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James B. Baker, Partner, joined River Associates in 1992. Mr. Baker was previously President and Chief Operating Officer of CONSTAR International, Inc., a major manufacturer of plastic containers, and a Fortune 500 company and Managing Director of Wellstar B. V., a European based plastic packaging joint venture. Prior to that, he was President of Baker Dixon Packaging, Inc., a distributor of packaging products(1982-1986); held various management positions with a publicly owned holding company with a concentration of investments in the packaging industry(1976-1982) and before that held various positions with Arthur Anderson & Co (1969-1976). Mr. Baker received his M.B.A. and B.S. degrees from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He currently serves on the board of directors of several publicly and privately owned businesses.

Mike D. Brookshire, Partner, joined River Associates in 1993. Mr. Brookshire was with Arthur Andersen & Co., from 1986 to 1993, where he served as Audit Manager for many publicly and privately owned manufacturing and distribution clients. Mr. Brookshire received a B.S. degree from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He currently serves on the board of directors of several privately owned businesses and is involved in local civic activities.

J. Mark Jones, Partner, joined River Associates in 1995. Mr. Jones was with SouthTrust Bank in Birmingham from 1988 to 1995 where he served as a Vice President of Corporate Lending. Mr. Jones received a B.A. from Vanderbilt University in Economics and an M.B.A. from Samford University in Birmingham. He currently serves on the board of directors of several privately owned businesses and charitable organizations. Mark serves on the National Board of Directors of the Association for Corporate Growth and is a frequent speaker at events and conferences related to Mergers and Acquisitions, Management-Led Buyouts and Private Equity. Please contact Mark to discuss new investment opportunities.

G. H. Patten Pettway, Jr., Partner, joined River Associates in 1998. Mr. Pettway was with Joseph Decosimo and Company in Cincinnati from 1996 to 1998 where he served as an Analyst in the Corporate Finance Department. He also was the founding director of the Chattanooga Youth Corps and currently serves as an Advisory Board Member. Mr. Pettway received his B.A. from the University of Colorado and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School. He currently serves on the board of directors of several privately owned businesses.

   W. Craig Baker, Partner, joined River Associates in 2001.  Mr. Baker served as Finance Manager with General Chemical Corporation from 2000 to 2001.  Prior to that, he served as Operations Manager with Marsulex, Inc., a manufacturer of sulfuric acid and sulfur-based specialty chemicals from 1993 to 2000.  Mr. Baker received an M.B.A. from Emory University and a B.Ch.E. from Georgia Tech. He currently serves on the board of directors of several privately owned businesses.

George H. Pettway, Advisory Partner, prior to founding River Associates in 1989, was Chairman of The Cotton Company/E.F.S., a mail order catalog and fulfillment services company headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which he founded in 1985. Prior to his formation of The Cotton Company/E.F.S., Mr. Pettway served in various management positions (including Chief Financial Officer from 1976-1980, and President and Chief Executive Officer from 1980-1985) for Standard-Coosa-Thatcher, a Fortune 1000 Company listed on the American Stock Exchange and headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Mr. Pettway served in the U.S. Navy from 1965-1967. Mr. Pettway graduated from the University of Virginia and received an M.B.A. from the Wharton Graduate Business School of the University of Pennsylvania. He currently serves on the board of directors of several publicly and privately owned businesses and charitable organizations.

River Associates Investments, LLC
633 Chestnut Street, Suite 1640
Chattanooga, TN 37450
Phone: (423) 755-0888
Facsimile: (423) 755-0870

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