Topteam Capital Partners - About Us
Topteam Capital Partners: About Us - Company Profile / Our Brand / History in Building Brands
Topteam Management (Pty) Ltd est. 1971 (“TT”) is a Private Capital Investment Firm with Merchant Bank Capabilities serving Local and International Corporate and Private Clients in the areas of New Investments, Market Positioning and Business Expansion.
TT focuses on corporate-finance services involving acquisitions and recapitalizations of privately-owned (“middle-market”) companies as well as divisions of publicly-traded companies with typical annual sales revenues in the $5 million - $50 million range with a proprietary or branded product or service, a defensible market position, and attractive growth potential.
Acquisitions, Divestitures and Recapitalizations:
Together with its American Partners, Tenday & Company LLC. (”TAC”), TT offers a full range of merger, acquisition, divestiture, financing and recapitalization advisory services; i.e., from corporate strategic-planning consulting, to partner and opportunity search, deal analysis, structuring, negotiation and closing assistance. In this respect, TT maintains an extensive international network of contacts with business owners, senior executives, strategic buyers, private-equity investment groups and financing sources to respond quickly to its clients' needs.
In its “investment-banker” capacity, TT works with private companies and divisions of publicly-traded corporations on an exclusive-engagement basis. Specific services TT offers include in-depth assessment of the operation covering industry, competitive and financial analyses; business valuation; preparation of the necessary private-placement or offering memorandum books; qualification of potential buyers or investors; transaction structuring and financing assistance.
Equity Investments:
In its “merchant-banker” capacity, TT acts through its affiliated investment-firm “Tjololo Investments (Pty) Ltd” (“TI”) to purchase for its own account or alongside its client-buyers and/ or outside investors. Situations in which TT and TI participate and invest their own funds include outright business acquisitions, majority-equity investments, recapitalizations, management-buyouts (“MBO”), and employee stock ownership program buyouts (“ESOP”).
Businesses that TT invests in include branded consumer goods, hospitality, medical tourism, manufacturing, specialty distribution, IT and real-estate firms. Such businesses will typically have annual sales revenues exceeding $5 million (or a plan to get to this level quickly) with expected earnings before interest and taxes (“EBIT”) over $1,000,000; a defensible market position and a credible management team in place.
The quality of the management team is of paramount importance in TT's and TI's investment decisions. Where needed, TT and TI will assist in the recruitment to complement the management team. Following the transaction's closing, TT and TI typically limit their role at the board-of-directors level by providing strategic (i.e., business growth) and financial- management.
Company History in Building Brands:
Topteam was originally established by Geraldine Pickel in 1971, when she initiated the Television Production Industry in the Cape, and was responsible for many years of successful commercial production for Europe and the U.K.
Topteam is also largely credited for encouraging the European film industry to use Cape Town as a film venue, which has today turned this city into a world class film mecca. As far back as the early 80's Cape Town was already recognized as “Little Hollywood” and since then it has become a number one venue on the film makers map and today it forms a large currency contributor to our economy.
Topteam's involvement in the production of more than 400 commercials for international television saw productions like Coca Cola, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Kodak, Konica, Wrigleys, Ola, Mentadent, Toshiba, Bahlsen, Hanuta Mon Cherrie, Maria Cron, Perlant, Pur, Omo and many more successful productions.
Topteam has also successfully promoted, produced and directed national campaigns for General Motors, Orbit/Mercedes Benz, Nederberg, SANS, Trevira Cottonmark Calibri to name but a few - as well as representing Kemps. UK in South Africa and Red Box. Germany and as a consultant for the Department of Tourism and Foreign Affairs in promoting South Africa overseas.
Geraldine retired to Greyton in '93 and in '98 teamed up with Peter Legg and re-positioned Topteam as a Private Capital Investment Firm serving local and international corporate clients in the areas of new investment, business expansion and market positioning.
Peter Legg started his career with the Bank of England emigrated to South Africa in 1968. His experience consists of a 20 year career in the Furniture, Veneer and Plywood Industries. Senior Management position with Anglo American and General Management roles with The Plate Glass Group of Companies. Laterly as the owner and Managing Director of one of South Africa's largest Plywood and Door Manufacturing Companies.
He farmed with apples, peaches and Wine Grapes in Villiersdorp for 11 years
before settling in Greyton.
Topteam's Overberg Offices centered in Greyton were responsible for establishing Greyton as SA premier investment destination in 2003 (Nationale Pers). Topteam’s West Coast offices are a busy establishing the “Coast of Dreams™” (www.ionthewestcoast.com) as one of South Africa’s premier destinations.
Topteam's Internet marketing division - ION ™ - has created and produced its own 9 Company and Destination Websites under the ION Brand, already attracting over 400 000 visitors per month. In addition it has created over 40 additional websites for clients together with a range of Television national and local printed media advertisements,
brochures and newspapers.
To further improve its ION marketing division - Topteam has forged a strategic alliance with Osmosis - Advertising Agency. MD Leon Orsmond has recently completed 2 ½ years in Dubai where he managed creative marketing direction and strategy for the following significant brands including:
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Jumierah International Hand-Picked Resorts
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Emirates Airlines
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American Express
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DHL
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Jaguar
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Landrover
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Volvo
A further 1 year in Nigeria where he similarly directed the creative strategy
campaign of the following:
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Samsung
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LG
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Ssang Yong
