Investment Profile: Cravey, Green & Wahlen Looks for Buyouts and Acquisitions

Editor’s note: Local Tech Wire profiles a venture or investment firm operating in the Carolinas and Georgia each Monday through Friday. Matthew Burns, Worth Civils and Daniel Pearson compiled the series. One of the largest buyout firms in the Southeast, Cravey, Green & Wahlen focuses on acquisitions and recapitalizations of middle-market companies, typically involving transactions valued between $25 million and $200 million.

The 18-year-old firm has more than $750 million under management, and although its portfolio consists primarily of manufacturing and distribution companies, it has backed technology firms like Impact Innovations Group, an Atlanta information technology consultant.

The majority of CGW’s investments support leveraged buyouts of businesses that are being sold by larger corporations, creating entrepreneurial opportunities for talented management teams. The firm looks for successful, experienced managers who want to grow and are willing to take on significant ownership stakes in their companies.

Since many of the industries CGW invests in are fairly mature, it looks for consolidation plays to help its portfolio companies grow and provides the necessary funding so they can acquire complementary businesses. The firm also helps the owners of private companies obtain liquidity through sales or recapitalizations.

Here’s the skinny:

Featured Firm: Cravey, Green & Whalen, Inc.

Mailing address:

12 Piedmont Center, Suite 210
Atlanta, GA 30305

Phone number: (404)816-3255

Web site: www.cgwip.com

Management Team:

Richard L. Cravey
Edwin A. Whalen, Jr.
Bart A. McLean
Garrison M. Kitchen
Michael D. Long
Roy R. Brown

Focus of firm: Diversified, non-technology companies

Money under management: $700 million

Companies funded over the last five years:

Alabama Metal Industries
Interfilm Holdings, Inc.
Impact Innovations Group
Jen-Coat, Inc.
Carlton-Bates Co.

In what size range: $10 million to $40 million

Sweet Spot (types of deals, stage of the company): Buyout or acquisition financing.

Friday’s profile: Intelligent Systems Corp.

Previous profiles can be found by searching under Venture Watch. The list, by date:

Feb. 11: Academy Venture Funds
Feb. 12: Atlantic Group
Feb. 13: Aurora Fund
Feb. 14: Capital Investment Partners
Feb. 15: Carolina Financial Group
Feb. 18: Carousel Capital
Feb. 19: Catalysta Partners
Feb. 20: Charlotte Angel
Feb. 21: Draper Atlantic
Feb. 22: Eno River
Feb. 25: Halifax Group
Feb. 26: Intersouth Partners
Feb. 27: Kitty Hawk Capital
Feb. 28: NC Enterprise Corp.