Laurence S. Levy, Chairman has served as Essex' Chairman of the Board since October 31, 2008. Mr. Levy was previously CEO of Hyde Park Acquisition Corp., a SPAC that acquired Essex Crane Rental Corp. on October 31, 2008. Mr. Levy has been the chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Rand Logistics, Inc. (originally known as Rand Acquisition Corporation), a company that provides bulk freight shipping services throughout the Great Lakes region, since its inception in June 2004. Mr. Levy serves as an officer or director of many companies in which Hyde Park Holdings, LLC or its affiliates invests including: Ozburn-Hessey Logistics LLC, a national logistics services company, of which Mr. Levy is a director; Derby Industries LLC, a sub-assembly business to the appliance, food and transportation industries, of which Mr. Levy is chairman; PFI Resource Management LP, an investor in the Private Funding Initiative program in the United Kingdom, of which Mr. Levy is general partner; Parking Company of America Airports LLC, an owner and operator of airport parking garages, of which Mr. Levy is a director; Regency Affiliates, Inc., a diversified publicly listed company, of which Mr. Levy is chairman, chief executive officer and president; and Warehouse Associates L.P., a provider of warehouse and logistics services, of which Mr. Levy is chairman. Mr. Levy received a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Bachelor of Accountancy degree from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa and an M.B.A. from Harvard University and graduated as a Baker Scholar. He is also qualified as a Chartered Accountant (South Africa).
Edward Levy has been the president of Rand Logistics since June 2006. From its inception in June 2004 to June 2006, Mr. Levy acted as special advisor to Rand Logistics. Mr. Levy was a managing director of CIBC World Markets Corp. from August 1995 through December 2004, and was co-head of CIBC World Markets Corp.'s Leveraged Finance Group from June 2001 until December 2004. From February 1990 to August 1995, Mr. Levy was a managing director of Argosy Group L.P., a private investment banking firm. Since June 1998, Mr. Levy has been a member of the board of managers of Norcross Safety Products LLC, a reporting company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, engaged in the design, manufacture and marketing of branded products in the fragmented personal protection equipment industry. Mr. Levy is also a director of Derby Industries. From July 1999 until March 2005, he was also a director of Booth Creek Ski Holdings, Inc., a reporting company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that owns and operates six ski resort complexes encompassing nine separate resorts. Mr. Levy is a member of the board of directors of a number of privately-held companies. Mr. Levy received a B.A. from Connecticut College. Mr. Levy is not related to Laurence S. Levy.
Daniel Blumenthal is a Founder and Managing Partner of Blue River Partners, a private equity firm based in Chicago, which was founded in 2007. Prior to forming Blue River Partners, he was a Founder and Managing Partner of Willis Stein & Partners, a private equity firm founded in 1995, where he served on the Boards of Directors of National Veterinary Associates, Inc., Paradigm Health, Inc., Interval International Corp., Baker & Taylor Corp., Roll Coater, Inc., Strategic Materials, Inc., Aavid Thermal Technologies, Inc. and Neoplan USA Corp. Prior to the formation of Willis Stein & Partners, he was Vice President of Continental Illinois Venture Corporation from 1993 to 1995 and a corporate tax attorney with Latham & Watkins from 1988 to 1993. Blumenthal received his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School and B.A. in Economics and History, summa cum laude, from Brandeis University.
Ronald Schad has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Essex since 2000. Prior to joining Essex, Mr. Schad spent over 15 years with Manitowoc Crane Group and was most recently its Executive Vice President and General Manager, where he was responsible for over $350 million in sales. Prior to that position, Mr. Schad held various service and sales related positions with Manitowoc. Mr. Schad also held engineering and management positions with responsibility for nuclear device handling cranes at Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Co., the prime contractor for the Nevada Test Site. Mr. Schad graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BS in Engineering.
Mr. Nestor is the Chief Executive Officer, Senior Managing Director, and President of Kirtland Capital Partners, a private investment firm he joined in 1986. Kirtland Capital Partners acquired Essex Crane Rental Corp. ("Essex Crane") in 2000 and operated the Company prior to its acquisition by Hyde Park Acquisition Corp. in October 2008. Under Kirtland's ownership, Mr. Nestor served as Chairman of the Board and played an integral role in assembling the Company's current executive management team. Mr. Nestor is a director of PVC Container Corporation as well as the Chairman of SmartSource Computer and Audio Visual Rentals. He serves as trustee of the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation and the Saint Ignatius High School Board of Regents. Mr. Nestor is also a member of the advisory boards of Gordon Square Arts District and the Ohio Venture Capital Authority, and is the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Cleveland Foodbank. Mr. Nestor earned a Bachelors degree from Georgetown University, an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, and a MA in Urban Studies from Loyola University of Chicago.
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