Birch Hill Equity Partners is pleased to announce an investment in RJ McCarthy LP

Toronto, August, 2008 − Birch Hill Equity Partners announces that is has made an investment in RJ McCarthy LP (“McCarthy’s”). This is the eleventh investment made through its $850 million fund, Birch Hill Equity Partners III, LP.

McCarthy’s has been manufacturing school uniforms and outfitting students for over half a century. Their innovative approach to the design and implementation of uniform programs has enabled schools throughout Canada to adopt a uniform look that reflects the pride that students, parents, and administrators feel about their school.

McCarthy’s has 14 showrooms across Ontario, and 1 in Vancouver, B.C. with plans to expand, as opportunities to growth present themselves. Each showroom, open year round, is conveniently located close to the specific school community it services, and each carries a full stock of all proximal schools’ specific embroidered inventory. These showrooms offer convenient one-stop shopping and personalized service from trained and friendly personnel.

State-of-the-art in-house embroidery and art services allow McCarthy’s to provide logo designs and embroidery for all uniform items. This minimizes the costs and turnaround times generally associated with out-sourcing, and more efficiently manages inventory levels as well as ensuring the highest level of quality.

“The industry has grown and is expected to continue to grow at more than 5% per year, as school uniforms improve campus safety and enhance educational outcomes for students” said Birch Hill partner John MacIntyre. “With a long track record of profitable organic and acquisitive growth, McCarthy’s is well positioned to continue to lead in this growing sector.”

Birch Hill Equity Partners invests in leading Canadian middle-market businesses. Birch Hill’s team has many years of experience working together as an active partner with top management teams in building long term value.

Contact:

Pierre Schuurmans
COO
Birch Hill Equity Partners Management Inc.
416-775-3830