Gordon Brothers Group acquired Blast–Off Brands, a Los Angeles-based licensing and branding company. Blast-Off Brands co-founder Ramez Toubassy will join Gordon Brothers as president of the Brands division and the rest of the Blast–Off Brands team will take on senior leadership positions on both the creative and licensing sides of the business. The transaction strategically bolsters the firm’s Brands division and serves as the foundation for its next generation brand investment platform.

“While Gordon Brothers has been very active in the brands space for years, we saw a unique opportunity in acquiring Blast–Off Brands to bring even deeper brand building and licensing capabilities in-house,” said Kenneth Frieze, CEO of Gordon Brothers Group. “In so doing, we will have the most robust, end-to-end middle-market brand platform in the market with the unique flexibility to work alone or with strategic partners,” he said.

Blast-Off’s branding and licensing skill-sets will serve to complement the existing capabilities of Gordon Brothers Group. Gordon Brothers Group leverages its intimate knowledge of consumer markets, sourcing, marketing and retailing to maximize brand values. Notable past brand acquisitions include Polaroid, Coby Electronics, Linens ‘N Things, Bombay & Company and The Sharper Image.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be joining the Gordon Brothers family,” said Toubassy. “The landscape in the consumer brand space is rapidly changing and the breadth and depth of operational capabilities resulting from this marriage will be the critical and differentiating ingredient for successfully acquiring, developing and operating brands well into the future.”

The new team will oversee Gordon Brothers Group’s existing consumer brands portfolio including collaborating with the firm’s partners to grow the Polaroid brand and to pursue additional brand investments that complement the business. Toubassy and the Brands team will support the valuation practice within Gordon Brothers with market perspective and licensing expertise, as well as coordinate with Gordon Brothers Finance Company, the firm’s middle-market debt investment partner, to provide underwriting expertise on intellectual property loans.