Founders Investment Banking Announces Strategic Sale of Student Life
BIRMINGHAM, AL, August 30, 2012 – Founders Investment Banking, LLC (Founders) is pleased to announce the acquisition of Student Life, LLC by LifeWay Christian Resources (LifeWay), a non-profit agency of the Southern Baptist Convention. The combined venture creates one of the most significant youth event ministries in America.
Student Life, based in Birmingham, Ala., has provided Christian summer camps, conferences and information for children and youth across the U.S. since 1993. The organization provides ministries with Gospel-centered, Bible-based experiences that transform youth and kids into devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
LifeWay Christian Resources was established in Nashville, Tenn., in 1891, and is one of the world’s largest providers of Christian products and services, including Bibles, church literature, books, music, audio and video recordings, church supplies and Internet services through LifeWay.com. The company also owns and operates 160 LifeWay Christian Stores across the nation, as well as two of the largest Christian conference centers in the country.
Founders acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Student Life shareholders in the transaction with LifeWay. “The combination of Student Life and LifeWay is a joining of two companies with a shared vision of providing high-quality, mission-driven camp experiences for children and youth. Student Life will benefit from LifeWay’s scale and depth, while LifeWay will have the opportunity to leverage the strong foundation the Student Life team has created,” said Duane Donner, Founders’ managing partner.
“The Founders team did a great job of facilitating the transaction and honoring both buyer and seller throughout the process, ” stated Tim Vineyard, CIO at LifeWay. “We could not be more pleased with the outcome and we look forward to what the future holds.”
Combined, LifeWay and Student Life minister to more than 130,000 teens each year as two of the largest providers of Christian student conferences. Student Life President Roger Davis said Student Life “has been faithfully serving churches for nearly 20 years by creating events and experiences for people to have an authentic interaction with God. This new season of ministry for us is exciting as being a part of the LifeWay family will allow us to continue to serve the churches we have served and also partner with new youth ministers throughout the country as we all work together to raise a generation of devoted Christ-followers.”
About Student Life, LLC
Student Life is an inter-denominational ministry that exists to help people know Christ through His Word. It accomplishes this by offering Gospel-centered, high energy summer camps and youth conferences that explore the Bible and life with Jesus Christ. The staff places incredible value on the Bible, prayer and partnering with the Church so that teens and kids might be transformed into devoted followers of Jesus.
About LifeWay Christian Resources
LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, established in Nashville, Tenn., in 1891, is one of the world’s largest providers of Christian products and services, including Bibles, church literature, books, music, audio and video recordings, church supplies and Internet services through LifeWay.com. The company also owns and operates 160 LifeWay Christian Stores across the nation, as well as two of the largest Christian conference centers in the country.
About Founders Investment Banking, LLC
Founders Investment Banking is a merger and acquisition advisory firm based in Birmingham, Alabama. Its team’s proven expertise and process-based solutions help companies and business owners access capital and prepare for and execute liquidity events to achieve specific financial goals. The firm’s practice areas include a General Transaction Practice focused on clients from a variety of industries located in the Deep South, and an Internet & Digital Media Practice that serves clients operating nationwide in the Internet and digital media sector. In order to provide securities-related services, certain principals of Founders are licensed with Burch & Company, Inc., a registered broker-dealer. Burch and Founders are unaffiliated entities. For more information, visit www.foundersib.com