Investment Strategy

Our investment strategy is based on the principle that we are better investors when we understand the industry, the company and the management team in whom we are investing. Therefore, we have organized ourselves around industry expertise and geography. We also find that when we know a company and its management team well before the sale process begins, we have a deeper appreciation for the potential risks and rewards associated with the opportunity.

Our Consumer Team has interests and experience in investing in consumer products (Allen Edmonds), retailing (Wilsons Leather, Westlake, Byerly’s), food (Michael Foods, Vitality), restaurants (Houlihan’s, Bakers Square and Village Inn), and services (Blockbuster, Mid-America). We also have a growing interest in healthcare services.

Our Industrial and Business Services Team has interest and experience in investing in both outsourced services (Lancaster, Petermann, Transport America) and manufacturing (Remmele, Union Metal, Hartzell, Deltak).

Our long-term relationships with these companies and their management teams often come from our active participation in certain industries, but we also find that geography can play a strong role.

As one of a very few private equity firms in the Upper Midwest with years of experience in the business, we find that the recommendations that often matter most to a seller come from our long standing relationships. Surprising to many is how often entrepreneurs choose to entrust to us the future of their business without a full blown auction process to choose a “winner.” We believe that the better we know our new partners and their business, and the better they know us, the more helpful we can be as a company develops. Consequently we welcome inquiries from entrepreneurs even when no transaction is on the immediate horizon.