Western Reserve Partners Advises LESCO, Inc. in Acquisition by Deere & Company


October 4, 2007

Western Reserve Partners LLC is pleased to announce that it represented LESCO, Inc. (NASDAQ: LSCO) in LESCO’s acquisition by Deere & Company (NYSE: DE).

Leading the assignment for Western Reserve Partners were Managing Directors David D. Dunstan, Ralph M. Della Ratta, Jr. and Kenneth A. Hirsch, supported by Vice President Charles V. Aquino and Analyst R. Christopher Pummill.

“LESCO has been an important client since our founding,” said Mr. Della Ratta. “We had the pleasure of advising the company in the divestiture of its manufacturing and distribution operations to Platinum Equity two years ago, and we were honored to advise the Board of Directors once again in this capstone transaction.”

Headquartered in Cleveland, LESCO is a leading provider of products for the professional green and pest control industries. LESCO serves customers worldwide through more than 345 LESCO Service Center® locations, 114 LESCO Stores-on-Wheels® vehicles and other direct sales efforts. Its customers include golf courses, athletic fields and professional lawn care companies that maintain landscapes around apartments, office complexes, government buildings, cemeteries and private homes.

Headquartered in Moline, IL, Deere & Company is the world’s leading provider of advanced products and services for agriculture and forestry and a major provider of advanced products and services for construction, lawn and turf care, landscaping and irrigation. The combination of LESCO and John Deere Landscapes will significantly increase the volume of consumable products sold by John Deere Landscapes; expand the customer base for both LESCO and John Deere Landscapes products and services; and complement John Deere’s work in the Golf & Turf One Source business, which focuses on bringing total solutions to those who maintain golf course properties.

Mr. Dunstan added, “The combination of LESCO’s retail expertise in professional turf care products with John Deere Landscapes represents an ideal fit for the company and allows them to leverage the branding expertise and distribution network of a world-class partner in John Deere.”

LESCO President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Rutherford said, “The Western Reserve Partners team did an outstanding job in advising LESCO’s senior management and Board of Directors in our strategic alternatives over the past three years. Their keen understanding of our business model and knowledge of our industry set the stage for this important milestone in LESCO’s history. The team at Western Reserve Partners was with us every step of the way, contributing significantly to the success of this transaction.”

Western Reserve Partners LLC is a boutique investment banking firm that provides customized investment banking solutions for middle-market companies. The firm’s managing directors collectively have more than 160 years of experience and have directly executed more than 500 transactions and managed more than 1,300 transactions. For more information, visit www.wesrespartners.com.

The testimonials presented are applicable to the individuals depicted and may not be representative of the experience of others. The testimonials are not paid and are not indicative of future performance or success.