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PURCHASE, NY (May 6, 2024) – MISSION® (“MISSION” or the “Company”), the global leader in cooling and heat-relief solutions and a portfolio company of Topspin Consumer Partners, is thrilled to announce the appointment of Jocelyn Thornton as the Company’s new Chief Executive Officer and Deborah Klemm as its new Chief Financial Officer. Bringing over 50 years of combined leadership in the consumer goods industry, their expertise will be pivotal in driving MISSION’s continued innovation and growth.

Jocelyn Thornton steps into the role of CEO with a proven track record of transforming consumer brand strategies into significant market success. As the former President of Dearfoams, the largest brand within the private equity-backed RG Barry footwear platform, Thornton was responsible for overseeing initiatives across sales, merchandising, marketing, and product development. Her strategic initiatives revitalized the brand and led it to unprecedented growth, leveraging her deep understanding of consumer needs and market dynamics. Prior to Dearfoams, Jocelyn spent over 15 years in leadership positions with Earth Shoes, The Doneger Group, Clarks and Wolverine Worldwide, where she helped spearhead the Sperry brand. Her leadership at MISSION is expected to inject a fresh perspective and drive forward the company’s vision of offering innovative cooling technologies to enhance consumer wellness and comfort.

“Jocelyn is a proven strategic leader with an impressive background in cultivating premier consumer brands, developing and executing go-to-market strategies and steering high-performing teams towards achieving outsized growth,” said Leigh Randall, Managing Partner at Topspin.

“Jocelyn’s deep expertise in consumer goods and omnichannel commerce, coupled with her passion for the active consumer segment, make her ideally suited to guide MISSION through its next phase of growth.”

Deborah Klemm joins MISSION as CFO, bringing extensive financial expertise and a proven ability to drive profitability and strategic investment. Most recently, she served as Chief Financial Officer of Morilee by Madeline Gardner, a private equity-backed designer of bridal and specialty occasion dresses. Prior to Morliee, Deborah spent nine years as Chief Financial Officer at F. Schumacher & Co., a family-owned designer of branded luxury home décor. Her earlier roles included senior finance positions at David Yurman, Escada and Giorgio Armani. Her extensive experience in financial strategy and management will be instrumental in optimizing MISSION’s performance and positioning the company for further expansion.

“Deborah’s financial acumen and insights will be a tremendous asset for MISSION,” said Josh Shaw, Executive Chairman at MISSION and Operating Partner at Topspin. “She is a growth-oriented finance leader with a demonstrated track record of operational excellence.”

With their wealth of experience and strategic vision, Jocelyn and Deborah are poised to lead MISSION towards continued innovation, growth, and success in the cooling and heat-relief solutions industry.

About MISSION

Founded in 2009 by a group of world-class athletes including Serena Williams, Dwyane Wade and Drew Brees, MISSION is the leader in head-to-toe cooling and heat-relief product innovations that help improve performance and safety for anyone who works, plays or lives in the heat. MISSION’S goals extend far beyond providing comfort—aimed to revolutionize health, wellness, productivity, and performance in the face of heat challenges. MISSION is distributed nationwide in over 25,000 retail stores and online, and leads the market with patented and proprietary technologies.

MISSION is the founding partner of the National Heat Safety Coalition, a nonprofit organization seeking to improve safety and performance in the heat for workers in the United States. Along with scientists, researchers and industry leaders, the Coalition works with public and private partners to set guidelines and inform on Heat-Safety standards. For more information, visit mission.com and follow us @mission on Instagram.

About Topspin Consumer Partners

Topspin Consumer Partners is a Mamaroneck, NY-based private equity firm that makes investments in established, profitable, and fast-growing middle-market consumer businesses. The firm invests across a number of sub-verticals within consumer, including health & wellness, personal care, beauty, food & beverage, household goods, pet, and children’s products. The Topspin team has considerable operational expertise and collaborates with founder-owners and management teams to build businesses of varying stages and sizes. For more information, please visit topspincp.com.

