The Ariel Group, a portfolio company of Renovus Capital, has acquired The Baron Group, a provider of sales training.
The Baron Group delivers sales and sales management training programs to sales professionals in the banking, professional services, insurance, consumer products, manufacturing, technology, pharmaceuticals and advertising sectors. Clients include BNY Mellon, Prudential Insurance, Citi, UBS, Gartner, Ogilvy and Onyx Pharmaceuticals. The company was founded in 1992 by Eric Baron and is based in Westport, CT (www.barongroup.com).
“Sales training has long been an area of strategic focus for us and The Ariel Group,” said Atif Gilani, co-founder of Renovus Capital Partners. “Eric Baron is the perfect partner to lead our expansion into this area.”
The Ariel Group, acquired by Renovus Capital in 2012, is a provider of training programs that teach leadership and communications skills to mid- and senior-level executives. Using techniques from the theater, Ariel trains managers on how to connect with their audience, whether it is a key client, a colleague or an employee. Customers include American Express, Capital One, Coca-Cola, Harvard Business School, Procter & Gamble, Thyssen-Krupp, and a mix of other Fortune 1000 corporations and MBA programs. The company is based in Lexington, MA (www.arielgroup.com).
“Our training participants are successful businesspeople who need to develop their leadership skills in order to move up, and many of them need coaching for client-facing, business development and sales situations,” said Sean Kavanagh, Ariel’s CEO. “At the same time, companies are increasingly relying on key professionals with strong relationship-building skills to stay ahead. The combination of The Baron Group’s proven consultative sales methodology and Ariel’s theater-based approach to developing Leadership Presence will provide a unique, much-needed service to the market.”
Renovus Capital Partners invests from $5 million to $15 million in education related companies that have less than $10 million of EBITDA. Within education, sub-sectors of interest include schools, training, content providers, technology, and services. Renovus is currently investing its first fund, a $180 million SBIC fund focusing on small and mid-sized businesses within the education and training sector. To date, the fund has invested over $70 million in six portfolio companies in verticals such as corporate training, career colleges, and technology enabled content. Renovus was founded in 2010 and is based in Wynnewood, PA, a suburb of Philadelphia (www.renovuscapital.com).
© 2013 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 10-10-13
