For Immediate Release
January 4, 2010

Norwest Equity Partners Makes Significant Investment in Amcom Software

Capital to Fuel Growth for Leading Provider of Unified Communications Solutions in Healthcare, Hospitality, Higher Education, Business, and Government

Minneapolis, Minnesota – Norwest Equity Partners (“NEP") has made a significant investment in Amcom Software, Inc. (“Amcom”), a premier provider of mission-critical communication solutions. NEP and Split Rock Partners participated together in this investment, with the combined capital helping support Amcom’s ongoing mission of delivering unified communications software solutions that save lives and reduce costs. The transaction closed on December 31, 2009.

Leading organizations rely on Amcom’s systems as their unified communications backbone because they need to speed urgent communications accurately and efficiently to increase productivity, caregiver and guest satisfaction, and patient and public safety.  Amcom helps hundreds of hospitals, colleges and universities, government agencies, corporations, and hospitality properties respond better to key updates in ways that strengthen communication, improve service or care, and save lives. By providing seamless communications among individuals, Amcom solutions perform a variety of services ranging from giving heart attack patients life-saving care sooner, to alerting nurses of urgent patient needs via mobile devices, to helping call center operators process requests more easily, to helping emergency response teams quickly locate 911 callers wherever they are in facilities.   

“We’re excited to start working with NEP and Split Rock Partners,” said Chris Heim, CEO, Amcom Software. “We have a tremendously strong foundation to build on and we look forward to developing more solutions to help our customers with their mission-critical communications challenges.”

In partnership with Garvin Hill Capital Partners, Amcom Software was purchased by Heim and business partner Dan Mayleben in 2007. Under their leadership, revenue has quadrupled in just three years and the company has delivered solid profitability. Garvin Hill Capital Partners has now exited the investment with this transaction. Said Mayleben, CFO, “We’re proud of the business our employees have built,” he said. “Each day we recognize the importance of our solutions as we work with our customers to improve and streamline communications. With the investment from NEP and Split Rock Partners, along with both firms’ deep industry experience, we will make additional investments and strategic acquisitions that fit perfectly with this mission.”

According to Tom Schauerman, Principal at NEP, Amcom’s past, present, and future were attractive. “It is remarkable what Amcom has accomplished and how their software helps organizations with safety and productivity,” he said. “We look forward to our partnership with the management team and are excited that they will be able to leverage the experience of Jim Lindner, a NEP operating partner and 40+ year veteran of the computer software technology and services industry.”

Michael Gorman, Managing Director of Split Rock Partners, was a previous investor with Heim and Mayleben in their earlier entrepreneurial successes.   “I have a first-hand perspective on how Chris and Dan build great teams and outstanding companies.  I am looking forward to working with the Amcom team and NEP to drive great results for customers and outstanding returns for all shareholders.”

Oppenheimer & Co. (led by bankers Marc Thompson and Daniel Cohen) served as financial advisor to Amcom, Lindquist & Vennum, LLP provided legal counsel to NEP, and Dorsey & Whitney LLP provided legal services to Amcom shareholders.

Amcom is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. For more information, please visit www.amcomsoftware.com.