Media Contact:

mission@michelemariepr.com
Sam Gauchier
michele marie pr
100 Crosby St. Suite 402 New York, NY 10012
646.860.5689 | sam@michelemariepr.com

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San Ramon, CA—September 9, 2020: Japonesque, a Topspin Consumer Partners portfolio company, is pleased to announce its investment in MakeUp Eraser, a leading developer and marketer of sustainable makeup removing products and beauty accessories. Since its founding in 2013, MakeUp Eraser has dedicated itself to providing a more sustainable method of removing makeup, creating a leading makeup remover cloth and other makeup removal products that are both safe for the environment and extremely effective.

Lexi McCarthy, Founder of MakeUp Eraser, stated, “Since starting MakeUp Eraser in 2013, we have helped redefine the makeup removal industry to be more sustainable and eco-friendly. This mission has resonated with our core customer and has brought us great success over the past seven years. Looking forward, we are thrilled to work with Japonesque and Topspin to accelerate our mission and expand MakeUp Eraser across the U.S. and internationally. Their beauty expertise and network are unmatched and will be crucial in achieving our lofty goals for the coming years.”

“We’re excited to add the MakeUp Eraser brand to the Japonesque family,” said Rich Conti, CEO of Japonesque. “The MakeUp Eraser business, along with the new products in development, are highly compatible with Japonesque’s strategy of offering consumers innovative tools and accessories that elevate their beauty routines. We are eager to partner with Lexi and the MakeUp Eraser team and look forward to the productive partnership ahead.”

Stephen Parks, Partner at Topspin Consumer Partners, added, “The combination of MakeUp Eraser’s emerging brand with Japonesque’s professional heritage in beauty implements and makeup brushes fits both our strategic and financial goals. This transaction is yet another example of the collaborative work performed by both our management teams and Topspin to build better, stronger brands. We wholeheartedly welcome Lexi and her team to the Japonesque family.”

About Japonesque

Japonesque is a developer and marketer of innovative beauty implements and makeup brushes under the Japonesque brand. Inspired by Japanese makeup artists in Kabuki theater, the Company’s mission is to inspire consumers to ‘Create Beauty’ by delivering products of superior performance and quality at an attractive price point. Topspin Consumer Partners, a middle-market private equity firm that invests in fast-growing consumer businesses, invested in Japonesque in September 2019 and has worked closely in partnership with the Japonesque team to expand the business.

To learn more about Japonesque, please visit www.japonesque.com.

About MakeUp Eraser

MakeUp Eraser is a developer and marketer of sustainable makeup removing products and beauty accessories through the MakeUp Eraser brand. The Company prides itself on its sustainable, eco-friendly approach to makeup removal and makeup wipes, which is the third most wasteful product on the planet. Headquartered in Glendale, Arizona and founded by Lexi McCarthy, MakeUp Eraser’s products can be found on www.makeuperaser.com, Amazon and in leading retail outlets across the United States.

To learn more about MakeUp Eraser, please visit www.makeuperaser.com.

About Topspin Consumer Partners Topspin Consumer Partners is a Mamaroneck, NY-based private equity firm that makes investments in established, profitable and fast-growing middle-market consumer businesses. The firm invests across a number of sub-verticals within consumer, including health & wellness, personal care/beauty, food/beverage, household goods, pet, and juvenile products. The Topspin team has considerable operational expertise and collaborates with founder-owners and management teams to build businesses of varying stages and sizes. Further information on Topspin can be found at www.topspincp.com.

MAMARONECK, NY – MAY 2020 – Topspin Consumer Partners announced today that it has led an investment in reCommerce, a rapidly growing, technology-enabled selling partner of brands through Amazon. reCommerce offers leading consumer brands an end-to-end solution on Amazon, allowing them to capitalize on growing demand and navigate the complexities of the world’s largest online marketplace. reCommerce combines its proprietary in-house technology platform with world class creative, marketing, data analytics, brand protection, and logistics services to drive the growth of leading brands on Amazon. In conjunction with the transaction, Balance Point Capital provided a unitranche loan facility and equity co-investment. Baird served as exclusive financial advisor to reCommerce. Lowenstein Sandler, LLP served as legal advisor to Topspin.

