(Curitiba) May 6, 2010 – Ferrolease Participações S.A. (“Ferrolease” or the “Company”), an emerging company in the field of railroad equipment leasing, announced today the successful completion of its capitalization process through the issue of R$15 million (approximately US$8.2 million) in convertible debentures, subscribed by the private equity fund Jardim Botãnico VC I. The fund is managed by Jardiim Botânico Investimentos (“JBI”), an independent asset manager.
Ben Huber, one of Ferrolease´s founders and shareholder, stated that “JBVCI´s investment will catalyze our wish for expanding our operation in the industry of railroad equipment rental. The new financial resources will be employed in the acquisition of new wagons and more modern equipment to meet the demands of our clients. The Brazilian logistic infrastructure presents sizable challenges and opportunities, and Ferrolease is firmly positioned to support its clients with a business model that is both innovative and flexible”.
“Ferrolease exhibits great growth potential. The logistical chain is one of the main bottlenecks of the Brazilian economy and the evolution of the business model of railroad operators creates an interesting niche for companies like Ferrolease. The investment in the company constitutes an important step towards modernizing the railroad service offer, which will be vital for the whole transportation chain in Brazil”, said José Luiz Osorio, senior partner and founder of JBI.
About Ferrolease: Ferroleas se (www.ferrolease.com.br), a company domiciled d in Curitiba/PR, is a pioneer in railroad equipment leasing in Brazil, operating since 2002. Currently, it has a fleet of 176 wagons servicing clients throughout the country.
About Jardim Botânico Investimentos: JBI (www.jbinvest.com.br) is an independent asset management company headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Founded in 2003, JBI seeks high returns over the long term m through investments in listed and unlisted companies with excellent prospects based on fundamental analysis, and which excel in terms o of potential returns and corporate governance practices. Through JBVC I, JBI invests in emerging growth companies that present a combination of the following characteristics: (i) a scalable business model; (ii) the alignment of partners and executives with the fund’s objectives; and (iii) execution capacity, discipline and value accretion.