Garden City Equity

What Garden City Equity does

Garden City Equity is a people-first holding company founded in 2020 by Michael Arrieta (former Global VP and Chief of Staff to the CEO at DocuSign) that acquires and grows family- and founder-owned service businesses for the long term. Headquartered in Charlotte, NC, the firm targets lower middle-market companies with $5-25M+ of annual net income, 10+ years of operational history, and 10%+ net margins in the US South and Southwest, offering a 90-day acquisition process with simple terms and minimal debt. Garden City positions itself as a permanent home for businesses, explicitly stating it has no intention of ever selling acquired companies.

The firm operates through a portfolio of wholly owned subsidiaries, each retaining its operating brand: Essig Pools & Pavers (pool construction, acquired 2021), RevPartners (HubSpot implementation, acquired 2021), Connext (IT deployment for national chains, acquired 2022), Wathco (restaurant remodeling across 48 states, acquired 2023), Westbrook Service Company (commercial HVAC/electrical/plumbing, acquired 2024), WeBuild (custom store elements for restaurant/retail brands, acquired 2024), Commercial Residential Aluminum (premium outdoor aluminum products, acquired 2025), and Duncan & Sons Building Maintenance (acquired 2022). Portfolio companies collectively employ more than 500 team members, and Garden City has executed add-on acquisitions at the portfolio level (Connext acquired Trextel in 2024; CRA acquired American Lightscapes in 2025).

Garden City generates returns through long-term ownership and operational growth of its portfolio companies rather than through a unified product or technology platform; the core technology description is 'Not applicable' because it is a holding company. The firm monetizes a 200+ family network of mission-aligned investors, having raised an initial $51M private equity fund in November 2021 and a $255M fund in February 2026, with notable backers including Dan Cathy, Pat Gelsinger, Horst Schulze, Drew Brees, Tim Tebow, and other executives, athletes, and musicians. Its go-to-market combines direct deal sourcing with a referral program paying $100K finders fees plus $25K charity donations, supported by a bi-weekly newsletter reaching 5,000+ subscribers and annual shareholder summits.

Name

Garden City Equity

Legal name

Garden City Equity

Website

https://gardencityequity.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Garden City Equity is a people-first holding company that acquires and grows family- and founder-owned service businesses in the US South and Southwest for the long term, using minimal debt and a network of 200+ mission-aligned investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity / Holding Company

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Lower Mid-Market Buyout (FSANABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Geography-Specialist Buyout (Regional/Country-Focused) (FSANABAF), Business Services (B2B) Growth Equity (FSANACAD), Small-Cap / Micro-Buyout (FSANABAD)

Keywords

• Private equity holdings
• Family business acquisitions
• Buy-and-hold strategy
• Lower middle market
• Holding company investments

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Portfolio Company Operations: Garden City Equity generates returns through long-term ownership and growth of acquired portfolio companies across various service sectors including HVAC, IT deployment, pool construction, restaurant remodels, and aluminum products. The firm uses minimal debt and invests for the long term, creating value through operational improvements, strategic partnerships, and add-on acquisitions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Garden City Equity is a people-first holding company that acquires and grows exceptional founder and family-owned service businesses for the long term. It purchases lower middle-market companies in the US South and Southwest with up to $25 million of EBITDA, provides liquidity and succession options to owners, retains existing management teams, and operates the businesses indefinitely under a minimal-debt buy-and-hold strategy. The firm generates returns through long-term ownership and operational improvement of its portfolio companies.

