Central Valley Fund II Invests in LightRiver Technologies

Davis, CA — Central Valley Fund II (“CVF II”) announced today it has made an investment in LightRiver Technologies (“LightRiver” or “LRT”), a Concord-based multi-vendor network integrator and equipment reseller. CVF II is pleased to invest alongside North Carolina-based Plexus Capital (“Plexus”) and sponsor Muir Equity to complete the recapitalization of LRT and provide the resources for the company to grow into the future.

The investor group is backing the current management team and is committed to maintaining LRT’s unparalleled capabilities and service offerings while expanding the company’s reach and capacity.

LRT was founded in 1998 by current CEO Glenn Johansen and has evolved into a highly-trusted and uniquely capable network solutions provider for many large businesses, utilities, government agencies, and technology innovators.

“LightRiver grew out of the increasing need for companies to keep up with the fast pace of development in transport communication network technologies. With LRT we are able to offer a complete solution for clients that need highly-reliable networks and the best equipment and performance” said Glenn Johansen, CEO, and founder of LightRiver. “We are excited about this new stage of LRT’s progression that will allow us to continue to invest in our business and grow to meet the needs of our clients and the market.”

According to Ed McNulty, a partner at CVF, “We were greatly impressed with the unique position LightRiver has been able to establish for itself as an expert and trusted resource for companies upgrading and migrating their network systems. LightRiver’s strong growth is a testament to the management team, and we believe with this investment the company will continue to grow and capitalize on a favorable market outlook.” Plexus’ managing partner, Michael Painter, added “We have had the pleasure of getting to know Glenn and the LightRiver team over the last several months and are excited about partnering with them for the company’s next phase of growth. We look forward to supporting Glenn and his team in furthering the LRT success story.”

About LightRiver Technologies

LightRiver Technologies designs, engineers, and commissions next-generation solutions for clients that require the highest capacity, reliability, and resiliency that today’s communications technology can deliver. LightRiver is a proven leader in integrating multi-vendor, next-generation transport networks, and guides clients through the entire lifecycle of a network from strategy, design, and migration to management, support, and maintenance. For more information, please visit www.lightriver.com

Utility Telecom Completes Acquisition of The Telephone Connection

Central Valley Fund II Provides $6.75M in Debt and Equity Financing

Stockton, California – Dec. 22, 2015 – Utility Telecom (“Utility”), a leading Central Valley provider of business telecommunications, networking, communications, and technology solutions, has completed its acquisition of The Telephone Connection of Los Angeles (“TTC”). Central Valley Fund II (“CVF II”) provided $6.75M to help finance the TTC acquisition and provided additional growth capital. The deal significantly expands Stockton based Utility-based customer base in the Southern California market and gives it access to a new industry vertical through live assist paging and voicemail services, largely used by physicians.

“This expansion in Southern California makes Utility an even stronger communications partner for wholesale, enterprise, and government customers seeking high-reliability, high-bandwidth network solutions in California and Nevada,” said Jason Mills, CEO, and Founder of Utility. “Our acquisition of TTC adds a new dimension to Utility’s network and offering in Southern California. The utility will continue to invest in its network to strengthen our infrastructure, better serve the needs of customers, and increase our standing as a high-quality regional telecom network operator.”

According to José Blanco, a partner at CVF II, “Jason and his team have built Utility into a first-class regional player having bootstrapped the Company almost 20 years ago from providing local phone service into a full-service telecom service provider”. Blanco continued, “Telecom services for small businesses are very fragmented and rapidly evolving as customers are looking for more bandwidth and responsive service offerings. We believe the Utility team is well poised to capitalize on these opportunities”.

About Utility Telecom

Founded in Stockton, California in 1996, Utility is one of the largest regional providers of networking, communications, and technology solutions in the California Central Valley. The company provides critical data networking and unified communications to over 5,000 business customers in California and Nevada, including enterprise, government, and wholesale customers. The utility has implemented many fully redundant fiber rings, supplying its customers with lightning-fast Internet speeds on ADSL, Ethernet over Copper, and classic T1 service, linking their regional Points-of-Presence with the public Internet peering points.

The utility is committed to providing businesses with the connections and bandwidth they need to be up and running with the most cutting-edge technology and great customer service. For more information, please visit www.utilitytelephone.com.

About Central Valley Fund

The Central Valley Fund was established in 2005 to finance later-stage growth and buyout opportunities of small businesses through mezzanine debt and preferred equity investments with over $175 million in committed capital. The fund has two offices in California – Davis, and Fresno – to attend to small businesses seeking capital. It is focused on making investments in California’s Central Valley and throughout the Western United States. For more information, please visit www.cvfcapitalpartners.com

For more information contact:

José Blanco

Managing Partner

CVF Capital Partners, Inc.

1590 Drew Avenue, Suite 110

Davis, CA 95618

Tel: 530-757-7004 ext. 227

Fresno snack-maker P*DE*Q wins entrepreneurship competition

Flavia Takahashi-Flores and her Fresno snack company, P*DE*Q, won top honors from a panel of judges from the business and venture capital communities at the Valley Entrepreneur Showcase, a highlight of the Central Valley Venture Forum last week in Clovis.

P*DE*Q, which manufactures bite-sized, tapioca-based bread snacks inspired by Takahashi-Flores’ native Brazil, received the Best of Show award, besting four other entrepreneurs who made investment pitches to the judges. P*DE*Q is short for pão de queijo, the Portuguese name of the gluten-free cheese-bread snacks.

Takahashi-Flores launched P*DE*Q in early 2011 and quickly built a following among the region’s gluten-free community. The company has since introduced new flavors and new products, including frozen pre-baked and ready-to-bake snacks, pie crusts, and more.

The business opened a storefront and manufacturing space near Fresno High School in 2012 and established a second location in Clovis in 2013. The Fresno location closed last December after the company contracted with Wawona Frozen Foods to provide enough manufacturing capacity to serve a growing number of retail stores.

The Clovis bakery and storefront closed several months ago, but P*DE*Q products are sold by a number of local retailers and about two dozen Costco stores in the western U.S.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/news/business/article46052485.html#emlnl=Afternoon_Newsletter#storylink=cpy