Trive, Terra Mar invest in East West Copolymer

Trive Capital and TerraMar Capital invested in East West Copolymer, a supplier of synthetic rubber based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

PRESS RELEASE

Trive Capital (“Trive”), the Dallas based private equity firm, and Los Angeles based TerraMar Capital (“TerraMar”) have provided capital to and partnered with East West Copolymer (“East West” or the “Company”).  Headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, East West is a North American supplier of synthetic rubber to a broad base of customers across the industrial and tire markets.  We feel the investment in East West should position the Company to achieve meaningful growth and the goal is to position it for further expansion of production capabilities.

“Trive is excited to partner with East West Copolymer to fund what we see as the Company’s approaching period of accelerated growth. Founded over 70 years ago, in our assessment, East West has a unique market position in North America and a long history of providing high quality products to a diverse customer base.  We believe East West is at an operational and growth inflexion point – a period in its life cycle where Trive can be a value-added partner,” commented Conner Searcy, Managing Partner at Trive Capital.

“TerraMar is pleased to support the continued growth of East West and is excited to partner with the Company’s exceptional management team.  East West’s unique strategic positioning, differentiated manufacturing capabilities and customer-focused organization all cause us to expect a very bright future for the Company,” commented Joshua Phillips, Managing Partner at TerraMar Capital.

“We were impressed with Trive and TerraMar’s responsiveness in developing a customized solution that met our near and long term capital needs,” shared Greg Nelson, CEO of East West.  “Their ability to understand the fundamentals of our business and the dynamic industry that we compete in was extremely impressive and allowed for a very efficient transaction process.”
ABOUT EAST WEST COPOLYMER
East West Copolymer, LLC manufactures synthetic rubber. It offers styrene-butadiene rubber, which is a general purpose elastomer that is largely used in the tire industry, conveyor belting, and mechanical goods market; and NBR polymers that are used in various elastomeric applications, such as hoses, seals, footwear, and printing rolls. East West Copolymer, LLC was formerly known as Lion Copolymer LLC.  The company is based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

ABOUT TRIVE CAPITAL
Trive Capital is a Dallas, Texas-based private equity firm investing in equity and debt securities with approximately $900 million in capital under management. Trive focuses on investing in what we see as strategically viable middle-market companies with the potential for transformational upside through operational improvement. We seek to maximize total returns to our investors through a hands-on, collaborative partnership with management teams and equity partners.

ABOUT TERRAMAR CAPITAL
TerraMar Capital is an investment platform headquartered in Los Angeles, California and is focused on providing debt and equity capital to middle-market companies at an inflection point.  TerraMar’s ability to provide customized capital solutions for complex situations is a key differentiator in the markets it serves.