Middle market private equity firm Wafra Partners has promoted Jeff Gerson and Andrew Thompson to Managing Director and Alex Blair to Assistant Vice President.
“Jeff and Andrew are seasoned and well-rounded private equity professionals who have been involved in so much of our success at Wafra, and Alex has been a major contributor from the time he joined us,” said Peter Petrillo, Senior Managing Director. “We look forward to continued success in marrying management of portfolio companies with experienced professionals from the time we first meet and through post-acquisition value creation.”
Mr. Gerson joined Wafra in 2007 and has been active in several of the firm’s current investments and recent exits including Architectural Testing and Freedom Scientific. Prior to joining Wafra, he worked at Lane, Berry & Co. and Rhone Capital, and he began his career in the investment banking division of Salomon Smith Barney. He has an MBA from MIT and a BA in History from the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Thompson joined Wafra in 2006 and has been active in several of the firm’s current investments and recent exits including Accent-Fairchild Group, Best Lighting Products and Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. Prior to joining Wafra he worked at Navigant Capital Partners. He has an MBA from New York University and a BS in both accounting and finance from Indiana University.
Mr. Blair joined Wafra in 2015 and was previously with investment bank Harris Williams & Co. He has a BS in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina.
Wafra invests up to $30 million of equity per transaction in middle market companies based in North America that have enterprise values between $20 million and $150 million. Typical investments have revenue of $20 million or more and EBITDA of $4 million or more. Sectors of interest include consumer products, outsourced business services, niche manufacturing, and consumer-driven services. The firm is based in New York (www.wafrapartners.com).
© 2016 Private Equity Professional • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 3-16-16
