Denver, CO and Tallahassee, FL (August 1, 2014) – Lion Equity Partners, through its affiliate Real Estate Media Holdings, LLC (“Lion Equity”) announced today that it has acquired substantially all the assets of Endurance Business Media, Inc., including all print and digital assets and trademarks of Homes & Land, Estates & Homes, Rental Guide and Home Guide (collectively “Homes & Land”). Lion Equity is the owner of NewPoint Media Group (“NewPoint”), publisher of The Real Estate Book, New Home Finder, Senior Living Choices, Mature Living Choices, and other localized real estate related magazines, websites, and digital solutions. NewPoint and Homes & Land are the two largest publishers of local printed and online home-related magazines in the United States and Canada.
Homes & Land, which is headquartered in Tallahassee, FL, is an integrated real estate media platform, providing local real estate information throughout the U.S. and parts of Canada. The Company’s high-quality, photo-rich magazines, coupled with a range of highly effective online services, provide critical information to consumers seeking to buy or rent. Homes & Land operates in 226 local markets across North America, and its online listings have a combined reach of 150 million unique visitors.
“For more than 40 years, Homes & Land has been a premier provider of localized real estate information to millions of home buyers across the United States and Canada” said Ari Silverman, Partner of Lion Equity. “Homes & Land is a tremendous addition to our existing portfolio of real estate related publications and digital assets, and we are really excited about working with management to drive growth and expand services to our valued customers and end-users. Given the proposed consolidation in the local real estate advertising market with Zillow and Trulia, we feel that the combined offering will give consumers, agents and realtors a compelling and competitive offering that delivers a truly integrated media opportunity with print, digital, social and online.”
“We are thrilled to become part of the Lion Equity portfolio of companies,” Chief Financial Officer of Homes & Land, Robert Hardy said. “Through its existing investment in NewPoint, Lion Equity clearly believes in our industry and value proposition, and we are very excited about our future.”
“Homes & Land will remain separate and distinct from NewPoint and its flagship publication, The Real Estate Book,” said Jim Levitas, Partner of Lion Equity. “Each publication will be run independently, with their own management, sales, customer support and marketing teams.”
Backbone Capital Advisors, LLC assisted Lion Equity throughout the entire process, dedicating its resources to sourcing and arranging the financing for the transaction. This was a complex transaction which benefited from the expertise lent by both Backbone Capital and Lion Equity, to ensure excellent terms and a smooth closing. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
About Backbone Capital Advisors, LLC
Backbone Capital Advisors, LLC is a full-service professional financing arranger, providing both traditional and non-traditional capital sourcing, with complete execution, for middle market businesses that require debt financing and other capital solutions. Backbone Capital supports private equity funds, independent sponsors, direct operating companies, professionals and boutique investment bankers to deliver all types of leveraged solutions. Backbone Capital offers expertise in all types of middle market and lower middle market financings, including asset-based, senior cash flow, second lien, mezzanine, and unitranche. Backbone Capital also offers other solutions across the capital structure of the borrower, with considerable experience in handling more challenging and special situations. To learn more about Backbone Capital, please go to www.backbonecap.com.
About Lion Equity Partners:
Lion Equity Partners (www.lionequity.com) is a Denver, CO based private equity firm specializing in acquiring controlling interests in small- to middle-market businesses across multiple industries. Lion Equity’s investment strategy is centered on creating value in its portfolio companies through a combination of organic growth and add-on acquisitions. Lion Equity supports its portfolio companies with strategic and financial resources, operational guidance, and M&A expertise.
About NewPoint Media Group:
NewPoint Media Group, LLC ™ (www.NewPointMediaGroup.com) specializes in targeted media solutions that include both print and digital distribution to create integrated advertising and marketing services that amplify overall effectiveness and results. Leading brands include The Real Estate Book, Mature Living Choices, Senior Living Choices, New Home Finder, New Homes & Ideas, and New Homes Journal. In addition, the Company’s Publications Print Division provides these services to a variety of industries. The Company specializes in integrating print and digital media to effectively reach and engage a targeted consumer audience through local print distribution, web, mobile, direct mail, and social outlets.
About Endurance Business Media (d/b/a, Homes & Land):
Homes & Land (www.HomesandLand.com), with over four decades of real estate expertise, is an integrated market-leading media company providing local real estate information throughout the United States and parts of Canada. Homes & Land’s high-quality, photo-rich, four-color magazines, Homes & Land, Estates & Homes, Rental Guide and Home Guide – coupled with a range of highly effective online services – serve the $27.3 billion real estate advertising industry and form an integral part of the local real estate ecosystem by providing critical information to consumers seeking to buy or rent. The Company now also serves those in the market to improve residential properties and apartments, tapping into the $100 billion local advertising marketplace by opening up new advertising categories such as home improvement, contractors and home appliance sales.
Please forward all inquiries and opportunities to:
Britt Terrell, Managing Director
Backbone Capital Advisors, LLC
bterrell@backbonecap.com
(818) 508-8462