisition of Franchise Creator, a premier firm specializing in identifying and guiding early-stage franchisors through concept validation, franchise readiness, and foundational growth planning. The addition of Franchise Creator allows FastLane to establish an integrated growth platform that supports franchisors from concept through scale, leveraging Franchise Creator’s strong reputation working with emerging brands at the earliest stages of their franchising journey and helping founders validate their models, prepare for franchising, and establish strong foundations for growth. As part of FastLane, Franchise Creator will continue to focus on early-stage brand identification and support, while benefiting from the scale, infrastructure, and development capabilities of the broader FastLane ecosystem, enabling it to better help founders build strong, scalable franchise models. “This acquisition represents an exciting step in FastLane’s evolution and the continued execution of our organic and targeted M&A growth strategy,” said Tim Koch, President & COO of FastLane . “In partnering with Southfield, we have set out to build more than a franchise sales organization. Franchise Creator’s best-in-class ability to identify and guide early-stage brands is a powerful complement to FastLane, and we’re excited to integrate their insights and capabilities into our platform. Through this combination, we are able to further our mission of building the first end-to-end franchise services business, capable of working with brands from their formation through maturity.” “From day one, Franchise Creator has been about helping founders turn great ideas into real, viable franchise brands,” said Hossein Kasmai, Founder of Franchise Creator. “FastLane shares that same belief, and they bring the resources, experience, and platform to help our clients go further and faster. This partnership allows us to stay true to who we are while expanding what’s possible for our team and the founders we serve.” “This acquisition aligns perfectly with FastLane’s long-term strategy of building a differentiated, vertically integrated platform across the franchising lifecycle,” said Josh Sylvan, Principal at Southfield Capital. “By expanding upstream into early-stage brand creation and readiness, FastLane is strengthening its recurring revenue profile, improving brand quality entering development, and building a more durable enterprise. We’re excited to have the opportunity to partner with Hossein and the Franchise Creator team to continue building on the Company’s momentum and strengthening both its market position and ability to serve franchisors and founders across the country.” TPG Twin Brook provided debt financing. Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP provided legal counsel to FastLane and Southfield. Boxwood Partners acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Franchise Creator. About Southfield Capital Southfield Capital is a premier private equity firm with a foundational commitment to driving value at high-growth, lower middle market companies in the business services sector. The firm leverages its deep team of highly-experienced investment, technology and value-creation professionals, combined with fully-integrated AI-driven capabilities to partner with founders and manager-owned teams. For more information, please visit www.southfieldcapital.com About Franchise FastLane Franchise FastLane provides franchise development services. It manages the entire franchisee sales lifecycle from initial lead generation to prospect qualification through to deal closure. FastLane works with franchisors to perfect their discovery process, bring qualified franchisee leads, and drive strong growth. FastLane leverages a rigorous diligence and onboarding process, industry-leading technology platform, and exceptional sales executives to drive successful franchise development for its franchisor clients. For more information, please visit www.franchisefastlane.com About Franchise Creator Franchise Creator specializes in identifying and guiding early-stage franchisors through concept validation, franchise readiness, and foundational growth planning, helping founders build strong, scalable franchise models and provides back-end services like bookkeeping and marketing. For more information, please visit www.franchisecreator.com Investor Contact Jason Perlroth Principal, Head of Business Development, Southfield Capital Email: jperlroth@southfieldcapital.com Tel: 203 813 4117 Media Contact Taylor Ingraham / Max Rayden Email: tingraham@ascadvisors.com / mrayden@ascadvisors.com Tel: 203 992 1230
AI-driven Full-Service Business Contextual.io Complements Southfield Capital's Mission to Enhance Value Creation for Founders and Manager-Owners