Goldsmith Agio Helms Completes the Sale of Cottman Transmission Holdings, LLC

NEW YORK--April 19, 2004--Goldsmith Agio Helms announced today the sale of Cottman Transmission Holdings, LLC, the second-largest national franchisor of transmission repair shops and a portfolio company of Sentinel Capital Partners, a New York based private equity group. Cottman was acquired by American Capital Strategies, Ltd. , a Bethesda, Maryland based buyout and mezzanine fund.

Goldsmith Agio Helms represented Sentinel Capital Partners (www.sentinelpartners.com) in the sale of Cottman, which has been one of its most successful investments. Sentinel is well-known for its multi-unit retail and consumer product investments, including Buffets, Inc., Falcon Holdings, LLC, Growing Family, Inc., NorSun Food Group, L.L.C., and Spinrite Inc. David Lobel, Sentinel's founder and managing partner, said, "The management of Cottman under Todd Leff has done an outstanding job, and we are pleased to see them move forward with a team as strong and professional as our friends at American Capital. We also wish them all the very best of luck."

David Solomon, a managing director and partner with Goldsmith Agio Helms and head of the firm's Specialty Retail Group, commented, "This transaction is a significant milestone in the evolution of the fragmented transmission repair market. Cottman is the clear leader as the consolidator in this market, taking share from the independent shops."

American Capital (www.americancapital.com) is a publicly traded buyout and mezzanine fund with capital resources in excess of $2.7 billion. American Capital is an investor in and sponsor of management and employee buyouts; invests in private equity sponsored buyouts, and provides capital directly to private and small public companies. American Capital provides senior debt, mezzanine debt and equity to fund growth, acquisitions and recapitalizations.

Brian Graff, who led the American Capital team, stated, "Cottman is led by an outstanding management team. They have proven their ability to execute a very successful concept, and have established a leading market position. Now, there is a substantial growth opportunity to continue consolidating this fragmented market."

Cottman Transmission Holdings, LLC (www.cottman.com) operates Cottman Transmission Systems. Cottman is a 40-year old transmission repair franchisor with 389 stores in North America. It is the fastest growing specialty transmission repair chain, with revenue growth exceeding 15% on a compound annual basis. The Cottman store model has proven to be highly profitable and has provided a strong return on investment for the franchisee, which drives system growth. Cottman's Chief Executive Officer, Todd Leff, stated "Under Sentinel's ownership and guidance, we evolved from an entrepreneurial business to a sophisticated management team, grew our store base by 46%, and established strong brand recognition. The next five years will be very exciting as we drive even more rapid growth and operational refinement of the Cottman system. I couldn't ask for a better partner than American Capital to achieve our goals."

Goldsmith Agio Helms (www.agio.com) is one of the nation's leading private investment banking firms providing financial advisory services to middle-market businesses. Our services include mergers and acquisitions, distressed advisory and restructuring, valuations and fairness opinions, and private placements of debt and equity. We operate internationally from our offices in Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Naples, Florida and London, England. The Cottman transaction continues the momentum of Goldsmith Agio Helms' Specialty Retail Group, which recently closed the sale of Heartland Automotive Services, the largest Jiffy Lube franchisee in the U.S.