Code Hennessy & Simmons LLC (“CHS“) announced the sale of Suture Express, Inc., a portfolio investment of CHS Private Equity V LP, to Diamond Castle Partners, a New York-based private equity firm.

Suture Express is a distributor of sutures, endo-mechanical products and other disposable medical and surgical products. Suture Express offers over 1,600 acute care hospitals and surgery centers a comprehensive assortment of more than 6,000 SKUs with no minimum order size, no required order frequency and guaranteed next-day delivery for most orders. For additional information about Suture Express, please refer to the company’s website at www.sutureexpress.com.

CHS led the investment in Suture Express in August 2006 and partnered with Linden LLC in a buyout from the company’s founders. CHS and Linden successfully transitioned the leadership of the business and have worked closely with senior management to significantly grow revenue and market share as well as expand the company’s customer base and product offering.

Ed Kuklenski, President and CEO of Suture Express, said, “CHS and Linden were instrumental in helping us build a world-class board of directors as well as achieve our numerous growth initiatives. Their combined healthcare expertise was invaluable as we grew our business substantially over the past several years. We now look forward to working with Diamond Castle Partners to continue to build upon our past success.“

Tom Formolo, Partner at CHS, said, “It was a pleasure to work with Ed Kuklenski and the management team at Suture Express. With the company’s history of growth, unique business model and best-in-class customer service levels, we are confident Suture Express will continue its track record of success and remarkable customer loyalty.“ Ed Lhee, Partner at CHS, stated, “Suture Express fit well with our healthcare services strategy to pursue businesses that help improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare while providing value-added services for customers.“

CHS is a Chicago-based private equity firm specializing in private equity investments and recapitalizations of middle market companies in partnership with management. CHS targets well-managed companies focused on growth with enterprise values between $75 million and $1.0 billion. With particular expertise in the Business & Consumer Services, Consumer, Distribution, and Infrastructure & Industrial Products sectors, CHS has completed 73 platform investments and 211 add-on investments. Founded in 1988, CHS has formed five private equity funds and currently manages over $2.8 billion of capital. For additional information about CHS, please refer to the firm’s website at www.chsonline.com.

William Blair & Company, L.L.C. provided financial advisory services to Suture Express on the transaction and Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal advice.