Press Releases

PLANO, Texas and NEW YORK, Dec. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire – J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) ("J. C. Penney") and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) ("MSLO") today announced they have entered into a strategic alliance and will join forces to create a unique and comprehensive retail experience featuring Martha Stewart products, know-how and advice.

New York, NY, December 5, 2011: Blackstone (NYSE: BX) announced today that four portfolio companies have signed on to pursue environmental sustainability programs. Equity Office Properties, LXR Luxury Resorts and Hotels, Performance Food Group, and Pinnacle Foods have selected test sites at which to roll-out a host of operational improvements and technology upgrades to reduce energy, water and waste-related costs. The goal is to roll-out the most effective initiatives from the test sites across each company’s portfolio of facilities and locations, with annual cost savings estimated to exceed 10% of total energy costs. Today’s announcement is part of an ongoing effort by Blackstone to focus on sustainability across the portfolio of companies it manages on behalf of its investors, which include 36 million pensioners globally.

New York, November 30, 2011 – Blackstone (NYSE:BX), announced today that Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman and CEO of Blackstone, is scheduled to present at the Goldman Sachs U.S Financial Services Conference on Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 2:40 pm EST. A live webcast of the presentation will be available on the Investor Relations section of Blackstone’s website at http://ir.blackstone.com/. For those unable to listen to the live audio webcast, a replay will be available on Blackstone’s website shortly after the event.

Cleveland, November 18, 2011 – The Blackstone Charitable Foundation and The Burton D. Morgan Foundation announced today a $3.2 million, three-year partnership to train the next generation of entrepreneurs in Northeast Ohio. The grants – to Baldwin-Wallace College, Case Western Reserve University, Kent State University and Lorain County Community College – will expand Blackstone LaunchPad, a groundbreaking initiative that gives university students and alumni the skills, knowledge, and guidance to start new companies. Blackstone LaunchPad replicates and implements a program developed at the University of Miami in 2008, which has generated 65 start-up ventures, 120 new jobs and drawn nearly 2,000 student participants. In 2010 the first Blackstone LaunchPad was opened at two schools in Detroit. Blackstone LaunchPad programs will be up and running in Northeast Ohio in early 2012.

New York City, New York, 11/10/11: Summit Materials is pleased to announce the recent acquisitions of Industrial Asphalt, Inc., Asphalt Paving Company of Austin, Inc. and Ramming Paving Company, Ltd. in Austin, Texas.

HOUSTON, USA and ROTHERHAM, UK (Nov. 1, 2011) – Energy Alloys L.L.C., a global provider of oilfield metals, services and solutions, announced today that funds managed by GSO Capital Partners LP (“GSO”), a division of the Blackstone Group L.P. (“Blackstone”) have invested equity capital in Energy Alloys to support its growth strategy. The company’s strategy will continue to be executed by its current management team.

New York, October 31, 2011 – The Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE:BX) announced today that it will host its second investor day on Thursday, November 10, 2011 in London. The day will begin at 8:00am GMT and conclude by 12:30pm GMT. The investor day can be accessed by dialing +1 (866) 928-6049 (U.S. domestic) or + 44 (0) 800-368-1936 (U.K. local) conference ID 628983#.

Blackstone will host a conference call on October 20, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. ET to discuss third-quarter 2011 results. The conference call can be accessed by dialing +1 (877) 261-8937 (U.S. domestic) or +1 (857) 244-7415 (International) pass code 14994355#.

Wednesday, 19th October 2011, London, Solms: The Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) and ACM Projektentwicklung GmbH today announced they have agreed a strategic partnership whereby investment funds advised by Blackstone will acquire, indirectly through a holding company, a 44% minority stake in Leica Camera AG (“Leica”), to support Leica’s international growth plans.

Sydney and Hong Kong, October 19th , 2011. The Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) today announced that Paul Costello has joined the firm as non-executive Chairman for Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Costello will help guide the Firm’s development in the region and represent the Firm with its key constituencies there. Mr. Costello was most recently General Manager of Australia’s Future Fund. He will report to Tony James, Blackstone’s President and Michael Chae, who heads private equity for the firm in Asia-Pacific and is also responsible for the firm’s limited partner relationships in the region.