Topspin has partnered with the existing co-founders of the company, Taylor Hamilton and Jesse Tomalty, who will maintain a significant stake in the business and continue to lead the organization. Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Tomalty have extensive experience in both the e-commerce and consumer goods industries and have built a robust team of experienced professionals that have helped position reCommerce as the world’s premier Amazon selling partner for leading consumer brands in health and wellness, beauty, personal care and other industry verticals. “We are excited to partner with Topspin to help accelerate our growth and further enhance our value proposition,” stated Mr. Hamilton, the company’s CEO. “Our focus has always been, and will continue to be, driving success for our brand partners on Amazon by providing an innovative offering that is unmatched anywhere in the marketplace. Topspin’s deep experience in e-commerce and consumer goods, and their strong alignment with our company culture, make them the ideal partner to help us build upon our offering and expand our brand network.”

Leigh Randall, Managing Partner of Topspin, said, “We have long held a bullish view on the potential of the Amazon marketplace and believe that reCommerce has developed a truly groundbreaking, best-in-class business model for prominent consumer brands that sell through the channel. We are delighted to partner with the team of this outstanding company and believe that our prior experience with branded consumer products and the Amazon platform will help the management team achieve its lofty goals.”

For more information on reCommerce, please visit recommercebrands.com.

About Topspin Consumer Partners

Topspin Consumer Partners is a Mamaroneck, NY-based private equity firm that makes investments in established, profitable and fast-growing middle-market consumer businesses. The firm invests across a number of sub-verticals within consumer, including health & wellness, personal care/beauty, food/beverage, household goods, and juvenile products. The Topspin team has considerable operational expertise and collaborates with founder-owners and management teams to build businesses of varying stages and sizes. Further information on Topspin can be found at www.topspinpartners.com.

MAMARONECK, NY – SEPTEMBER 2019 – Topspin Partners today announced that it has acquired Japonesque, a rapidly growing developer and marketer of innovative beauty implements, makeup brushes, and other beauty accessories from San Francisco Equity Partners. Japonesque has capitalized on the recent shift to indie beauty brands, offering consumers and retailers alike a complementary blend of Japonesque and store-branded offerings. As part of the transaction, Graycliff Partners provided a unitranche loan facility and equity co-investment and PNC Bank provided a revolving credit facility.

Topspin has partnered with the existing management team of the Company who will continue in their roles going forward. “The partnership with Topspin will allow Japonesque to better serve our customers and accelerate growth. We are committed to making Japonesque and our partner brands a mainstay for consumers’ everyday beauty needs, an initiative that will be accelerated through Topspin’s expertise and network within the beauty industry,” said Rich Conti, CEO of Japonesque.

“We are impressed by the platform that Rich and his team have built along with their commitment to serving their retail partners,” said Leigh Randall, Managing Partner at Topspin. “The Japonesque brand is well-positioned to continue to disrupt underserved categories in beauty and we are well-suited to support them in this endeavor.”

For more information on Japonesque’s beauty offerings, please visit japonesque.com.

About Topspin Partners

Topspin Partners is a Mamaroneck, NY-based private equity firm that makes investments in profitable and established lower middle-market consumer businesses. The firm invests across a number of sub-verticals within consumer, including health & wellness, fitness, personal care/beauty, food/beverage, household goods, and juvenile products. The Topspin team has considerable operational expertise and collaborates with founder-owners and management teams to build businesses of varying stages and sizes. Further information on Topspin can be found at www.topspinpartners.com.

MAMARONECK, NY – MARCH 2019. Topspin Partners II, LP (“Topspin”), a suburban NY-based private equity fund focused on the lower middle-market, has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its portfolio company JD Beauty Co., LLC (“JD Beauty” or the “Company”), the Company behind the popular Wet Brush branded hair care accessories, Bio Ionic hair styling tools and Ouidad hair care. Over the past three years, Topspin and the JD Beauty team have grown the Company by launching several new product lines, expanding the Company’s distribution capabilities, completing add-on acquisitions (including Bio Ionic and Ouidad) and growing the sales, marketing and product development teams.

The acquirer, Goody Products, Inc. (“Goody”), is one of the largest players in the hair accessories and styling tools industry. Goody was acquired by ACON Investments, a middle-market private equity firm, in August 2018.

