When Marie Gray, now 77, decided to save money and make her own dresses, she had no idea that her distinctive knit creations would become iconic outfits for First Ladies, corporate executives, and Hollywood celebrities. Gray, who co-founded St. John Knits with her late husband, Robert Gray, built an internationally recognized fashion house that has branched out into shoes, handbags, perfume, and bath products. The company’s current majority owner, Vestar Capital Partners, declined to reveal numbers, but Hoover’s estimates St. John’s 2012 revenue at $346 million. Her story:

Singapore-listed Del Monte Pacific Ltd will buy the canned food business of Del Monte Foods Consumer Products Inc for $1.7 billion, gaining a direct presence in the key U.S. market and reuniting a substantial portion of the Del Monte brand family. The deal will also allow San Francisco-based Del Monte Foods to concentrate on its pet foods unit, including the recent acquisition of Natural Balance. Del Monte Foods was acquired in 2011 by Vestar Capital Partners, KKR and Centerview Capital in a deal valued at $5.3 billion.

American Roland Food Corp. (“Roland Foods”) and Vestar Capital Partners (“Vestar”) today announced that Vestar Capital Partners VI, L.P. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority interest in the Roland Foods family of companies, including Bruno Scheidt, Inc., American Roland Food Corp., Pro Warehouse Corp., and Costamar Corp.

On July 18th, the Board of Directors of St. John Knits named Bernd Beetz Chairman of the Board. On July 22nd, Mr. Beetz announced that Geoffroy van Raemdonck has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the company.

Vestar Capital Partners today announced that Norman W. Alpert and Robert L. Rosner have been named co-presidents of the Firm, effective immediately.

Symetra Financial Corp. purchased 6,089,999 of its common shares May 17 from certain affiliates of Vestar Capital Partners Inc., according to a Form 8-K filed May 21.

Vestar portfolio company Tervita Corporation announced today the closing of a US$650 million offering of Senior Secured Notes due 2018 and CDN$200 million in Senior Secured Notes due 2018 (collectively, the “Senior Secured Notes”) in a private placement.

Vestar Capital Partners, which yesterday agreed to sell Duff & Phelps Corp. (DUF) to investors including Carlyle Group LP (CG) for $665.5 million, will reap a more than three-times return on its stake in the investment-banking firm.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – December 6, 2012 – Vestar Capital Partners (“Vestar”) announced the completion of the sale of Sunrise Medical Inc. (“Sunrise Medical”) to funds advised by Equistone Partners Europe.

MALSCH, GERMANY and NEW YORK, NY, USA – November 6, 2012 – Sunrise Medical Inc. (“Sunrise Medical”) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its global mobility and seating operations to funds advised by Equistone Partners Europe (“Equistone”), one of Europe’s leading investors in mid-market buyouts.

Atlanta, GA – May 30, 2012 – Consolidated Container Company (CCC), a leading developer and manufacturer of rigid plastic packaging solutions in North America, today announced it will be acquired by affiliates of Bain Capital Partners LLC, a global private investment firm. Terms of the definitive agreement to purchase the privately held business from Vestar Capital Partners and its other investors were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close during the third quarter of 2012.

March 21, 2012; Mason, Michigan – Dart Container Corporation, based in Mason, MI, and Solo Cup Company, headquartered in Lake Forest, IL, today announced that they have signed a Definitive Agreement under which Dart Container will acquire Solo in a transaction valued at approximately $1 billion. Both companies are in the consumer and foodservice disposable packaging business. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval, is expected to close by the third quarter of this year.

CALGARY, AB (March 14, 2012) – One of North America’s leading environmental and energy service companies today became stronger by uniting more than a dozen business units under Tervita Corporation — a dynamic new brand committed to sustaining the life, health and energy of the planet by supporting responsible resource development.

LONDON — March 2, 2012 — AZ has received notification that The Carlyle Group and Vestar Capital Partners (the original “Major Shareholders”) have today each sold their residual shareholding in the Company to institutional investors, through a combined placing of 44,097,548 shares conducted by Deutsche Bank (the “Placing”). The Placing completes the entire sell down by the Major Shareholders of their respective holdings in AZ following the Company’s successful IPO in November 2010.

NEW YORK–February 28, 2012 — (BUSINESS WIRE) –Duff & Phelps Corporation (NYSE: DUF), a leading independent financial advisory and investment banking firm, today announced the pricing of a public offering of 4,500,000 shares of its Class A common stock at a price of $13.75 per share.