Compass Group Equity Partners

Compass Group is a private investment firm based in St. Louis (Missouri, U.S.) that partners with small-to-medium-sized private companies prioritizing people, values, and results. They focus on long-term value creation by investing alongside owners and management teams of closely-held businesses. The firm typically invests $10-$30 million in long-term capital to acquire control positions in privately held companies with revenues between $20-$100 million.

Compass Group follows a thematic investment strategy in the lower middle market by analyzing and researching subsectors that exhibit strong macroeconomic trends within niche manufacturing & distribution and business & consumer services industries. Their geographical focus lies in the Mid-America region, particularly the Midwestern United States. Since their first investment in 2015, Compass Group has invested in 14 portfolio companies and more than 230 bolt-ons and has completed four exits at returns exceeding expectations.

Financial Characteristics sought:

- Enterprise values of $10 million to $100 million

- EBITDA between $2 million and $12 million

- A path to EBITDA margins greater than 10%

- Equity investments of up to $50 million