Cherry Tree advises Chamilia, LLC on its Partnership with Brentwood Associates

Brentwood Associates, a leading Los Angeles-based private equity investment firm, announced today that it has made a significant investment in Chamilia, LLC. Chamilia is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of high quality, personalized jewelry with a globally recognized brand. The company’s core product offering includes bracelets, necklaces and earrings that can be customized to meet the tastes of individual consumers with over 600 interchangeable products. Chamilia’s high quality jewelry is made of 14k gold, sterling silver, Swarovski® crystals, Italian Murano glass and colored stones.

Chamilia was founded in 2003 by Killian Rieder and Jeff Julkowski with a goal of placing unique jewelry design in the hands of the consumer. In 2006 Michael Flaherty joined Chamilia as a founding partner to expand the brand globally. Each of the founders will continue in their current roles at the company, with Killian leading Chamilia’s product design efforts, Jeff serving as Chairman of the Board and Michael managing global business development. Mike Paxton, the company’s CEO, will continue to lead the Chamilia management team.

Steve Moore, a partner at Brentwood, commented, “Chamilia has established an extraordinary track record of growth, having doubled its business in each of the past three years. The founders have built an outstanding leadership team and continue to invest in innovative product design. With significant untapped distribution opportunities, Chamilia is positioned to continue its growth trajectory. We are very excited about our partnership with Killian, Jeff, Michael and the team as they continue to grow the Chamilia brand.”

Anthony Choe, a partner at Brentwood, added, “Our investment strategy is focused on growing consumer brands that have established a highly engaged and loyal customer base. Chamilia has proven its ability to generate both significant traffic and consistent repeat purchases for its retailers, which highlights the strength of the Chamilia brand. We look forward to supporting the management team in executing its growth strategy, including building the Chamilia brand globally.”

Chamilia will continue to focus on developing unique and innovative products while providing the highest level of service to its customers. Jeff Julkowski stated, “We are excited to add such a valuable partner in order to better serve our customers and to continue providing growth opportunities for our employees. The Brentwood partnership is an energizing evolution for Chamilia and will allow us to take the brand to the next level.”

Mike Paxton added, “I’m excited about what lies ahead for the Chamilia brand, and the Brentwood team will provide critical experience and insights to the Chamilia growth model. We are thrilled they are on board.”

Chamilia is the sixth investment by Brentwood Associates’ latest fund, Brentwood Associates Private Equity IV, L.P.

Chamilia was advised by Cherry Tree with legal advice from Faegre & Benson LLP. Brentwood received legal advice from Greenberg Traurig, LLP.

Chamilia, LLC:
Chamilia, LLC, based in Minneapolis, MN, is a progressive company committed to providing innovative and unique products to consumers, while offering superior service to retail partners. Since 2003, Chamilia has experienced significant and rapid growth in the personalized jewelry category. With employees in eight countries, Chamilia distributes products to over 2,000 stores globally through specialty retail chains, independent retailers and boutiques and is proud of its relationships with Disney® and Swarovski®. For more information about Chamilia, please visitwww.chamilia.com. (Cherry Tree does not maintain, endorse, or make any representations as to the content accuracy or quality of this website.)

Brentwood Associates:
Brentwood Associates is a consumer-focused private equity investment firm with over $750 million of capital under management and a thirty-year history of investing in leading middlemarket growth companies. Brentwood focuses on investments in growing businesses where it is able to leverage its extensive experience in areas such as: branded consumer products; consumer services; direct marketing, including direct mail and e-commerce; education; health and
wellness; restaurants; and specialty retail. Since 1984, Brentwood’s dedicated private equity team has invested in 37 portfolio companies with an aggregate transaction value of nearly $5 billion. With significant experience in both investing and brand building, Brentwood is a valueadded partner with entrepreneurs and executives building world-class companies. For more information about Brentwood, please visit www.brentwood.com. (Cherry Tree does not maintain, endorse, or make any representations as to the content accuracy or quality of this website.)