Leigh Randall, Managing Partner of Topspin Partners, stated “JD Beauty is an exceptional and innovative platform that has redefined the hair care industry. Over the past three years, the JD team has grown the company from its single product beginnings in detangling brushes into a multi-category, multi-channel platform. We are confident that JD will continue its growth under ACON and we wish the JD team the very best in their next chapter.”

Jeff Davidson, CEO of JD Beauty, stated, “We would like to thank the Topspin team for the value and support they provided to JD Beauty as our partners over the past three years. Their expertise and strategic guidance, together with the hard work of the JD Beauty employees and management team, laid the foundation for the rapid growth we are experiencing today.”

Intrepid Investment Bankers served as the exclusive financial advisor to JD Beauty. Lowenstein Sandler, LLP served as legal advisor to JD Beauty.

For more information on JD Beauty, please visit www.jdbeauty.com.

About JD Beauty Co.

JD Beauty Co., LLC is one of the leading marketers and manufacturers of professional beauty products. Based in New York and launched in 1977, JD Beauty has launched some of the industry’s most recognizable and innovative brands and products such as WetBrush, Luxor Pro, Lure, TS-2 and more. These brands promise quality and innovation to provide beautiful and professional results to professionals and consumers alike.

About Topspin

Topspin Partners is a suburban NY-based private equity fund that makes investments in profitable and established lower middle-market consumer businesses. The firm invests across a number of sub-verticals within consumer, including health & wellness, fitness, personal care/beauty, food/beverage, household goods, apparel, niche retail and juvenile products. The Topspin team has considerable operational expertise and collaborates with founder-owners and management teams to build businesses of varying stages and sizes. Further information on Topspin can be found at www.topspinpartners.com.

About Intrepid

Intrepid Investment Bankers, a subsidiary of MUFG Union Bank, provides M&A, capital raising and strategic advisory services to entrepreneurs, private equity groups and middle-market companies. Intrepid is one of the most active mergers and acquisitions advisors in the Beauty & Personal Care sector. The Intrepid team has a deep understanding of trends and value-drivers across the sector, ongoing dialogue with the acquirer and investor universe, and a proven track record of helping clients sell to global strategic acquirers and value-added private equity groups.

MAMARONECK, NY – NOVEMBER 2018: Topspin Partners II, LP (“Topspin”), a suburban NY-based private equity fund focused on the lower middle-market, has exited its portfolio company PlayMonster LLC (“PlayMonster”), a leading manufacturer and distributor of family toys, games, preschool toys, creative activities and teaching tools. Over the past four years, Topspin, along with the PlayMonster team, created value by completing seven tuck-in acquisitions, launching several new product lines and expanding the Company’s marketing reach and efforts.

The acquirer, Audax Private Equity, has been focused on building leading middle market companies since 1999. Audax has invested $5 billion in 119 platform and 715 add-on companies. Through its disciplined Buy & Build approach, Audax seeks to help platform companies execute add-on acquisitions that fuel revenue growth, optimize operations, and significantly increase equity value.

“PlayMonster is a unique, highly adaptable platform with a deep history in the toy industry and the ability to innovate quickly. The management team has done an exceptional job and positioned the company for continued growth under Audax’s control. We wish our management partners and all PlayMonster employees the very best in this exciting time to come,” said Steve Lebowitz, Managing Partner at Topspin.

Bob Wann, CEO of PlayMonster, stated, “As we look forward to partnering with Audax, we also thank the Topspin team for the value and support they provided to PlayMonster as our partners over the past four years. From the beginning, they shared our view for the potential of our business and helped us execute on both our M&A and organic growth strategies.”

Baird served as the exclusive financial advisor to PlayMonster on this transaction.

For more information on PlayMonster, please visit www.playmonster.com.

