Press Releases

New York, September 22, 2014. Today Blackstone (NYSE:BX) hosts its second annual Veterans Hiring Summit to support the hiring of American veterans across its portfolio companies. In April 2013, Blackstone committed to hire 50,000 American veterans across its portfolio of more than 70 companies over five years in support of the White House’s “Joining Forces” initiative. In 15 months, Blackstone has hired more than 15,000 veterans. The Blackstone Veterans Hiring Summit was designed to help hiring executives within corporations share best practices on attracting and recruiting veterans and to assist representatives from the U.S. military and government as they work in coordination with Blackstone portfolio companies.

Madrid – 22 September 2014 The Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE:BX) announces that it is expanding and strengthening its international Blackstone Advisory Partners network with the appointment of Borja Arteaga as Senior Managing Director and Albert Fernandez as Managing Director to be based in Madrid. Mr. Arteaga will be heading Blackstone’s restructuring and M&A advisory business in the Iberian Peninsula.

London, 9 September 2014: Funds managed and/or advised by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities (“Blackstone”) and by TPG Special Situations Partners (“TSSP”) announce that they have agreed to acquire Kensington, the specialty UK residential mortgage lender, from Investec plc.

London, 31st August 2014. Siccar Point Energy Limited (together with its subsidiaries referred to as “Siccar Point Energy” or “the Company”), a new exploration, development and production company focused on the North Sea, today announced that affiliates of Blue Water Energy and Blackstone Energy Partners (“Blackstone”) have agreed to lead an initial investment of up to $500 million in the Company, including funding provided by GIC.

New York, August 26, 2014. Global asset manager Blackstone (NYSE:BX), in partnership with its portfolio company Hilton Worldwide, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and Kendall College in Chicago, are proud to announce the launch of a first-of-its-kind hospitality education program designed to help veterans and their spouses receive the experience and knowledge that can lead to a meaningful career in hospitality management. The announcement was made in conjunction with President Obama’s speech to the American Legion Convention today.

Dallas and New York, August 14, 2014. Vine Oil & Gas LP (“Vine” or the “Company”), a recently formed exploration and production company headquartered in Dallas, Texas and Blackstone Energy Partners, an affiliate of Blackstone (NYSE:BX), today announced a definitive agreement to acquire the Haynesville assets of SWEPI LP and Shell Gulf of Mexico Inc., affiliates of Royal Dutch Shell plc (“Shell”), for $1.2 billion. The assets comprise over 107,000 net acres in North Louisiana in the core of the Haynesville Shale natural gas shale basin. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Albany, New York, August 11, 2014. Transmission Developers Inc. is pleased to announce that the United States Department of Energy (DOE), in cooperation with other federal and state agencies, has issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) transmission line. The issuance of the FEIS concludes the successful review of the Project’s environmental impacts under the National Environmental Policy Act and clears the way for final Project permitting. DOE's proposed action is the issuance of a Presidential permit that would authorize the construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed CHPE project

Paris, August 11, 2014 – Private equity funds managed by Blackstone (“Blackstone”) announce the acquisition, along with the company’s founders, of Alliance Automotive Group, the leading wholesale distributor of automotive parts in France and the UK, from Weinberg Capital Partners.

New York, New York, August 6, 2014. Ipreo Holdings LLC (“Ipreo”), a leading global provider of market intelligence and workflow solutions to capital markets and corporate professionals, announced the completion of its acquisition by private equity funds managed by Blackstone (NYSE:BX) and by the Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division (“Goldman Sachs”) (together, the “Sponsors”). The Sponsors have acquired the business from affiliates of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. ("KKR"). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

New York, New York, August 5, 2014. Blackstone (NYSE:BX) and Dangote Industries today announced a commitment by Black Rhino, a portfolio company of Blackstone Energy Partners and affiliated funds managed by Blackstone, and Dangote Industries to jointly invest up to $5 billion over the next five years in energy infrastructure projects across Sub-Saharan Africa with a particular emphasis on power, transmission and pipeline projects.

August 1, 2014. Logicor, Blackstone’s European logistics platform and a leading operator of modern facilities in Europe, announces the acquisition of a portfolio of six high-quality Spanish logistics assets from Gran Europa, the leading Spanish developer of logistics centers in central Spain.

New York and Kuala Lumpur, July 30, 2014. Tamarind Energy (“Tamarind” or the “Company”), a new exploration and production company headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, today announced its formation with a commitment from Blackstone Energy Partners. The Tamarind team is composed of a deep bench of senior executives with significant experience across a range of basins in South East Asia with a proven track record of delivering complex projects safely while creating significant value for their corporate partners and host governments. Tamarind will focus on growing production and reserves from producing oil and gas fields, efficiently developing discoveries and capturing exploration potential in and around proven plays to build a high-quality portfolio.

New York, New York, July 30, 2014. Global asset management firm Blackstone (NYSE:BX) today announced that it has partnered with Black Rhino, an African infrastructure development company, to identify, develop, finance, construct and operate large-scale infrastructure projects across Sub-Saharan Africa with a focus on the energy sector, including power generation, transmission, fuel storage and pipelines.

Paris, France, July 29, 2014. A jointly-owned affiliate, managed by Blackstone, of real estate funds managed by Blackstone and of Ivanhoé Cambridge, both acting in concert, has completed the acquisition from Metrovacesa SA of 4,350,000 shares representing 6.90% of Gecina’s share capital and voting rights.

London, July 28, 2014 – Blackstone announces the acquisition of 125 Old Broad Street in London for £320 million from Brookfield Property Partners.

Strategic Partners Fund Solutions (“Strategic Partners”) announced today that Mark Burton has joined to lead its real estate secondaries practice. Mr. Burton will serve as a Principal and oversee Strategic Partners’ real estate secondary investment activities.

New York, July 23, 2014 – The Blackstone Charitable Foundation today announced the release of its third annual Request for Proposals for its Blackstone Innovation Grants, formerly known as Blackstone Organizational Grants. As part of the Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Initiative, the program will direct $3 million to nonprofits that focus on entrepreneurship and innovation for the 2014-2015 grant cycle. This commitment doubles the $1.5 million awarded for last year’s cycle, which received proposals from more than five hundred organizations around the world.

Washington, DC, New York, NY and Dallas, TX, July 23, 2014 – Service King Collision Repair Centers, today announced a partnership with private equity funds controlled by Blackstone (NYSE: BX) to recapitalize one of the largest independent U.S. chains of automobile body repair centers. The Carlyle Group (NASDAQ: CG) together with its co-investors and the management and employees of Service King will retain a significant minority stake in the Company. Terms of the transaction, which is expected to close during the third quarter, were not disclosed.

To view the full report please click the following link – Blackstone's second quarter 2014 earnings release. Blackstone will host a conference call on July 17, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. ET to discuss second quarter 2014 results. The conference call can be accessed by dialing +1 (877) 391-6747 (U.S. domestic) or +1 (617) 597-9291 (international) pass code 149 943 55#.

New York, NY – July 15, 2014. Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE: BXMT) today announced that it will publish its second quarter 2014 earnings presentation on its website at www.bxmt.com and file its Form 10-Q after market close on Tuesday, July 29, 2014.