Brown Gibbons Lang & Company & Global M&A’s 2005 M&A Advisory Wins for International/Cross-Border Deal of the Year

Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL), Global M&A’s U.S. partner, is proud to announce that The M&A Advisor, a leading publication dedicated to middle market merger and acquisition activity, has selected its 2005 mergers & acquisitions advisory of Castle Harlan, Inc.’s (Castle Harlan) acquisition of The Polypipe Building Products Ltd. (Polypipe) from IMI plc for its International/Cross-Border Deal of the Year award. Global M&A was also honored with an unprecedented distinction as Investment Bank of the Year. As a partnership of independent investment banking firms representing 30 countries, Global M&A provides its clients with unparalleled access to the world market. The announcements were made December 5, 2005 in New York City.

BGL, together with its U.K. Global M&A partner, Livingstone Guarantee (LG), acted as exclusive financial advisors to Castle Harlan in its acquisition of Polypipe in September 2005 for a purchase price of $527 million. “This award provides further affirmation that our unique middle market cross-border capability has become an essential resource for sophisticated buyers and sellers around the world,” said David Sulaski, transaction co-manager and head of BGL’s private equity group.

This marks the third consecutive year that BGL has been honored. In 2003, Michael Gibbons and Scott Lang were named Middle Market Deal Makers of the Year and in 2004, the recapitalization of Corrpro Companies Inc. by Wingate Partners was selected as the Turnaround Deal of the Year.

With over $10 billion worth of transactions completed in 2005, the Global M&A partnership has become the world leader in providing cross-border M&A advisory solutions to the middle market. “I could not be more thrilled for our Global M&A partnership,” said Michael Gibbons, senior managing director and chairman of BGL and Global M&A. “We competed with an impressive group of our investment banking peers and came out on top. Being named Investment Bank of the Year is a true testament to Global M&A’s impact on the global middle market.”

About Brown Gibbons Lang and Company

Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) is a leading independent investment bank serving middle market companies and their owners throughout the U.S. and internationally. BGL’s professionals are experts in mergers & acquisitions, debt & equity placements, and financial restructurings. BGL is the U.S. partner in Global M&A, the world’s leading partnership of top-tier independent financial advisory firms focusing on mid-market cross-border transactions. For more information, please visit www.bglco.com.