About PlayMonster

PlayMonster, headquartered in Beloit, WI, is a leading manufacturer and distributor of family toys, games, preschool toys, creative activities and teaching tools. The Company focuses on innovation through building brands and creating new categories, and maintains distribution across national chains and specialty stores in the U.S. and internationally. PlayMonster believes in the power of play to make a positive difference in people’s lives and has delivered on this goal through its quality products, such as “TOTY Game of the Year” Yeti in My Spaghetti®, “TOTY Doll of the Year” Wonder Crew®, The Game of THINGS…®, 5 Second Rule®, Relative InsanityTM, Farkle, Super Spinner®, Mirari®, Kid O®, and My Fairy Garden® among others.

About Topspin

Topspin Partners is a suburban NY-based private equity fund that makes investments in profitable and established lower middle-market businesses. The firm invests across a number of industries, including health and wellness, niche consumer, food and beverage and business services. The Topspin team has considerable operational expertise and collaborates with management teams to build businesses of varying stages and sizes. Further information on Topspin can be found at www.topspinpartners.com.

About Baird

Baird is a leading global investment bank focused on the middle market. Approximately 325 investment banking professionals in the U.S., Europe and Asia provide corporations, entrepreneurs, private equity and venture capital firms with in-depth market knowledge and extensive experience in merger and acquisition, debt advisory and equity financing transactions.

HAUPPAGUE, NY – AUGUST 2018: JD Beauty Group is pleased to announce the acquisition of Ouidad , the curl expert haircare and styling brand. Beloved by North American salon professionals, this dynamic company will join the JD Beauty group of industry-leading hair brands WetBrush and Bio Ionic. This acquisition further diversifies JD Beauty’s product offerings, now adding haircare and styling to its existing hair brush and electrical appliance portfolio.

Founded over three decades ago, Ouidad is an award-winning expert in curly hair. Ouidad’s formulas use the most sophisticated ingredients and combine decades of experience with the latest in scientific breakthroughs, while their certified salons and flagship locations are staffed by the most skilled curl experts in the industry.

JD Beauty is a portfolio company of Topspin Partners, a New York based private equity fund. This acquisition was completed in partnership with Topspin Partners, the majority owner of JD Beauty – Deerpath Capital Management, and Star Mountain Capital, who provided financing for the transaction. Stifel served as financial adviser to Ouidad on the transaction.

Jeffrey Davidson, CEO of JD Beauty, commented, “We are always striving to cement our position as an innovation leader in the professional beauty industry, and this new chapter with Ouidad speaks to that commitment. We are excited to continue to deliver exceptional results and growth for our customers. Ouidad is an exciting brand, with a passionate following similar to our current lines WetBrush and Bio Ionic. We will be honored to further its legacy here at JD Beauty.”

Leigh Randall, Managing Partner of Topspin Partners, added “JD Beauty has proven to be an excellent platform, and after the success of the Bio Ionic acquisition, we were excited to partner with the team at JD Beauty on another transaction. This deal is an excellent strategic move for both Ouidad and JD Beauty, and we look forward to seeing the resulting growth.”

Pierre Lampert, CEO of Ouidad, said, “The renowned Ouidad brand has enjoyed a great momentum across all of its channels, and this acquisition under JD Beauty will further accelerate the company’s development. We are thrilled to be working with the team at JD Beauty, who have an excellent track record for growing and supporting well-known names in the industry.”

About JD Beauty Group

JD Beauty Group is one of the leading marketers and manufacturers of professional beauty products. Based in New York and launched in 1977, JD Beauty Group has launched some of the industry’s most recognizable and innovative brands and products such as WetBrush, Luxor Pro, Lure, TS-2 and more. These brands promise quality and innovation to provide beautiful and professional results to professionals and consumers alike. www.jdbeauty.com

About Ouidad

Ouidad is the original curl expert with one iconic idea: let curls be curls. The first Ouidad salon, dedicated to curls, was opened in 1984 and offered curly-haired women the freedom to embrace the endless options and enviable texture only curly hair can offer. Now, the company has flagship salons and certified salons across the country, and its extensive product line ensures that curly hair stays hydrated, healthy, and happy. www.oudiad.com

About Topspin

Topspin Partners is a suburban NY-based private equity fund that makes control investments in profitable and established lower middle-market businesses. The firm invests across a number of industries, including health and wellness, consumer, food and beverage, business services and security. The Topspin team has considerable operational expertise and collaborates with management teams to build businesses of varying stages and sizes. www.topspinpartners.com

