Fox Paine & Company

Infobox_Company
company_
company_name = Fox Paine & Company
company_type = Private Ownership
foundation = 1997
founder = Saul A. Fox, W. Dexter Paine III
location =
industry = Private Equity
products = private equity funds
assets = $1.5 billion
homepage = [http://www.foxpaine.com/ www.foxpaine.com]

Fox Paine & Company is a private equity firm focused on leveraged buyout transactions. Fox Paine & Company, LLC was founded in 1997 by former Kohlberg Kravis Roberts partner Saul A. Fox and former Kohlberg & Co. partner W. Dexter Paine III. In 2007, the firm formalized a year-long separation process, with Saul Fox retaining the firm's name, while Dexter Paine formed a new firm, Paine & Partners, with the legacy Fox Paine investment team.Harris, Jennifer. " [http://www.privateequityonline.com/Article.aspx?article=13208&hashID=D3FDDD5539F34E621ED6B9CB4C267E72DF0C0CB4 Fox, Paine settle out of court] ." Private Equity Online, December 14, 2007 ]

The firm primarily invests in financial services and insurance companies, with investments in semiconductors, agribusiness, healthcare, energy, telecommunications, industrials and consumer goods.

Fox Paine has historically been headquartered in Foster City, California, with a New York City office that today operates as part of Paine & Partners.

History

Prior to founding Fox Paine in 1997, Fox had been a partner at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, while Paine had been an investment banker and private equity investor at San Francisco-based Robertson Stephens and later Kohlberg & Co. The two partners had been encouraged to work together given their previous business dealings. In 1985, Dexter Paine had helped Saul Fox arrange financing for the leveraged buyout of Motel 6, while at KKR.

In 1998, Fox Paine completed fundraising for Fox Paine Capital Fund, an investment fund with $500 million of investor commitments. In 2001, the firm successfully raised Fox Paine Capital Fund II, a $1.0 billion investment fund, exceeding its original $750 million target. [Clifford Carlsen " [ http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2000/06/12/newscolumn3.html Fox Paine's sequel fund looks to beat the original] ." San Francisco Business Times, June 9, 2000]

The following is a selected list of notable investments made by Fox Paine
*Alaska Communications Systems [" [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07E3DA173DF93BA2575BC0A96E958260 COMPANY NEWS; CENTURY TELEPHONE TO SELL ALASKA OPERATIONS] ." New York Times, August 18, 1998]
*Erno Laszlo / Cradle Holdings
*L'Artisan Parfumeur
*Penhaligon's
*Seminis [Pollack, Andrew. " [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/25/business/25seed.html Monsanto Buying Leader in Fruit and Vegetable Seeds] ." New York Times, January 25, 2005]
*Stabilus [Craig, Catherine " [http://www.efinancialnews.com/privateequity/buyouts/content/2449808681 Paine does first European deal since founder departure] ." DowJones eFinancial News, February 15, 2008.]
*United National [" [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E06E4DF123AF93BA2575AC0A9659C8B63 COMPANY NEWS; INSURER PLANS TO RAISE $230 MILLION IN OFFERING] ." New York Times, September 18, 2003]
*Watkins-Johnson Company [" [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E3D61238F934A15753C1A96F958260 COMPANY NEWS; FOX-PAINE TO BUY WATKINS-JOHNSON FOR $270 MILLION] ." New York Times, October 27, 1999]

eparation

In 2005, the two partners disagreed about the raising of a third investment fund, with Dexter Paine pushing the effort and Saul Fox preferring to focus on existing investments. In 2006, they reached an agreement that let Dexter Paine launch what became known as the Fox Paine Capital Fund III, without Saul Fox's active involvement while paying Fox a 25% interest in the new fund's general partnership. The situation broke down in 2007 and the two partners resorted to litigation to settle a number of disputes.

In December 2007, Fox and Paine came to a compromise under which Saul Fox retained the use of the Fox Paine name and control over the investments in Fox Paine Fund II. In return, Saul Fox ceded his interest in Fox Paine Fund III, which would subsequently be renamed Paine Capital Fund III as well as the remaining legacy interest in the original Fox Paine Capital Fund. ANDERS, GEORGE. " [http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB118981608237128291.html Bitter End of a Partnership] ." Wall Street Journal, September 15, 2007]

External links

* [http://www.foxpaine.com/ Fox Paine] (company website)
* [http://www.painepartners.com/ Paine & Partners] (company website)

References

* Green, Leslie. " [http://www.foxpaine.com/pdf/bigger.pdf For Saul Fox, Bigger Isn’t Always Better in the World of Buyouts] ." Buyouts, MAY 15, 2000
* " [http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:zBu7SPdpx6wJ:www.buyoutsnews.com/story.asp Fox Paine & Co. Has Become Fox Vs. Paine] ." Buyouts, September 24, 2007