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Huron Engineering Investment Acquires Key Strategic Partner

DETROIT -- Detroit-based Huron Capital Partners LLC announced that its portfolio company, Baltimore, Md.-based Hughes Associates Inc., has acquired Edan Engineering Corp., a provider of electrical engineering services to the nuclear power and military markets.

Vancouver, Wash.-based Edan specializes in electrical systems analysis, evaluation, testing and research in critical  snfrastructure environments such as nuclear power facilities and military bases.

Prior to the acquisition, Edan had been a key strategic partner to Hughes, providing support for Hughes' Kleinsorg Group Risk Services division in the area of safe-shutdown analysis for nuclear power plants.

The transaction brings Edan and Kleinsorg together and expands Hughes' capabilities in fire protection in the nuclear power market.

Liz Kleinsorg, Managing Director of Hughes' Kleinsorg division, said: "The combination of Edan with Kleinsorg brings together two leaders in the nuclear fire protection market, and provides us with additional capabilities to continue our growth."

Phil DiNenno, CEO of Hughes, added, "We believe that Edan will be the first of several strategic acquisitions that we will pursue in partnership with Huron, and we are grateful for their role in helping us execute on this growth initiative."

Huron originally invested in Hughes in May 2011, and was attracted to Hughes' market leading position in the fire protection engineering market and ability to serve as a platform for growth.

"When we invested in Hughes, our plan was to build the business partly through strategic acquisitions," said Huron partner Peter Mogk. "We are pleased that within six months of our initial investment we have started to deliver on that plan through the Edan acquisition.  We look forward to pursuing additional opportunities with Phil DiNenno and the rest of the Hughes management team."

Huron is a private equity firm investing in lower middle-market companies. The firm typically invests up to $70 million to sponsor buyouts, growth initiatives, corporate spin-offs and recapitalizations of niche manufacturing, specialty service, and value-added distribution companies having revenues up to $300 million. Huron seeks opportunities where it can help companies reach their full potential by combining its operational approach, capital and transaction experience with proven operating executives who have the vision, experience and commitment to grow their businesses.

Since its founding in 1999, Huron has acquired or invested in 54 companies with aggregate revenues approaching $1 billion. Investments have been made in the United States and Canada in a variety of areas, including print solutions and document management, education, health care products and services, specialty chemicals, specialty packaging, consumer products, home décor, food products, engineering services, office furniture components, and laboratory testing. Huron Capital currently manages over $600 million in committed equity through three private equity funds, and has offices based in Detroit and Toronto.

More at www.huroncapital.com.

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