Le Lézard
Subject: Merger/Acquisition

D.A. Davidson Serves as Exclusive Financial Advisor to Granite Seed, a Portfolio Company of Marwit Capital, in Its Sale to S&S Seeds, Inc.


D.A. Davidson & Co. announced that it served as financial advisor to Granite Seed, a portfolio company of Marwit Capital, a premier, one-stop provider of high quality native seed and erosion control products, in its sale to S&S Seeds, Inc. S&S is a market leader in native seed used for reclamation projects in California and the western United States.

Founded in 1988, Granite Seed is an industry leader in North America providing native seed and erosion control products, with a dominant market position across the Intermountain West. The company has transformed from being a pure distributor of third-party goods to a vertically integrated service provider with direct control over half of its supply. The company's expertise, facilities and superior inventory enable one-stop solutions for the largest and most complex land reclamation, restoration, turf, beautification, pasture and rangeland projects. Granite Seed was acquired in 2008 by Marwit Capital, and since that time has completed four acquisitions to grow its platform. The company's senior management team will remain with the combined entity in similar roles.

"The D.A. Davidson team was absolutely key in this entire transaction process," said Rob Wendell, CEO of Granite Seed. "Their knowledge and experience, along with their transaction expertise and overall commitment, resulted in us finding the optimal partner for our platform."

"Granite Seed is an incredible strategic fit with S&S and will expand the S&S presence into complementary geographies in a way that no other partner could. The combined capabilities of the two companies will create a strong market player in the native seed and erosion control industry," said Jeff Cleveland, Managing Director and Head of Food, Beverage and Agriculture Investment Banking at D.A. Davidson. "We enjoyed working with Rob and the rest of the Granite Seed team and look forward to what the combined entity will be able to achieve."

D.A. Davidson's investment banking division is a leading full-service investment bank that offers comprehensive financial advisory and capital markets expertise. The group has extensive transaction experience serving middle market clients worldwide across five industry verticals: consumer, diversified industrials, financial institutions, real estate and technology.

Together with its European strategic partner, MCF Corporate Finance, D.A. Davidson originates and executes transatlantic M&A transactions under the common brand of D.A. Davidson MCF International.

About D.A. Davidson Companies

D.A. Davidson Companies is an employee-owned financial services firm offering a range of financial services and advice to individuals, corporations, institutions and municipalities nationwide. Founded in 1935 and headquartered in Montana, with corporate offices in Denver, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle, the company has approximately 1,400 employees and offices in 26 states.

Subsidiaries include: D.A. Davidson & Co., the largest full-service investment firm headquartered in the Northwest, providing wealth management, investment banking, equity and fixed income capital markets services and advice; Davidson Investment Advisors, a professional asset management firm; D.A. Davidson Trust Company, a trust and wealth management company; and Davidson Fixed Income Management, a registered investment adviser providing fixed income portfolio and advisory services.

For information, visit dadavidson.com.



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