Product overview

Garden City Equity is a people-first holding company that acquires and grows exceptional founder and family-owned businesses for the long term. The company operates through a portfolio of six acquired service businesses: Commercial Residential Aluminum (premium outdoor aluminum products), Connext (IT deployment services), Westbrook Service Company (commercial HVAC/electrical/plumbing), Wathco (restaurant remodeling), Essig Pools & Pavers (pool construction), and RevPartners (HubSpot implementation services). Rather than a unified product platform, Garden City functions as an operating company with distinct subsidiary brands serving various service sectors including construction, technology deployment, and facility services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Essig Pools & Pavers South Florida's leading provider of exceptional pool design, construction, and outdoor living solutions, ranked among the top 50 pool builders in the U.S. serving the South Florida market for over 40 years.
• Connext Provider of scalable IT project management and installation solutions for multi-site big-box retail, grocery, and QSR brands, specializing in network infrastructure, POS systems, and digital signage; has deployed over 1 million devices for 100+ enterprise customers.
• Wathco National leader in providing remodel, conversion, and expansion project services to multi-site restaurant, retail, and hospitality brands with nationwide footprints, having completed over 5,000 projects across 48 states since 1996.
• Westbrook Service Company Leading Florida-based provider of commercial HVAC, electrical, and plumbing services specializing in revitalizing mission-critical MEP infrastructure within commercial, education, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing buildings.
• WeBuild Manufacturer of custom store elements and provider of turn-key program management services for national restaurant and retail franchise brands, including custom fabrication, logistics, installation, general construction, and inventory management.
• Commercial Residential Aluminum (CRA) Florida-based market leader in the design, fabrication, and installation of premium outdoor aluminum product solutions including patio and pool enclosures, screen rooms, fencing, gutters, carports, and railings, with more than 30,000 aluminum screen enclosures fabricated and installed throughout Florida since 1992.
• RevPartners Provider of HubSpot implementation and optimization services for B2B companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90-day acquisition process from initial contact to closing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• American Lightscapes (CRA Acquisition)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 September 2025CRA, a Garden City portfolio company, acquired American Lightscapes, a Sarasota-based provider of landscape lighting and design solutions. This was CRA's first add-on acquisition since partnering with Garden City.
• Commercial Residential Aluminum (CRA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 July 2025Investment in CRA, a Florida-based market leader in design, fabrication, and installation of premium outdoor aluminum products. Founded in 1992, CRA has fabricated and installed more than 30,000 aluminum screen enclosures throughout Florida.
• Trextel (Connext Acquisition)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 March 2024Connext, a Garden City portfolio company, acquired Trextel, a managed services provider focused on enterprise connectivity, mobility, security and IoT technologies. This brings Connext's deployment services together with Trextel's ongoing managed services.
• WeBuildcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 February 2024Investment in WeBuild, a manufacturer of custom store elements for national restaurant and retail franchise brands. Founded in 2017, WeBuild provides custom fabrication, logistics, installation, general construction, and inventory management services.
• Westbrook Service CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2024Investment in Westbrook, a leading Florida-based provider of commercial HVAC, electrical, and plumbing services. Founded in 1949, Westbrook specializes in MEP infrastructure for commercial, education, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing buildings.
• WathcocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 July 2023Investment in Wathco, a national leader in restaurant remodeling services. Since 1996, Wathco has completed over 5,000 projects across 48 states serving multisite restaurant, retail, and hospitality brands.
• ConnextcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 June 2022Strategic growth investment in Connext, an Atlanta-based IT deployment company specializing in network infrastructure, POS systems, and digital signage for national chains and retailers. Connext has deployed over 1 million devices for 100+ enterprise customers.
• Essig PoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2021Acquired Essig Pools, a top 50 U.S. pool builder based in Miramar, Florida. The company has served South Florida for over 40 years and represents Garden City's entry into pool and outdoor living services sector.
• Hyde Park CapitalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHyde Park Capital advised Commercial Residential Aluminum (CRA) on its sale to Garden City Equity. Transaction was led by Hyde Park Capital with legal counsel from Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Blackstone: World's largest alternative asset manager with broad PE activity. Operates in adjacent space but targets larger opportunities with leveraged buyout models and short hold periods.
• KKR: Global mega-cap private equity firm with broad lower middle-market exposure. Competes for many of the same lower mid-market service business opportunities but with leveraged, time-limited fund structures.

Direct peers

• Huron Capital Partners: Lower middle-market PE firm focused on service-based businesses with EBITDA targets in a similar range. Uses buy-and-build strategies to grow family/founder-owned businesses across the US.
• Genstar Capital: Middle-market private equity firm focused on investing in software, business services, and financial services companies. Comparable target size and operational improvement orientation.
• Gridiron Capital: Lower middle-market private equity firm focused on founder/family-owned businesses, particularly in business services and consumer services. Closely comparable in target profile and acquisition approach.
• Audax Group: Lower middle-market PE firm focused on buy-and-build strategies with target EBITDA ranges overlapping Garden City's $5-25M target. Active in service and business services sectors with established add-on acquisition playbook.
• The Riverside Company: Global lower middle-market private equity firm focused on acquiring small and medium-sized enterprises, including many family/founder-owned businesses. Directly comparable in target deal size and southern US exposure.
• Berkshire Hathaway: The prototypical permanent-capital holding company. While vastly larger, Berkshire's buy-and-hold, decentralized operating model with minimal leverage and culture-preservation ethos makes it the philosophical template Garden City explicitly emulates.
• 1847 Holdings: Small-cap holding company that acquires and operates lower middle-market businesses for the long term. Operates a similar permanent-capital, decentralized holding model focused on service and consumer businesses.
• Compass Diversified Holdings: Publicly traded permanent-capital holding company (NYSE: CODI) that acquires and manages lower middle-market businesses across consumer, industrial, and business services. Closest direct comparable to Garden City's permanent-hold, multi-vertical service business strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/garden-city-companies
• Xx.com/JoinGardenCity
• Facebookfacebook.com/gardencityequity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments6 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Garden City Equity