CALGARY, AB & LOS ANGELES, CA - BlackLine GPS Inc. (“BlackLine”), a leading global positioning service company, announced today that a private equity group led by Cody Slater and Clark Swanson, agreed on terms and conditions to complete a strategic, undisclosed investment to acquire a minority stake in BlackLine.
Mr. Cody Slater and Mr. Clark Swanson join BlackLine’s board of directors as Chairman of the Board and Director, respectively. Mr. Slater participates as a key non-executive officer of BlackLine GPS in their ongoing operations. In addition to joining the board, Mr. Swanson, based in Los Angeles, CA will also provide business development assistance to BlackLine, leveraging his business experience within the global marketplace.
“Cody brings a wealth of business and manufacturing expertise to our company. As one of Canada’s widely recognized entrepreneurs, he built BW Technologies (“BW”) from a start-up to one of the world’s leading gas detection companies. Cody provides incredible value to BlackLine and we’re thrilled to welcome Cody and his team to the company,” says Mr. Brendon Cook, BlackLine’s Co-Founder and Executive Vice President.
BlackLine is also pleased to announce that it has attracted additional talent to the company, filling out its executive team. “Mr. Neil Campbell joins us as Vice President Sales and offers considerable experience in the tech and commercial sector having spearheaded the creation of BW’s international distribution channel. Mr. Kirk Wankel has accepted the role of Chief Financial Officer and shares a successful history with BW, having served as their Vice President Finance. Completing our senior team is Mr. Barry Moore, Vice President Product Development. Barry’s experience with BW as Vice President Product Development will be instrumental in executing BlackLine’s device strategy,” says Mr. Patrick Rousseau, BlackLine’s Co-Founder and President. “We look forward to their contributions as we continue building our brand and competing successfully in the global marketplace.”
BlackLine’s position in the market has attracted a group of notable high net-worth investors including two members of the Fortune list of the 500 wealthiest people. One of those, the King family, is widely known for their success in the television industry stemming from the family-owned business, Kingworld CBS, previously Kingworld Productions. The second includes Mr. Daryl Katz who founded The Katz Group, one of North America’s most successful drug store operators. Among other ventures, Mr. Katz is well-known for his pursuit and pending acquisition of the National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers franchise.
“Brendon and Patrick made this investment very easy for our group,” said Mr. Slater. “They have achieved enormous gains in their business over a short period of time and on a well-managed budget. BlackLine is well positioned with a management team who possesses vision and quality of execution, and the capital required to fuel incredible growth. I’m extraordinarily excited about BlackLine’s future, as are our investors.”
About BlackLine GPS Inc.
Based in Calgary, AB, BlackLine GPS Inc. engineers exceptional customer experiences that couple GPS and wireless technology. BlackLine works diligently to lead the market in location-based awareness and tracking by providing high-value, practical, and easy-to-use products and services. BlackLine markets products under the brands of GPS Snitch, Loner GPS, and Blip. BlackLine owns end-to-end solutions that encompass dedicated wireless devices, smartphone application software, back-office server infrastructure, billing systems, and convenient user interfaces.
For more information, visit www.blacklinegps.com.
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