CoSentry, a privately-held data center operator in Omaha, Nebraska, is rumored to be for sale through Signal Hill, two sector bankers said. The company is worth roughly USD 100m, estimated the first banker. The auction is in the final round, the second banker said.

A spokesperson for Signal Hill declined comment. CoSentry did not return phone calls.

CoSentry is a regional provider of data center services with locations in Omaha, Nebraska, Kansas City, Missouri and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It's one of a number of data centers worth between USD 40m and USD 100m that is currently for sale, said the second banker. Private data center operators have put themselves up for sale to take advantage of multiples as high as 16x EBITDA, sources have previously told this news service.

Denver-based ViaWest, a regional data center acquired by Oak Hill Capital in May 2010, is a possible buyer, said the first banker. ViaWest has operations in Colorado, Texas, Utah, Oregon and Nevada.

Cloud computing, outsourcing IT services to data centers rather than employing in-house IT staff, is catching on and traditional telecoms have decided they must provide such offerings, the second banker added. Deals in the sector within the past few months include Savvis' takeout by CenturyLink for USD 2.5bn and Terremark's takeout by Verizon for USD 1.4bn, as well as many private exits.

CoSentry, founded in 2000, is a partnership between management and Ted Waitt, a founder of Gateway. By Sarah Cohen

Employers Resource, a private professional employer organization (PEO), "would be happy" to talk to a strategic buyer, according to CEO and co-founder George Gersema. The Boise, Idaho-based company has so far only heard from PE firms seeking a roll-up, of which it has no interest, he said.

Employers Resource had 2010 revenue of USD 35m. The company is not actively seeking M&A but does receive two or three calls a month from PE firms. "There is a lot of PE money floating around," Gersema said, maintaining Employers Resource has no desire to be "bought and flipped." Gersema has led the company for 26 years and "likes the way" he runs it.

However, a strategic partner "would make good sense," as Gersema said he could stay on with the company. Employers Resource is family owned and managed, added Gersema, who is 61. He has children, all too young to work with Employers Resource.

Because of the economic downturn, Employers Resource would now more seriously entertain approaches, explained Gersema. The PEO space has been declining the past few years, he noted, and as a result, like many of its peers, Employers Resource is 25% smaller today than at its peak. Continued industry "shrinkage" is expected, he suggested.

Employers Resource has a good reputation and could attract the attention of larger PEO firms such as Alphastaff and Oasis Outsourcing, both active acquirers in the space, said an industry banker familiar with Employers Resource.

Gersema would not rule out an offer from a large PEO but he said a potentially more synergistic buyer might be a "bank that does a lot of small business lending or a healthcare provider active in the small business arena." Employers Resource is "in the cat-bird's seat" to watch labor costs and employment trends, and monitor the overall health of small businesses, according to Gersema.

Although not a current trend, Gersema pointed to SOI Holdings, the third largest PEO in terms of net US revenue, as an example of a once bank-owned PEO. Union Planters Corp. acquired SOI in 2000, but "before the concept could fully play out," Union merged with Regions Financial Corp. and the PEO division was sold in 2004 to PE firm Clarion Capital Partners. Since then, other banks have merely "stuck their toe in the water," added Gersema.

Employers Resource was founded in 1985 and provides human resources, payroll, compliance, workers comp and health benefits services to small businesses in various industries, including financial services and healthcare. Although headquartered in Boise, Gersema noted only 5% of business is located there, with the bulk spread across the Sunbelt, from California to Georgia.

Regular company advisors include accounting firm EideBailly and law firm Eberle Berlin.

Rebecca Minkoff, the private New York City-based handbag, accessories, and apparel company, receives about five to ten sales overtures a week, said CEO Uri Minkoff.

Minkoff, who is the brother of designer Rebecca Minkoff and co-founded the company with her in 2005, said the company meets with all those who contact it regarding a sale but is mulling its next steps.

"We can see that consumer demand for our brand is shockingly strong right now and we don't want to limit growth due to our capital base, because timing is everything in the fashion industry," Minkoff explained.

The company may decide to bring in an equity partner to support gigantic growth; however, Minkoff cautioned that the company is also considering debt for growth and may have a preference for debt.

The Minkoff siblings together own about 90% of the company. Annual revenues for 2010 were USD 20m and Minkoff said that the company is anticipating 60% growth in both 2011 and 2012, which would be about USD 32m and USD 51m, respectively. Last year marked the company's first profitable year.

The company is now considering working with an investment banker and has already had conversations with a few, Minkoff said, adding that he is "absolutely" interested in speaking with additional bankers.

The company's commercial bank is Rosenthal and its legal counsel is Edward Jaffe at Jaffe, Ross & Light. The company has both domestic and international sales, with sales in Asia being particularly strong because the Asian customer is very "fashion forward," Minkoff said.

Rebecca Minkoff has about 150 international distributors in South East Asia, Japan, Canada, Mexico, and Europe, and is seeking partners in other countries. Rebecca Minkoff just opened its first boutique in Los Angeles to give the company experience with running a retail store.

It is now looking for space in New York to open a flagship store in 2012 and plans to open stores in Japan, China, Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan about 12 to 18 months after the opening of the New York store.

The company has also done very well with ecommerce and continues to also see its website as a strong sales outlet. Rebecca Minkoff, who grew up in San Diego and Florida, was working for another fashion designer in New York when she designed an "I Love New York" tee shirt which was worn by actress Jenna Elfman on the Tonight Show on 13 September 2001. Sales of the tee shirt skyrocketed almost overnight.

Elfman then requested that Minkoff design a handbag for her to use in a movie and Minkoff created her signature handbag, "the morning after" bag. Minkoff continued designing handbags for the next few years and when sales reached a critical mass she enlisted her brother's help in founding her company.

Today the company sells handbags, women's apparel, shoes, and accessories. This spring it launched a men's line, "Ben Minkoff," which is named after her grandfather who was a World War II fighter pilot.