November 29, 2017. Topspin Partners today announced that it has acquired Remedy Health Media (“Remedy” or the “Company”). Remedy is a leading digital health platform specializing in inspirational video-based storytelling and award-winning digital brands. The Company’s portfolio of brands includes HealthCentral, TheBody, TheBodyPro, BerkeleyWellness, and Healthcommunities. Its largest property, HealthCentral, has become a primary destination for a suite of inspirational multimedia patient stories—under the Live Bold, Live Now™ initiative—that connects Remedy’s audiences to real patients who live with chronic conditions, but have persevered to accomplished great feats. PNC Bank, Praesidian Capital and Star Mountain Capital provided debt financing to help support the transaction.

With extensive experience in the digital health media industry, Mike Cunnion, CEO of Remedy, will continue to lead the highly respected management team. “This is an exciting time in digital health and with Topspin’s experience and network in media and information services, they are the ideal partner to help Remedy maximize its potential,” said Cunnion. “The timing is ideal as we’ve been transforming our platform to strengthen our brands and bring new products to market with a keen focus on delivering more value for our audiences and customers.”

“The Live Bold, Live Now initiative has disrupted the digital health media industry and has redefined digital advertising for healthcare’s largest players,” said Leigh Randall, Managing Partner at Topspin. “Remedy has differentiated itself with its immersive, inspirational patient stories, which will continue to drive its growth going forward.”

Additional information about Remedy can be found at www.remedyhealthmedia.com.

About Topspin Partners

Topspin Partners is a suburban NY-based private equity fund that makes investments in profitable and established lower middle-market businesses. The firm invests across a number of industries, including health and wellness, media and information services and consumer products and services. The Topspin team has considerable operational expertise and collaborates with management teams to build businesses of varying stages and sizes. Further information on Topspin can be found at www.topspinpartners.com.

Media Contact
Nick Fazzari
Topspin Partners
914-834-7370

October 17, 2017. Topspin Partners today announced that it has made an investment in Bear Down Brands (“Bear Down” or the “Company”), a rapidly-growing developer and marketer of branded home, health and wellness products. The Company has capitalized on the shift to e-commerce through its diversified portfolio of humidifiers, air purifiers, personal care products, lunch and food storage and other products sold under its two premier brands, Pure Enrichment and Bentgo. Breakwater Management, LLC provided a unitranche loan facility and equity co-investment to help support the transaction. Breakwater’s senior investment team has over 55 years of private company investing experience and has built the firm on a deep commitment to partnership, integrity and growth.

Topspin has partnered with the existing owner-operators and co-founders of the Company who will continue to manage the business going forward. The management team has extensive experience in the consumer products industry and in particular, the e-commerce channel. The Company’s founders stated, “We are thrilled to partner with Topspin. We believe that their expertise, extensive network and deep understanding of the consumer products industry will support the growth of our brands and expand our distribution capabilities.”

“We are very impressed by the rapid growth that the Company has achieved along with their successful navigation of the competitive e-commerce channel,” said Leigh Randall, Managing Partner at Topspin. “The Company’s established brands serve as a foundation for future growth into new channels and categories, initiatives that we are well-suited to support.”

For more information on Bear Down’s leading brands, please visit www.pureenrichment.com and www.bentgo.com.

About Topspin

Topspin Partners is a suburban NY-based private equity fund that makes investments in profitable and established lower middle-market businesses. The firm invests across a number of industries, including health and wellness, niche consumer, food and beverage, business services and security. The Topspin team has considerable operational expertise and collaborates with management teams to build businesses of varying stages and sizes. Further information on Topspin can be found at www.topspinpartners.com.

About Breakwater Investment Management, LLC

Breakwater Management is a private investment firm that provides flexible debt and equity capital to growing lower middle market companies. The firm aligns itself with committed management teams, owners, and sponsors, providing creative financing solutions tailored to meet individual borrower needs.

To learn more about Breakwater, visit www.breakwaterfunds.com or call (424) 777-4000.

Media Contact
Nick Fazzari
Topspin Partners
914-834-7370