Kainos Adds Food Pro
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Kainos Adds Food Pro

Kainos Capital, an investor in food and consumer-focused companies has hired Rob Ruegger as a new managing director. Mr. Ruegger has more than 30 years of experience in financial and general management in the food and consumer goods industries.

Most recently, from September 2016 to January 2019, Mr. Ruegger was the chief operating officer of Gehl Foods, a Germantown, WI-based maker and contract manufacturer of ready-to-serve, real dairy products and dairy-based beverages, and a portfolio company of Wind Point Partners. From 2012 to 2016, Mr. Ruegger was a senior vice president and general manager at Bay Valley Foods, a maker of private label food products (pickles and non-dairy creamers) based in El Paso, TX.

Kainos Capital invests from $50 million to $150 million of equity in manufacturers and marketers of food products, as well as other consumer products in the household and personal care industries, and over-the-counter health and nutritional products sectors.

“We are excited to have Rob join our organization as a valuable member of the Kainos Operations Team, which works closely in partnership with our portfolio company management teams to unlock greater value on behalf of our investors,” said Andrew Rosen, a managing partner of Kainos. “These dedicated resources make us the partner of choice to consumer products businesses looking to accelerate their growth and profitability – particularly family-owned businesses looking to take the next step in their evolution – and are an invaluable resource in situations that require greater management intensity such as corporate carve-outs.”

Prior to Bay Valley Foods, from 1999 to 2011, Mr. Ruegger was the chief financial officer of Manawa, WI-based Sturm Foods, a private label manufacturer of hot cereal and powdered soft drink mixes. Sturm Foods was a portfolio company of HM Capital (formerly Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst) where Mr. Rosen was a partner. Sturm Foods was sold by HM Capital to publicly-traded Treehouse Foods (NYSE: THS) in 2010. Earlier in his career, Mr. Ruegger held a range of financial positions at Schreiber Foods, a maker of cheese and yogurt products based in Green Bay, WI. Mr. Ruegger has a BA in economics and management from Beloit College and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

In November 2016, Kainos closed Kainos Capital Partners II LP with total equity commitments of $895 million. The new fund was oversubscribed and closed at its hard cap.

“As our investments continue to grow, so have our in-house operating abilities,” said Bob Sperry, a partner at Kainos. “Rob will work closely with our portfolio companies to help build and oversee their financial organizations and reporting capabilities. He joins our strong group of other talented operating executives in the areas of manufacturing process improvement and supply chain management who assist us in creating best-in-class companies in the food and consumer products sectors.”

Kainos Capital was founded in 2012 and is based in Dallas (www.kainoscapital.com).

© 2019 Private Equity Professional | February 28, 2019

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