Auckland and Hong Kong, October 17, 2011. The Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) announced today that its private equity funds have agreed to acquire Antares Restaurant Group in New Zealand from Anchorage Capital Partners. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

London, 12th October 2011 –The Blackstone Group (NYSE:BX) today announced that Denis Fabre has joined as a Senior Managing Director. Based in London, he is responsible for the European healthcare franchise for Blackstone Advisory Partners.

Parsippany, NJ, October 7th, 2011 – PBF Holding Company LLC and Delaware City Refining Company LLC (together “PBF”) today announced the successful restart of the Delaware City petroleum refinery, which was closed down by previous owners in 2009. In June 2010, Delaware City was purchased by PBF, a company owned by Blackstone and First Reserve Corporation, which have collectively undertaken a restart of the facility and full turnaround, leading to the rehiring of nearly 500 employees and up to 250 contractors. Initial operations began in June of 2011 and the refinery is now fully operational.

October 7, 2011 – The Blackstone Charitable Foundation today announced the launch of Blackstone Accelerates Growth, a $3 million initiative that aims to help Maine transition to an innovative economy that supports sustained economic growth in years to come. With a goal of helping Maine companies add an additional 10,000 quality jobs over the next 10 years, this initiative will establish regional hubs of innovation and entrepreneurship which will serve as catalysts to propel new and existing businesses to greater levels of profitability and job growth. This grant is part of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation’s $50 million entrepreneurship initiative.

New York, October 6, 2011 – The Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE:BX), announced today that it will host its third- quarter 2011 investor conference call Thursday, October 2o, 2011 at 11:00 am ET. Stephen Schwarzman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Tony James, President and Chief Operating Officer; Laurence Tosi, Chief Financial Officer; and Joan Solotar, Senior Managing Director – External Relations and Strategy, will review The Blackstone Group L.P.’s third-quarter 2011 earnings. The conference call can be accessed by dialing +1 (877) 261-8937 (U.S. domestic) or +1 (857) 244-7415 (International) pass code 14994355#.

New York, October 6, 2011 – The Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE:BX), announced today that it will host a 9:30 a.m. (ET) conference call for the media on Thursday, October 20, 2011 on its third-quarter 2011 earnings results. The conference call can be accessed by dialing +1 (800) 230-1074 (U.S. domestic) or +1 (612) 234-9960 (International).

The acquisition makes GSO one of the largest leveraged loan investors in Europe as well as the United States, thereby enhancing its global scale. In addition to leveraged loans, GSO also manages mezzanine, distressed and special situations investment funds that are active in the European credit markets.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., October 4, 2011 — McAfee (NASDAQ:INTC) today announced a definitive agreement to acquire privately owned NitroSecurity. NitroSecurity is a leading provider of security information and event management (SIEM) solutions that provide complete visibility and situational awareness to protect critical information and infrastructure. Utilizing the industry's fastest analytical tools, NitroSecurity identifies, correlates and remediates threats in minutes instead of hours, allowing organizations to quickly mitigate risks.

ELMWOOD PARK, N.J., Monday, October 3, 2011 – Sealed Air Corporation (NYSE:SEE) announced today that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Diversey Holdings, Inc. ("Diversey"), a leading solutions provider to the global cleaning and sanitation market. Under the terms of the agreement, Diversey shareholders will receive $2.1 billion in cash and 31.7 million shares of Sealed Air common stock valued at $16.70 per share for a total consideration to shareholders of $2.6 billion. Diversey, based in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, with approximately 10,000 employees and 2010 net sales of $3.1 billion, joins Sealed Air as a reportable segment. The leadership teams of both Diversey and Sealed Air will remain in their roles as integration planning continues.

Menlo Park, CA, September 15: Today Blackstone is hosting its inaugural Technology Forum in Silicon Valley for Blackstone portfolio companies and clients. The event is part of Blackstone’s continued efforts to support innovation in Silicon Valley, provide unique opportunities for our clients and drive performance at portfolio companies through technology investments.