I've seen countless times in my career the importance of small businesses to have the right financial partner. For us, the best investments are ones where we can partner with ambitious and talented teams who embark on a journey to build a platform of growth and scale for the benefit of employees, customers, and all stakeholders, not just financial shareholders. Building those relationships and providing the financial support to help them thrive is tremendously rewarding.

Helping a good company become great certainly is its own reward. More important though, it’s the way we do it that matters. I liken it to the stewardship championed by folks that embrace mother nature in their camping ethic. We were here, but we respected the territory and left it in even better shape than when we arrived.

Working in a team-oriented culture that shares my goals and values inspires me every day. I enjoy our relationship driven focus that holds honesty and integrity above all and the long term perspective we take with our partners. Our culture allows me to be creative and an independent thinker as we look for ways to add value to our partner companies and deliver strong risk adjusted returns for our investors.

In investing, the work is exciting on its own, but developing and strengthening partnerships with the people I work with brings real meaning and personal satisfaction.

At True West, being able to collaborate with talented, genuine partners and colleagues makes overcoming challenges more rewarding and the successes even more meaningful.

I derive the most satisfaction when I can be close enough to a business to actually affect it. Underwriting it, then working alongside the people leading the company.

True West is built for this. We’re small enough that everyone owns their work and is expected to have a view and voice it. The culture here rewards independent thinking over hierarchy. That same directness extends outward. We are straight with our partners, even during hard conversations. In the lower middle market, candor is more than a nicety. Founders and independent sponsors trust us with what they built. Our reputation outlasts any single outcome, and is defined by always maintaining the long view.

Doing diligent work with people I respect, on businesses where the outcome genuinely matters, is exactly what I was looking for when I joined True West.

What I love most about this work is knowing the impact goes beyond numbers to helping small businesses grow in ways that affect the employees, customers, and communities behind them. In this kind of work, every deal brings me into contact with new people and new perspectives. Those interactions keep me curious and growing.

At True West, I was drawn to being a part of a team that genuinely cares and takes the long view, prioritizing relationships. Being around like minded people who share those values makes the work even more meaningful.

I believe the most successful businesses focus on people and partnerships. That is especially true in the lower middle market. True West embodies this belief, treating all team members like owners, proactively solving any issues (either good or bad) that our partners experience, and striving to do more for our investors than simply driving True West portfolio returns. I feel lucky to have such great colleagues at True West, whom I consider family, and I remain energized by the entrepreneurs that we partner with to continue to help grow their businesses.

We are close knit team priding ourselves on being quick studies, providing creative capital solutions, and a partnership approach. That makes us nimble, effective decision makers when time is critical. It also means everyone's talents matter. Everybody in this office is encouraged to speak up if they see something about a deal that needs close scrutiny. You don't see that in many larger firms.

Growing up in Eastern Oregon, I've seen first-hand that building a thriving business has impacts extending far beyond the returns we realize for our partners and ourselves. One company’s success can ripple throughout the community. Those stories and local relationships are among the most satisfying aspects of this work.