Columbus Nova, an investment management firm with approximately $2 billion of assets under management, today announced the formation of its Special Opportunities Fund, which will invest in middle market companies through public and private transactions.

The Columbus Nova Special Opportunities Fund (“CNSOF” or “the Fund”) will invest across a variety of industries at all levels of the capital structure, including senior debt, second lien loans, mezzanine financings, distressed debt and special situations.  In addition, CNSOF has the capability to lead or co-invest in middle market private equity transactions, and the Fund will also invest in structured finance products, real estate financings, collateralized debt funds and asset-backed securities (ABS).

“The establishment of the Special Opportunities Fund creates a terrific complement to our existing alternative asset management businesses, which include our CLO business, Columbus Nova Credit Investments Group and our sale/leaseback financing business, Columbus Nova Real Estate Acquisition Group," said Andrew Intrater, Columbus Nova’s Chief Executive Officer.  “With a flexible approach that will allow it to make decisions quickly and invest in a broad range of opportunities, CNSOF plans to be a leading financier to middle market companies.” 

Columbus Nova also announced that Steven Flyer has joined CNSOF as a Partner and that David Benyaminy, Daniel Gaspar and Gregory Prata have joined CNSOF as Principal and Vice Presidents, respectively.  The team brings numerous years of leveraged finance, mergers and acquisitions and private equity expertise and will focus on investments for the Special Opportunities Fund. 

"We are delighted that Steve has joined Columbus Nova to help lead the Special Opportunities Fund," Intrater continued. "His wealth of experience makes him an ideal addition to Columbus Nova’s private equity investing and mezzanine lending efforts.  In addition, he is joined by a very capable team that offers deep experience in structuring mezzanine and private equity investments.  With the addition of Steve, David, Dan and Greg to our existing team, we believe the right people are in place and we look forward to partnering with companies in need of financing.”

Flyer joined Columbus Nova after serving as a Managing Director of Trimaran Capital Partners where he was responsible for sourcing, structuring, negotiating and managing private equity investments.  At Trimaran, Flyer was also responsible for the overall administration and operations of fund management. 

"I am pleased to join Columbus Nova at this important time in its development," Flyer said.  "Our broad mandate and flexible investment structure will be an advantage for us in this competitive marketplace, and I am confident that we will become a preferred partner to private equity sponsors, hedge fund managers and private and public companies.”

Benyaminy, Gaspar and Prata also join Columbus Nova from Trimaran Capital Partners where they focused on sourcing private equity investment opportunities, structuring acquisitions, performing business and industry due diligence, negotiating acquisition and financing documents and monitoring portfolio companies. 

New York, NY (March 13, 2007) – Columbus Nova, LLC today announced that it has completed the sale of one of its portfolio companies, Fremont, California-based Oryx Instruments, to Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. Oryx is a leading designer and manufacturer of electrostatic discharge (ESD) test and simulation equipment, servicing the semiconductor chip production market worldwide.

Oryx was purchased by Columbus Nova in 2002 and grew to become a leading provider of ESD test and simulation equipment.

Thermo Fisher Scientific, already considered the world leader in providing scientific solutions, and a market leader in ESD/EMC technology, will be consolidating Oryx into its existing business line. The consolidation will allow Thermo Fisher to expand its product, service and support offering while accelerating future product development, and maintaining its ability to provide the highest quality test systems to meet all industry standards.

“We have been fortunate to have watched Oryx Instruments grow and establish itself amongst the leaders in this field,” said Michael Sloan, chief operating officer at Columbus Nova. “As financial investors, we could not provide the level of attention required to further develop the business to improve on its dramatic organic growth of the past few years. As a large and successful operating company, Thermo Fisher Scientific’s leadership and management resources can be directed much better to grow the combined companies, and have the Oryx business line potential fully realized. We are very excited about the future of this business.”

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

About Columbus Nova
Founded in 2000, Columbus Nova is an investment management firm with over $1.75 billion of assets under management. The company has a broad investment mandate which allows Columbus Nova to invest across all levels of the capital structure, from senior secured debt to common equity. The company takes a value-oriented, long-term view to investing and seeks consistent returns with an emphasis on capital preservation. The company’s investment activities are conducted through three investment vehicles: Columbus Nova Credit Investment Managers, Columbus Nova Special Opportunities Fund, and Columbus Nova Real Estate Acquisitions Group.

Columbus Nova has offices in New York, Los Angeles and Charlotte, NC.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science, enabling our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. With an annual revenue rate of more than $9 billion, we employ 30,000 people and serve over 350,000 customers within pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well as environmental and industrial process control settings. Serving customers through two premier brands, Thermo Scientific and Fisher Scientific, we help solve analytical challenges from routine testing to complex research and discovery. Thermo Scientific offers customers a complete range of high-end analytical instruments as well as laboratory equipment, software, services, consumables and reagents to enable integrated laboratory workflow solutions. Fisher Scientific provides a complete portfolio of laboratory equipment, chemicals, supplies and services used in healthcare, scientific research, safety and education. Together, we offer the most convenient purchasing options to customers and continuously advance our technologies to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery, enhance value for customers and fuel growth for shareholders and employees alike. Visit www.thermofisher.com.