11 Aug 2010
Forward Industries and LaGrange Capital Partners announced today that LaGrange founder and general partner Frank LaGrange “Grange” Johnson will assume the role of Chairman of the Board of Forward Industries, a technology solutions provider that designs, markets and distributes carrying cases and accessories for the handheld consumer electronics and medical device industries. Additionally, Brett M. Johnson will take over as CEO.
Doug Sabra made the announcement that he is immediately stepping down as Acting Chairman and CEO. In addition, Owen King and Stephen Key are joining the Board of Directors, replacing Bruce Galloway and Michael Schiffman. Schiffman has agreed to serve as an ongoing advisor to the Company.
The company has also repealed all corporate actions taken on June 9th, 2010, including the adoption of the Shareholder Protection Rights Agreement and certain amendments to the Company’s Bylaws.
LaGrange, the largest shareholder of Forward with 26.40% of the shares outstanding, is pleased with the positive changes and believes the new management team can create shareholder value.
Brett M. Johnson is the founder of Benevolent Capital Partners, a diversified investment company whose investments include Yak Pak and Terracycle. Prior to founding BCP, Mr. Johnson was the President of Targus Group International, a global supplier of notebook carrying cases and accessories, from 2001 to 2004, during which time he led a comprehensive restructuring of the business and grew EBITDA from a loss of $2m in 2000 to a profit of $42m in 2004. Prior to that he was managing director of Targus, EMEA and APAC regions where he increased sales from $25m to $125m and opened 18 international offices.
Stephen Key heads up Key Consulting, a financial consulting firm, and serves on the board of directors for a number of companies and organizations. He was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Textron and ConAgra, Inc. Key also worked for Ernst and Young for 24 years and was managing partner of their New York office.
Owen King is the founder and CEO of Stonehurst Management, an SEC-registered investment adviser founded in 2002. Prior to Stonehurst, King managed the global asset allocation program and served on the investment committee of one of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S. Previously, King was Senior Vice President of P.G. Corbin & Company where he advised many of the largest municipalities in the U.S. on their financing programs. He also worked as an investment banker for Prudential Securities.
Doug Sabra made the announcement that he is immediately stepping down as Acting Chairman and CEO. In addition, Owen King and Stephen Key are joining the Board of Directors, replacing Bruce Galloway and Michael Schiffman. Schiffman has agreed to serve as an ongoing advisor to the Company.
The company has also repealed all corporate actions taken on June 9th, 2010, including the adoption of the Shareholder Protection Rights Agreement and certain amendments to the Company’s Bylaws.
LaGrange, the largest shareholder of Forward with 26.40% of the shares outstanding, is pleased with the positive changes and believes the new management team can create shareholder value.
Grange Johnson wished Sabra and the outgoing board members well and thanked them for their years of dedicated service. “We are excited about the opportunity ahead of us and we appreciate the support of the Company going forward,” said Johnson.
“With this new leadership team, we are excited to grow Forward’s existing original equipment manufacturer business and to expand with new product channels and geographies,” said Brett M. Johnson. “We believe that these represent significant and exciting opportunities for the Company. Over the course of the next few years, we are looking to transform Forward into a leader in the technology accessories category.”
In a letter to the Company, Sabra noted that, “Brett M. Johnson brings an exceptional amount of industry experience and is the best possible person to execute the strategy recently adopted by the board.”
“You will have a terrific management team in place to lead the way and, with your support, the plan is a guaranteed winner,” Sabra added in the letter.
Brett M. Johnson is the founder of Benevolent Capital Partners, a diversified investment company whose investments include Yak Pak and Terracycle. Prior to founding BCP, Mr. Johnson was the President of Targus Group International, a global supplier of notebook carrying cases and accessories, from 2001 to 2004, during which time he led a comprehensive restructuring of the business and grew EBITDA from a loss of $2m in 2000 to a profit of $42m in 2004. Prior to that he was managing director of Targus, EMEA and APAC regions where he increased sales from $25m to $125m and opened 18 international offices.
Stephen Key heads up Key Consulting, a financial consulting firm, and serves on the board of directors for a number of companies and organizations. He was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Textron and ConAgra, Inc. Key also worked for Ernst and Young for 24 years and was managing partner of their New York office.
Owen King is the founder and CEO of Stonehurst Management, an SEC-registered investment adviser founded in 2002. Prior to Stonehurst, King managed the global asset allocation program and served on the investment committee of one of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S. Previously, King was Senior Vice President of P.G. Corbin & Company where he advised many of the largest municipalities in the U.S. on their financing programs. He also worked as an investment banker for Prudential Securities.
