January 18, 2026
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GE Antares was the administrative agent on a $138 million senior secured credit facility to support the recent acquisition by Irving Place Capital of Bendon, a provider of non-licensed and licensed children’s coloring and activity products, from The Wicks Group. GE Capital Markets served as joint lead arranger and joint bookrunner on this facility.
“GE Antares’ willingness to underwrite the full commitment and their large hold position made them an excellent financing partner on this transaction,” said John Howard, CEO of Irving Place Capital. “We continue to benefit from our relationships with the GE Antares team.”
Bendon is a designer and producer of children’s coloring and activity products. The existing product portfolio includes coloring and activity books, kits, sets and play packs, puzzle books, box puzzles, and other early childhood development games. By utilizing a licensed portfolio of the world’s most popular children’s characters and brands, Bendon sells more than 350 million units per year in more than 80,000 retail outlets in North America. The company was established in 2002 and is headquartered in Ashland, OH with five additional offices in the US (www.bendoninc.com).
“A proven market leader, Bendon is a welcome addition to the GE Antares portfolio,” said Gina Provenzale, senior vice president of GE Antares. “Bendon’s longstanding relationships with their customers and product innovation position them for continued growth, organically and through acquisitions. We look forward to supporting management and Irving Place on this investment.”
GE Antares is a unit of GE Capital and has offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, New York, and San Francisco. Specializing in the middle market, GE Antares is a “one-stop” source for GE’s lending and other services to middle market private equity sponsors (www.geantares.com).
Irving Place Capital invests in buyouts, recapitalizations and growth capital opportunities. The firm focuses on making control or entrepreneur-driven investments. Since its formation in 1997, Irving Place Capital has been an investor in 60 companies and manages over $4 billion, including its current $2.7 billion institutional fund. The firm is based in New York (www.irvingplacecapital.com).
© 2015 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 4-7-15
© 2015 Private Equity Professional | April 7, 2015
