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GS News Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group Announces An Agreement with David J. Perez of Latin Force, LLC

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group (UIG) today announced that it has entered into an agreement with David J. Perez of Latin Force, LLC. Through this agreement, Perez and UIG will work together to identify and assess potential acquisition opportunities in the Hispanic marketing services sector, targeting companies with revenue of $5 million and greater.

“I look forward to the opportunity to expand the reach and services of Latin Force,” says David J. Perez, Chief Executive Officer of Latin Force, LLC. “By partnering with the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group, we now have the capital to pursue significant expansion through acquisitions,” Perez comments. “Through our combined efforts we intend to form an integrated marketing services company focused on the U.S. Hispanic market.”

According to a report by David Kostin, Goldman Sachs Chief U.S. Sector Investment Strategist, strong population growth, expanding purchasing power and new spending patterns position Latinos as a significant and a growing influence in the United States economy¹. One of the sectors best positioned to take advantage of this rapid growth is the Hispanic marketing services industry, which has quadrupled in the last twenty years to over $4 billion². Within this growth market, the Below-The-Line segments including online promotions, special events and grassroots marketing have outperformed the total market growth rate, while taking share from traditional channels, such as television and print. UIG and Latin Force plan to actively pursue the Below-The-Line service providers as a part of a broader platform strategy.

Managing Director of Goldman Sachs, Kevin Jordan comments, “UIG is attracted to David Perez because of his depth of experience and a keen understanding of the industry. We are looking forward to collaborating with David and his team on pursuing acquisition opportunities.” Jordan continues to say, “UIG believes the confluence of favorable, demographics and market conditions present a compelling business case within the Hispanic marketing services industry. And we see Latin Force becoming a premier service provider for companies seeking to reach the U.S. Hispanics markets.”

David J. Perez is a seasoned market veteran and widely recognized thought leader in the U.S. Hispanic marketing arena. In his capacity as CEO, Perez has won a list of blue-chip companies as clients such as MTV, Nike, Wells Fargo and the NFL. Perez is also a co-founder of the New Generation Latino Consortium, a non-profit industry advocacy group formed to raise the profile of the underserved, difficult-to-reach population of 2^nd and 3^rd generation U.S. Latinos.

About Latin Force LLC:

Founded in 2003, Latin Force is a business and marketing consulting firm specializing in the Hispanic market. Latin Force provides insight, ideas, and strategies to help clients capitalize on the rapidly growing Hispanic marketplace. Whether launching new businesses or extending a brand, we share our unique knowledge and perspectives of culture, language, demographics, business, branding and marketing as partners with our clients. Some of our diverse list of clients include: Kraft Foods, MTV, Nike, Cranium, Clear Channel, the NFL, ING, Nickelodeon Networks and Wells Fargo. To learn more about Latin Force, please visit www.latinforce.net.

About Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group:

The Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group is part of the Merchant Banking Division within The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS), that invests capital in ethnic minority-owned or targeted businesses and urban real estate. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm. The firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in Miami, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. To learn more about the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group, please visit www.gs.com/uig.

¹ Source: Goldman Sachs Investment Research, The Hispanization of the US: The Growing Influence of the Hispanic and Latino Communities in the United States Economy

² Source: Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies.