FON Corporate Finance advises Highlight Technologies in its conversion to an Employee-Owned Company
Arlington, VA., April 19, 2021 – FON Corporate Finance, LLC (FON CF) announced today that it acted as the exclusive advisor to Highlight Technologies Inc. in the sale of its stock to a newly formed Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). This follows the vision of its founder and CEO, Rebecca Andino, in continuing to support an entrepreneurial workplace culture for talented and hard-working individuals. Ms. Andino, who remains the CEO, made the announcement during a recent company town hall meeting. Managing Director Cameron Hamilton served as lead investment banker.
Highlight’s ESOP will benefit not only managers and executives; but will also provide significant long-term benefits to its nearly 1,000 employees through employer-only contributions. “Being an employee-owned company helps us differentiate as an employer of choice for top talent. There aren’t many other government contracting firms that automatically give employees ownership in the company, and fewer of them are on rapid growth trajectories like Highlight,” said Highlight COO Adam McNair. “Our customers will receive the support of a team of employee-owners who each have a personal stake in customer satisfaction, innovation, and long-term mission success,” he added.
Ms. Andino noted that “The FON team guided us through the entire process, which first involved analyzing our business and helping us make the decision to convert to an ESOP. They connected us with the different parties, helped us plan and budget, helped us with decision making at every fork in the road, and negotiated on our behalf. Their tools and support team took a lot of the burden off our team so we could continue to focus on our day-to-day work. FON helped us achieve the best value for each stakeholder, and I am very appreciative for their partnership.”
Bean Kinney & Korman, PC (www.beankinney.com) provided legal counsel to the Company and the ESOP was financed by JPMorgan Chase (www.jpmorganchase.com) with Argent Financial (www.argentfinancial.com) acting as the Trustee.
Contact information is as follows:
Jason R. Frank
Chief Executive Officer
FON Corporate Finance, LLC
Phone: 312-481-6557
Mobile: 312-636-0674
jfrank@foncf.com
Cameron Hamilton
Managing Director
FON Corporate Finance, LLC
Phone: 703-214-7009
Mobile: 703-795-8095
chamilton@foncf.com
ABOUT US: FON Corporate Finance is a middle-market investment bank providing objective strategic and financial advice to its broad array of clients. We specialize in providing M&A advice, private capital raising, and other financial advisory services to family-owned businesses, divisions of large corporate parents, and portfolio companies of private equity firms focused on the ADG industry. Our services are built on comprehensive industry knowledge, extensive transaction experience, senior-level attention to every client engagement, and a real-time understanding of industry-specific value drivers.
FON Corporate Finance, LLC is a SEC-registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. The information contained in this communication is not intended to be construed as an offer, solicitation, or a recommendation to purchase any security. Investment banking products and services within the United States are offered exclusively through FON Corporate Finance, LLC. For more information, visit https://fonadvisors.com/services/investment-banking/.