River Named in the Inc. Private Equity 50 List
Chattanooga, TN, October 27, 2020
River Associates Investments Named in Inc.’s 2020 Private Equity 50 List
Annual roundup of founder-friendly private equity firms that treat entrepreneurs as partners
Inc. today announced its second annual Private Equity 50 list, honoring the most founder-friendly PE firms that help founder-led businesses thrive, even in the face of unprecedented challenges.
Inc. media states that the final list recognizes 50 firms that entrepreneurs can trust, collaborate with on new strategies, and look to help in financing acquisitions during these uncertain times. All 50 have a successful track record of backing entrepreneurs.
“I get the chance to interact with many entrepreneurs who have relentless drive and want to build a business that fixes problems, improves a process, or makes the world a better place. But to do that, it often takes the backing from a private equity firm that will provide more than just financial backing. It takes wholeheartedly supporting that vision and treating the founders like partners,” says, Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. media.
“It is a sincere honor to be recognized on the Inc. Private Equity 50 list” said Mark Jones, a 25 year partner with River Associates. “As a firm established in 1989, we’ve always adhered to the statement on our letterhead: Investments with Management.
“Since its founding, River Associates has made nearly 100 investments and in each case we’ve treated the entrepreneur owners, their management teams and employees with respect and transparency in the true spirit of partnership. From our perspective, private equity should view each transaction as investing in people versus buying a company; those people are truly what make a business successful. The private equity industry has grown and changed significantly since our formation, but the value of respecting a company’s individual culture is not faddish and never goes out of style. We wouldn’t currently be investing our seventh private equity fund without the hard work of so many entrepreneurs and their teams.
“We believe our dedication to the people with whom we work is also a key reason that the River Associates team has so much tenure, as illustrated by our five partners having a combined 120+ years with the firm. We keep relationships at the forefront of all we do and intentionally remain focused on investing in lower middle market companies operating in a variety of industries and located in the US and Canada.”
To compile the list, Inc. went straight to the source: entrepreneurs who have sold to private equity. Founders filled out a questionnaire about their experiences partnering with private equity firms and shared data on how their portfolio companies have grown during these partnerships.
To see the complete list, go to: http://www.inc.com/private-equity
Introduced in 2019, the 50 Founder-Friendly Private Equity Firms list quickly established itself as one of Inc.’s most resourceful franchises. It has become a go-to guide for entrepreneurs who want to grow their companies while retaining an ownership stake.
The November 2020 issue of Inc. magazine is available online now at https://www.inc.com/magazine and will be on newsstands beginning October 27.
About Inc.
The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community they need to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
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About River Associates
River Associates Investments (“River Associates”) is a private equity firm based in Chattanooga, TN, that focuses exclusively on investing in the lower middle-market and has served as a financial sponsor partner for management teams for 30 years. Target businesses can be privately held, private equity-backed, or divestitures from larger companies. River Associates is opportunistic as to industry and has invested in numerous manufacturers, high margin distributors, industrial service providers and business service companies. The firm targets U.S. & Canadian companies typically with EBITDA in the $3-15 million range. Since its founding in 1989, River Associates has initiated more than 95 transactions, many of which have been strategic add-on acquisitions to platform companies. The firm is currently investing River VII, LP with $285 million in committed capital. For more information visit www.riverassociates.com or reach out to Mark Jones.