A Letter To The Private Equity Community About The Recent Tragedies

Private Equity Week would like to extend its deepest sympathies to the victims of this month’s horrific attacks, and to their families and loved ones.

In particular, we regret to report that Brian Dale of Blue Capital Management and David Retik and Christopher Mello of Alta Communications were among the passengers on American Airlines Flight #11, which crashed into One World Trade Center after having been hijacked. Dale was a partner and co-founder of Blue Capital, which is based in New York. Retik was a general partner and founding member of Alta Communications, having previously worked with Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co. Mello was an associate with Alta Communications since 2000, having previously been a financial analyst in the media and communications group of Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown. For more information on Retik and Mello, and to learn how they are being remembered, please turn to Page 5.

Thankfully, we have been able to confirm that the entire teams from Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Private Equity and the MMC Capital Communications & Information Fund are accounted for. There are, however, still outstanding concerns over employees from other units of MSDW and MMC who have not yet been heard from. The Web site for Salomon Smith Barney, which had offices at Seven World Trade, reports that its employees were all evacuated prior to that building’s collapse.

Credit Suisse First Boston also reports a successful evacuation from Five World Trade, although it has not yet heard from a handful of employees and consultants who may have been in the area at the time of the collapses.

The law firm of Drinker Biddle & Realth LLP, which works with private equity firms and had offices in One World Trade, reports that all of its employees are safe and accounted for. Fellow legal practice Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, which also had a One World Trade address, reports on its Web site that it is still waiting to hear from three of its employees.

Also accounted for are the partners of Metropolitan Venture Partners, based in Two World Financial Center. A New York City Web site also reported that Vincent Ingato, senior vice president of leveraged finance with Fuji Bank, who was based on the 79th Floor of Two World Trade Center, was accounted for.

Our entire editorial team at Venture Economics, which is housed just one block from the Trade Center at 195 Broadway, was successfully evacuated. We thank those who have checked in on our well-being over the past few weeks.

Our prayers are with the missing.