Clark Metals Company was a leading international distributor of non-ferrous metal products to commercial markets throughout the United States and Pacific Rim countries.

The Company was founded in 1969 by Mr. John W. Clark, after an impressive early career with Alco-U.S. and Alco-Australia. With his strong knowledge of the domestic and Asian, Mr. Clark was able to develop and continually refine the Company's product mix to profitably meet the needs of its large customer base. Mr. Clark believed in the importance of an overriding commitment toward building long-term relationships between the Company and its suppliers, customers and employees.

During the three years leading up to its sale, Clark Metals had grown at a compound annual rate of approximately 32 percent, reaching annual revenues in excess of $40 million and it was projecting near-term revenues of $70 million.
After having spent 27 years successfully building the Company into a leading industry player, Mr. Clark decided it was time to achieve liquidity from his investment and to pursue other areas of personal interest.

Mr. Clark had developed several objectives that he wanted to achieve in the sale of the Company, including:

a) be acquired by a financially sound organization with a strong interest in further expanding the business and continuing to serve its customers well;
b) receive premium value for his investment in the Company; and
c) provide for an orderly ownership transition.
Given the emphasis Mr. Clark placed on achieving his transaction objectives, Mr. Clark was referred to BCC Capital Partners by his audit and tax advisors from Deloitte & Touche.

BCC conducted a well planned and organized sale process, leading to a highly competitive auction involving six qualified buyers. These six buyers were selected from over twenty well-capitalized and capable strategic buyers identified, many of whom were international companies.

Mr. Clark selected Thyssen Inc., a subsidiary of Thyssen Aktiengesellschaft of Germany - the world's largest steel products company - as the successful bidder. As a result of the competitive process initiated and managed by BCC, Mr. Clark sold his Company at an EBITDA multiply that was nearly twice that of the prevailing market multiples at the time of the sale, setting a pricing ceiling for multiples in the metal products industry at that time.