Jordan Said to Mull $1.5 Billion Sale of Chemicals Maker Vantage

(Bloomberg) -- Jordan Co., a mid-market buyout firm, is exploring a sale of Vantage Specialty Chemicals that could value the company at as much as $1.5 billion, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The private equity firm is working with Deutsche Bank AG to examine offers for the company, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. Jordan bought the Chicago-based company in 2012 from HIG Capital for an undisclosed sum, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

A spokeswoman for Deutsche Bank declined to comment. Representatives for Jordan and Vantage didn't respond to telephone and email requests for comment.

Vantage, which is attracting interest from peers and buyout firms, is the second Jordan Co. asset to be in line for an exit this month. The firm is working with an adviser to look at options, including a sale, for plastics manufacturer Transcendia, people with knowledge of the matter said this week.

Vantage was formed in 2008 through HIG's acquisition of Uniqema's Chicago Oleochemicals facility and then built up through a series of acquisitions. Its products are used in personal care, performance materials and food companies, according to its website.

New York-based Jordan has raised more than $8 billion across its funds since its founding in 1982.

To contact the reporters on this story: Kiel Porter in New York at kporter17@bloomberg.net, Matthew Monks in New York at mmonks1@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Elizabeth Fournier at efournier5@bloomberg.net, Devin Banerjee, Elizabeth Wollman