Wheelhouse has expanded into private equity investing through the newly formed Wheelhouse Capital Partners, which is backed by Global Endowment Management (GEM).
Wheelhouse Capital Partners is looking to acquire lower middle market businesses in the USD10 million to USD30 million range in its two core sectors: healthcare and industrial services.
“After a great deal of preparation, we are proud to incorporate private equity investing into our already unique business model,” says Steve Simpson, Wheelhouse co-founder and managing partner. “This expansion is a natural evolution for our firm and we are pleased to add GEM as a partner.”
After working closely with private equity firms for years in a variety of different companies, Steve Simpson and Mark Graham formed Wheelhouse in 2009. In the six years since, Wheelhouse has applied its strong leadership philosophy and hands-on management skills to achieve demonstrable growth for a variety of private equity portfolio companies.
Wheelhouse Capital Partners will adopt the same approach with its portfolio companies, leveraging the skills of its multi-disciplinary group of experts in areas such as finance, information technology, business intelligence and sales and marketing.
“What sets Wheelhouse Capital Partners apart is the track record and experience of our team,” says Mark Graham, Wheelhouse co-founder and managing partner. “Our bench of management experts will provide strategic direction and improve operations to help our portfolio companies become better, stronger and more valuable.”
The Wheelhouse Capital Partners team is made up of former CEOs and management professionals across a broad base of industries, led by Graham and Simpson, who have deep backgrounds in healthcare and industrial services.
“GEM’s private investing strategy is to seek out partners with an eye for value, operational intensity and proven experience growing businesses,” says Hugh Wrigley, GEM managing director. “Mark and Steve bring all of these qualities to the table, and our partnership with them embodies the next generation of private equity.”
