Lakeview Investment Partners

Overview

Lakeview Investment Partners is a private equity firm based in Birmingham, Michigan, focusing on investing in companies that present clear opportunities to leverage their unique expertise to add value. The firm is the private investment arm of Lakeview Capital, Inc., the family office of Jay Alix. Lakeview's team members have deep experience in operations, finance, corporate governance, consulting, and private equity investing. Their investment approach seeks to perpetuate growth by combining their experience with an extensive network, permanent capital base, and a corporate governance approach that balances advising and mentoring management teams with providing them the freedom to operate. Lakeview's capital base is patient and flexible, with a uniform objective of long-term compounded growth. The firm aims to grow this capital by partnering with world-class management teams and investing in industry-leading, middle-market companies. They have no fixed exit date, allowing for a nimble, opportunistic approach to exit planning. Lakeview encourages management teams to leverage the extensive relationships built over many years of doing deals and operating businesses, not just in the context of financings and M&A, but also in major operational initiatives like customer introductions, vendor selection, and high-level hires. The firm has a deep understanding of the risks and benefits of employing financial leverage and tends to favor more conservative debt levels, especially at the onset of an investment. Lakeview aims to establish resilient capital structures and balance sheets that provide management teams with the operational flexibility necessary to both overcome adversity and act opportunistically. They are comfortable being a minority partner and are able to invest throughout the capital structure, although their preference is to invest in common equity. Lakeview places great trust in management teams as stewards of capital and companies, ensuring close alignment through incentive equity and performance-based compensation tied to clear, measurable long-term goals. They strive to develop cultures within their portfolio companies that promote integrity, professionalism, open communication, continuous improvement, and informed decision-making. Lakeview's small, flat, and agile investment team enables them to process information efficiently, make decisions promptly, and provide timely feedback. They are not reliant on outside functions or committees and have no financing contingencies for their own capital. The firm takes corporate governance seriously and adheres to established best practices, with governance requirements similar to those of institutional funds, primarily related to capital allocation parameters and reporting. They put in place strong boards formed with members that bring experience and sector knowledge to their partners, advocating for consensus building prior to board decisions and ensuring board votes are confirmatory in nature. Lakeview is not involved in the day-to-day operations of their portfolio companies, preferring to delegate responsibility to the management team. As a family office, Lakeview is unencumbered by contrived exit timelines that are increasingly commonplace in the private equity industry. They have a longer-term outlook than most investors, consistent with their philosophy that making decisions with an eye toward enterprise perpetuation is the only way to be a good steward of capital and companies. This translates into a nimble, opportunistic approach to exit planning, with no predetermined investment timeframe. By staying flexible, they are able to keep their eyes open to reinvestment opportunities and realize the efficiencies they offer relative to follow-on investments, leading to more closely aligned incentives and stability within the capital structure for their portfolio companies.

Investment Focus

• Companies with clear opportunities to leverage unique expertise to add value

Portfolio Companies