ACG Chicago Names Emerging Growth Award Recipient

CHICAGO, October 31, 2007 — The Association for Corporate Growth Chicago chapter (ACG Chicago), the premier professional organization focused on corporate growth, corporate development and mergers and acquisitions, has named The Middleby Corporation as the winner of its prestigious Emerging Growth Award. The annual award is given to a company with revenues of $500 million dollars or less that has demonstrated consistent growth in income, profit and shareholder value.

The Middleby Corporation, a commercial cooking equipment manufacturer whose products are used in kitchens worldwide, was chosen for its product innovation and exponential growth during the past several years. Since appointing Selim Bassoul CEO in 2000, Middleby has grown from a small, “me-too” manufacturer into an industry leader. Under the leadership of Selim Bassoul, sales at The Middleby Corporation have more than quadrupled and the stock price has risen more than 1,600 percent. Publicly traded on the NASDAQ market under the symbol MIDD, the company is one of the top financial performers in the Midwest according to Investor’s Business Daily.

ACG Chicago will honor The Middleby Corporation at the Emerging Growth Award Luncheon on Nov. 13 at The Standard Club in Chicago. Chairman and CEO Selim Bassoul will accept the award on behalf of The Middleby Corporation. As the 2007 award recipient, The Middleby Corporation joins a prestigious list of local companies that have been previously honored with this recognition, including Biomet, DeVry Institute, Juno Lighting, Inc., Tellabs and Zebra Technologies.

"Middleby’s investments in developing leading, patented cooking technologies and a solid management team with global sales strategies have enabled the company to become a leader in its industry,” said Daniel P. Howell, co-chair of ACG Chicago’s awards committee and senior managing director with Mesirow Financial. “Selim Bassoul and his team have posted consistently strong financials and have demonstrated the ability to thrive despite obstacles in a fiercely competitive environment. The company is also involved in the local communities it serves in an exemplary way.”

Howell continued, “ACG Chicago is thrilled to recognize Middleby as the winner of the 2007 Emerging Growth Award.”

The annual ACG Chicago Emerging Growth Award has been presented to area companies for more than a decade. Local award winners are nominated for ACG’s National Outstanding Corporate Growth Award, which is presented annually at the ACG Intergrowth Conference in early May.

Editor’s note
Contact Jason Abrahams for more information or to request press credentials.

Jason Abrahams
KemperLesnik Communications
312-755-3533
jason.abrahams@kemperlesnik.com

About ACG Chicago
ACG Chicago is Northern Illinois' premier association for corporate development, investment, and merger and acquisition professionals. A leader in the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) global network of 11,000 professionals, ACG Chicago boasts a membership of 900 foremost authorities who form a diverse and knowledgeable network of corporate executives, capital sources, corporate advisors and service providers that all share a strong commitment to leadership in the field of strategic corporate growth. ACG Chicago, recipient of the 2006-2007 Outstanding Chapter Programming Award, provides its members with professional and business opportunities as well as the most current information through its ongoing luncheon series, breakfast seminars, regional conferences, in-depth publications and social events. Visit www.acg.org/chicago for more information or call 630-455-1740.

About The Middleby Corporation
The Middleby Corporation is a global leader in the foodservice equipment industry. The company develops, manufactures, markets and services a broad line of equipment used for commercial food cooking, preparation and processing. The company's leading equipment brands serving the commercial foodservice industry include Blodgett®, Blodgett Combi®, Blodgett Range®, Bloomfield®, Carter Hoffmann®, CTX®, Houno®, Jade®, MagiKitch'n®, Middleby Marshall®, Nu-Vu®, Pitco Frialator®, Southbend®, Toastmaster® and Wells®. The company’s leading equipment brands serving the food processing industry include Alkar®, MP Equipment®, and RapidPak®. The Middleby Corporation was recognized by Business Week as one of the Top 100 Hot Growth Companies of 2007, by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of the Fastest 50 Growth Companies in 2007, and by Forbes as one of the Best Small Companies in 2006 and 2007.

This release was published on openPR.