Leeds Equity Partners, LLC, the New York-based private equity fund focused exclusively on investing in the Knowledge Industries, announced today that it has invested in Simplify Compliance Holdings, LLC. Simplify Compliance is a newly formed entity exclusively focused on the information and compliance solutions sector. Leeds Equity created this new entity through simultaneous negotiations and a merger of four market-leading companies: BLR (formerly Business and Legal Resources), and three portfolio companies owned by UCG; DecisionHealth, Argosy and CCMI. This strategic combination creates a leading provider of mission critical information, workflow solutions and services to the highly complex end markets of healthcare, human capital management, financial services, and telecommunications. Simplify Compliance will be led by Dan Oswald, the current CEO of BLR, and headquartered in Brentwood, TN.
JEGI, the leading independent investment bank for the global media, information, marketing, software and tech-enabled services sectors, headquartered in New York, NY, represented BLR and UCG in this transaction.
“We are excited to join the Leeds Equity team. Leeds Equity’s track record of providing support to leading businesses in the Knowledge Industries is unmatched, and we view our partnership with Leeds as a strategic asset of the Company. We chose to work with Leeds Equity because of the depth of their experience and expertise, and we are confident that their resources will enable Simplify Compliance to continue its successful expansion through new growth initiatives,” said Dan Oswald. “Importantly, our customers will benefit from continued investments in our core solutions and our tireless dedication to providing critical training, workflow solutions, data and intelligence.”
“Dan and his team, through this combination, have created a special business,” said Scott VanHoy, Managing Director of Leeds Equity Partners. “The Company operates a differentiated, scalable platform that enables its customers and clients to operate effectively in the complex and fast-changing environments in which they participate. We are excited to help the company continue to grow organically and through acquisitions.”
“We are gratified by the confidence that Dan and his team have placed in us. We view our role as providing not only capital, but also support in every possible sense of the word. An important element of all of our partnerships is shared passion with management for driving innovative products and services that anticipate challenges and opportunities that the global knowledge economy presents,” said Christopher Mairs, Principal of Leeds Equity Partners.
Simplify Compliance represents the first investment for Leeds Equity Partners VI and will be a buy-and-build platform with an exclusive focus on the governance, risk and compliance market. Covington & Burling served as legal counsel to Leeds Equity Partners. BLR and UCG were advised by JEGI, an independent investment bank for the global media, information, marketing, software and tech-enabled services sectors. Finn Dixon and Sherrard, Roe, Voigt, Harbison served as legal counsel to BLR and UCG.
About Simplify Compliance
Simplify Compliance is a leading governance, risk and compliance company focused on providing must-have information to healthcare, human capital management, financial services and telecom professionals.
Simplify Compliance was formed by Leeds Equity with the simultaneous combination of Fortis Business Media, LLC (“BLR”), and three portfolio companies of UCG; DecisionHealth, LLC, Argosy Group, LLC, and Center for Communications Management Information, LLC.
The healthcare segment provides subscription information services, training, and workflow solutions to assist the regulatory and revenue cycle management of healthcare providers across the continuum of care. The human capital management segment provides training, information services, and compliance solutions to HR, compliance, environmental and safety focused departments within organizations. Additionally, the Company provides news, information and networking solutions to the financial services industry through its Argosy segment, as well as critical data and workflow solutions to the telecommunications industry through its CCMI segment.
About Leeds Equity Partners
Leeds Equity Partners, LLC, is a New York-based private equity firm focused exclusively on investing in the education, training and information services industries (the “Knowledge Industries”). The firm was founded by Jeffrey T. Leeds and Robert A. Bernstein in 1993 and has raised and managed more than $1.5 billion of capital across six funds.
The Board of Advisors of Leeds Equity Partners includes: Timothy P. Shriver, Chairman of the Board of the Special Olympic; Gaston Caperton, a former President of the College Board and a former two-term Governor of West Virginia; Tim J. Fitzpatrick, a former CEO of Sallie Mae Corporation; Thomas F. (“Mack”) McLarty III, President of McLarty Associates and former White House Chief of Staff under President William J. Clinton; Dr. Barry A. Munitz, former Chancellor of the California State University school system and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust; Richard W. Riley, former Secretary of Education under President William J. Clinton and two-term Governor of South Carolina; and Alec Ross, former Senior Advisor for Innovation to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. For more information, visit www.leedsequity.com.
About JEGI
JEGI has been the leading independent investment bank for the global media, information, marketing, software and tech-enabled services sectors for nearly 30 years. Headquartered in North America, with offices in New York City and Boston, and London and Sydney (through its partnership with Clarity), JEGI has completed more than 600 high‐profile M&A transactions, serving global corporations; middle‐market and emerging companies; entrepreneurial owners and founders; and private equity and venture capital firms. For more information, visit www.jegi.com.
