Iris Dorbian

Chanticleer Holdings, an owner of Hooters of America, the popular restaurant franchise, said Wednesday that it has signed a non-binding letter of intent to buy American Roadside Burgers. According to terms of the preliminary agreement, Chanticleer will issue 740,000 shares of Hooters stock at $5 per share to the owners of ARB. In exchange, Chanticleer Holdings will assume minimal debt of ARB. The transaction is expected to close September 30, 2013. Based in Charlotte, N.C., ARB is a casual dining restaurant chain. In addition to Chanticleer, Hooters of America is also owned by several private equity investors, among them H.I.G. Capital and KarpReilly.

American Capital Energy & Infrastructure, a subsidiary of private equity firm American Capital, said Wednesday that it has named Abhay Pande as a managing director. In his new role, Pande will be responsible for sourcing, underwriting and managing energy and infrastructure investments in Asia. Based in Annapolis, MD, America Capital Energy & Infrastructure invests in global energy infrastructure assets, such as power plants, power distribution and transmission networks, energy transportation and fuel production.

RF Biocidics, which is backed by Allied Minds, said Wednesday that it has hired Dr. Parastoo Yaghmaee as director of process technology. In her new role, Yaghmaee will work with RF Biocidics’ clients on integrating the company’s equipment into their food processing systems. Based in Vacaville, Calif., RF Biocidics provides a chemical-free alternative for disinfection and disinfestation of food and other commodities.

Infinio said Wednesday that it has named Darren Thomas and Mike Tuchen to its advisory board. Recently, Thomas served as general manager and vice president of Dell's enterprise storage and networking divisions while Tuchen was CEO of Rapid7. Based in Cambridge, Mass., Infinio, which is backed by Highland Capital Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners and Lightspeed Venture Partners, is a provider of storage performance solutions.

Carey Watermark Investors said Wednesday that it has acquired Raleigh Marriott City Center from Interstate Hotels & Resorts for approximately $89 million. Based in downtown Raleigh, NC, the Raleigh Marriott City Center is a full-service, 400-room, 17-story hotel.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has named Mike Tomas to serve a four-year term on Workforce Florida's board of directors. Tomas is CEO of Bioheart, a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to treating heart disease. He is also president of the ASTRI Group, an early-stage private equity investment company that focuses on emerging private companies. Workforce Florida oversees the state's workforce system while also developing strategies that will improve its economy.

CIT Group said Wednesday that it has provided a senior secured credit facility to Tanker Solutions to finance its buy of the M/T Pike, a 73,700 DWT LR1 product tanker. No financial terms were disclosed. CIT Maritime Finance structured and executed the transaction. Tanker solutions is a joint venture managed by TPG Credit Management and Prime Tanker Management.

Brand Networks said Tuesday that it has beefed up its leadership team with two new hires. Anthony Green has been named senior vice president and Jeff Madison will become vice president of client services. Prior to joining Brand Networks, Green worked at Optimal while Madison served as COO at Sparkart Group. Headquartered in Boston, Mass., Brand Networks, which is backed by AEA Investors, is a provider of software solutions and digital marketing services.

Oppenheimer & Co. has named Doron Barness as head of New York institutional equity sales trading. Prior to joining Oppenheimer, Barness worked as a managing director at Goldman Sachs. Also, David Laufer and Anthony Mazzella have been promoted to co-heads of cash equity trading. Headquartered in New York City, Oppenheimer & Co. is an investment firm.

Revelry Brands said Tuesday that it has named Gil Fronzaglia as COO and Seth Beers as CFO. Prior to joining Revelry, Fronzaglia served as COO at Food Should Taste Good while Beers was CFO and COO at PACT Apparel. Based in Boulder, Colo., Revelry Brands is an investment firm that provides growth-stage private equity to companies in the natural foods and consumer products sectors.