Roark Capital Group

Roark Capital Group

Type	Private
Industry	Private equity
Founded	2001
Founder	Neal Aronson, Founder & Managing Partner
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Products	Leveraged buyout
Total assets	$6 billion
Number of employees	37+
Website	roarkcapital.com

Roark Capital Group is an American private equity firm with over $6.3 billion in equity capital raised since inception that is focused on leveraged buyout investments in middle-market companies primarily in the franchise/multi-unit, restaurant and food, retail healthcare and business services sectors. The firm is named for Howard Roark, the protagonist in Ayn Rand's novel, The Fountainhead. The firm's name is not meant to connote any particular political philosophy but instead signifies the firm's admiration for the iconoclastic qualities of independence and self-assurance embodied by The Fountainhead's central figure.

History

The firm, which is based in Atlanta, Georgia, was founded in 2001 by the current Managing Partner, Neal K. Aronson. Senior team members include Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer Paul D. Ginsberg, and Managing Directors Timothy Armstrong, Stephen D. Aronson, Toby Chambers, Ezra S. Field, Erik Morris and Steven Romaniello.

Prior to founding Roark Capital Group, Aronson was a co-founder of U.S. Franchise Systems. Roark has raised four institutional private equity funds. The firm raised its first institutional fund in 2005 with $413 million.^[1] The firm's second fund was closed in 2008 with $1 billion of investor commitments.^[2] The firm's third institutional fund was closed in 2012 with $1.5 billion of investor commitments.^[3] The firm's fourth fund was closed in December 2014 with $2.5 billion in investor commitments. Prior to its first fund, Roark raised capital on an as-needed basis, investing approximately $150 million in seven companies from 2001 through 2005.

Investments

Roark's current and former portfolio companies include:

• Anytime Fitness
• Arby's
• Atkins Nutritionals
• Batteries Plus
• CKE Restaurants: (Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Green Burrito and Red Burrito)
• Fastsigns
• Driven Brands: (Maaco, Meineke)
• Focus Brands: (Auntie Anne's.,^[4] Carvel,^[5][6] Cinnabon,^[7] McAlister's Deli, Moe's Southwest Grill,^[8] Schlotzsky's^[9])
• Drybar, LLC
• GFL
• Great Expressions Dental Centers
• Il Fornaio^[10]
• Jimmy John's^[11]
• Corner Bakery Cafe
• Massage Envy Spas
• Miller's Ale House
• Naf Naf Grill
• Orangetheory Fitness
• PetValu and Bosley's Petstores
• Pet Supermarket
• Primrose Schools
• Qualawash
• Simply Floored
• Solterra Recycling
• The Home Service Store
• Wingstop

References

1. US Roark Capital Group closes first institutional private equity fund on $413m. AltAssets, March 1, 2005
2. Roark closes second private equity fund on $1bn. AltAssets, February 4, 2008
4. http://www.centralpennbusiness.com/article-multiple/84142-atlanta-franchisor-to-acquire-auntie-annes
5. Equity Firm Buys Controlling Stake In Carvel. New York Times, December 11, 2001
6. New Roark Capital Screams Ice Cream. Reuters Buyouts, January 7, 2002 Cached
7. Focus Brands To Buy Cinnabon From AFC Enterprises. New York Times, September 9, 2004
8. FOCUS Brands Buys Moe's Southwest Grill - Restaurant News - QSR Magazine
9. Focus Brands buying Schlotzsky's, Austin Business Journal, November 20, 2006.
10. "Atlanta's Roark Capital buys Il Fornaio parent firm". San Francisco Chronicle. 2011-06-14.
11. "Roark Capital Buys Majority Stake in Jimmy John's". The Wall Street Journal. 2016-09-08.

External links

• Roark Capital Group (company website)