March 12, 2018
Posted March 12, 2018 - Burkeville, VA
W.G. Nielsen & Co., an investment banking firm headquartered in Denver, CO, announced today that it acted as financial advisor to YakAttack, LLC and Bonafide, LLC in successfully negotiating senior secured debt facilities with Virginia based Village Bank. The financing will be used to launch the Bonafide Kayaks’ brand.
According to Luther Cifers, CEO, founder, and owner of both YakAttack, LLC and Bonafide, LLC, “W.G. Nielsen & Co. was exactly the right partner to help us acquire the funding needed to launch our new company, Bonafide, LLC. From the very first meeting, the guidance and expertise they provided was crucial to helping us make decisions that proved to be best for our company. With their help, we were able to find an ideal, local banking partner and were able to secure the resources we needed to satisfy our objectives, while retaining valuable equity in both companies. I’m not sure we would have been able to accomplish this without the hard work, diligent attention to detail, and experienced counsel provided by Tom, Richard, and the rest of this knowledgeable and dedicated team.”
About YakAttack, LLC
Based in Burkeville, VA and founded in a garage in 2009, YakAttack is among the most respected brands in the kayak fishing industry. The company specializes in kayak fishing accessories, and as kayak anglers that are tightly integrated into the kayak fishing community, the YakAttack team is acutely aware of needs of the sport, and consistently produces a customer experience that resonates with kayak anglers around the globe. As a result, they design problem solving solutions that are relevant, effective, and second to none in terms of quality and performance.
As a company, they put their values, their customers, product quality, and their Made in the USA commitment above all else, and it shows in everything they do.
About Bonafide, LLC
With manufacturing operations based in Greenville, SC, Bonafide’s motto is “Live the Story You Want to Tell”, and the Bonafide team believes that creating a reality they are proud to share is the most important element to running a business that always does the right thing, consistently develops products that benefit from scrutiny and review, and creates a brand that customers readily identify with and want to associate with. Founder, owner, and CEO Luther Cifers notes: "Our plans are big but our strategy is simple. We will do everything we can to produce the highest quality, most thoughtfully designed, and most carefully engineered fishing kayaks possible. We are committed to developing products that are unparalleled in our industry, creating manufacturing jobs in the USA, and providing our customers with excellent service and a user experience that is second to none.”
The company unveiled its first kayak at this summer at iCAST 2017, and began shipping its kayaks throughout North America in January, 2018. In spite of being new to the scene, the Bonafide brand is rapidly becoming recognized as a leader in the industry.
About Village Bank
Village Bank has been serving the Greater Richmond area since 1999 and currently operates ten branch locations. The bank is known for its exceptional customer service and its branch promise, “You’re a Neighbor, Not a Number”. In addition to providing personal and business deposit and lending solutions, the bank operates a full service residential mortgage division, Village Bank Mortgage.
About W.G. Nielsen and Company
W.G. Nielsen & Co. is a Rocky Mountain region based investment banking firm, specializing in mergers and acquisitions and innovative capital solutions. Founded in 1996, Denver-based W.G. Nielsen & Co. is the oldest independently owned investment banking firm in the region. The firm differentiates itself with a staff of senior investment bankers who have broad experience and important relationships in their areas of expertise. The firm’s bankers have collectively closed hundreds of transactions throughout the United States and internationally.
For more information about this transaction, please contact Richard Millett at 303.830.1515, or visit www.wgnielsen.com.
*Testimonials may not be representative of the experience of other customers nor are they a guarantee of future performance or success