Capitol Acquisition Corp. II and Lindblad Expeditions, Inc. today announced the closing of their merger following the receipt of stockholder approval at Capitol’s special meeting held today.
In connection with the consummation of the merger, the company has been renamed Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, Inc. and anticipates that starting on or about July 9, 2015, its common stock, units and warrants will begin trading on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the new symbols LIND, LINDU and LINDW, respectively.
“We are excited to have closed our merger with Lindblad, and appreciate the support of our investors,” said Mark D. Ein, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Capitol. “With its well-established brand, long-term National Geographic partnership, deep management experience and strong track record of growth in this very attractive sector, Lindblad is exactly the kind of compelling long-term investment opportunity that we were looking for.”
Sven-Olof Lindblad, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lindblad added, “Completing the merger with Capitol and entering the public markets represents an important and exciting milestone for us. The equity capital and public currency from the merger, together with funds from our recent debt financing, give us significant resources to capitalize on the substantial demand for our expeditions by expanding the fleet and opportunistically seeking accretive strategic acquisitions. With this capital and a strong balance sheet, we are confident in the long-term growth prospects for our business.”
In addition to approving the merger with Lindblad, Capitol’s stockholders elected five new directors to the board of the combined company: Mark D. Ein, who will serve as Chairman, Sven-Olof Lindblad, who will serve as Chief Executive Officer of the combined company, L. Dyson Dryden, Chief Financial Officer of Capitol, John M. Fahey, Chairman of the National Geographic Society, and Paul J. Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Arby’s Restaurant Group.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. acted as capital markets advisors with respect to the transaction. Latham & Watkins LLP and Graubard Miller advised Capitol. Foley & Lardner LLP and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP advised Lindblad.
