Harris Williams & Co. was singled out because of the strength of its business and its outstanding reputation as an advisor to the middle market. It was chosen from a field of competitors ranging from large bulge bracket firms to small boutiques. “We are very pleased and proud to receive this honor,” said Hiter Harris, co-founder of Harris Williams & Co. “We are committed to providing best in class service to the middle market, and we work tirelessly to do the best we can for our clients.”

Since being founded in 1991, Harris Williams & Co. has consistently beat its own records year after year. In 2004, Harris Williams & Co. and its affiliates successfully closed 49 transactions, with its sell-side transactions alone topping $4.0 billion in value. Consistent with its focus on the middle market, all of the transactions closed by Harris Williams & Co. and its affiliates fell within its stated target market of up to $500 million in value.

In addition to being named Investment Bank of the Year, Lazy Days’ R.V. Center, Inc., a sell-side assignment for which Harris Williams & Co. was the exclusive advisor, was judged to be Middle Market Deal of the Year. “Our success has always been based upon the quality of our work, and we believe this has differentiated us as a firm,” said Chris Williams, co-founder along with Harris. “We are pleased that this has also brought recognition to our clients.”

The awards were announced in the February 14, 2005 edition of Buyouts and will be presented at the Buyouts East conference at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on April 9-11, 2005.

Click here to download a PDF version of the feature article in Buyouts magazine.