GulfStar Group Wins Energy Deal of the Year

HOUSTON, November 24, 2014 - The M&A Advisor announced GulfStar Group ("GulfStar") as a winner of the 13th Annual M&A Advisor Awards for Energy Deal of the Year (Over $100MM) for the acquisition of TCSafety, Inc. and TCConsulting, Inc. and EnerSafe, LLC by Hammond, Kennedy, Whitney & Company, Inc., led by Managing Directors Kent Kahle and Colt Luedde. GulfStar was also nominated as a finalist for the M&A Deal of the Year ($100MM to $250MM) and Corporate/Strategic Deal of the Year ($50MM to $100MM).

Professional services firms also recognized for their exemplary work during this transaction include Katz, Sapper & Miller, Locke Lord, Risk Strategies Company, and Taft Stettinium & Hollister LLP.

"Since 2002, we have been honoring the leading M&A transactions, companies and dealmakers. GulfStar was chosen from over 600 participating companies to receive the award. It gives us great pleasure to recognize GulfStar and bestow upon them our highest honor for M&A firms and professionals," said David Fergusson, Co-CEO and President, The M&A Advisor. "GulfStar represents the best of the M&A industry in 2014 and earned these honors by standing out in a group of very impressive candidates."

The winners were announced at the 2014 M&A Advisor Awards Gala at the New York Athletic Club. The Gala is the premier celebration of the year for the industry's leading M&A Dealmakers and is held in conjunction with the 2014 M&A Advisor Summit that featured over 500 of the industry's most active dealmakers and other key market experts.

The M&A Advisor
Since 1998, The M&A Advisor has been presenting, recognizing the achievement of and facilitating connections between the world's leading mergers and acquisitions, financing and turnaround professionals with a comprehensive range of services including M&A SUMMITS; M&A AWARDS; M&A CONNECTS™; M&A ALERTS™, M&A LINKS™ MandA.TV and M&A MARKET INTEL™. Visit www.maadvisor.com to learn more.

About GulfStar Group
GulfStar is a leading middle market investment bank headquartered in Houston. GulfStar specializes in providing merger and acquisition advisory services, institutional private placements of equity and debt, and general corporate finance advisory services to companies with revenues or enterprise values generally ranging from $25 million to $350 million. Since its formation in 1990, GulfStar has completed approximately 600 transactions in 32 states and 10 foreign countries across a variety of industries.

Securities offered through GulfStar Group I, Ltd. an affiliated entity, member FINRA – SIPC.