Pacific Growth Investors

What Pacific Growth Investors does

Pacific Growth Investors (PGI) is a Torrance, California-based private equity firm founded in 2003 as the successor to Vintage Capital Partners. The firm is co-led by Managing Partners Mark A. Sampson and Thomas Webster, with Operating Partners Robert Thompson and Timothy Dowd, and provides flexibly-structured equity-plus-debt capital solutions ranging from $5 million to $25 million per transaction to lower middle market companies with revenues exceeding $20 million. Target sectors include Precision Manufacturing, Business Services, Technology, and Industrial, with focused sub-sectors in Aerospace/Aviation, Medical Device/Diagnostics, and Software, and a geographic mandate restricted to the Western United States.

PGI structures investments as majority or significant minority control positions using a blend of common equity, preferred equity, senior secured debt with warrants, and subordinated debt with warrants, designed to preserve operating control for incumbent management teams while delivering downside protection and upside participation for new capital. Across three funds (Vintage Capital Partners I, Vintage Capital Partners II, and PGI), the firm has invested nearly $300 million into 14 companies since inception, including Conquest Firespray, Emerge Diagnostics, Spectra Aerospace (formed in 2019 as a roll-up of Lanic Engineering and Gardena Specialized Processing), Originate, Sandel Avionics, and True Position Technologies (sold to HBD Industries in December 2017 as the first realization from VCP II).

PGI monetizes through traditional fund management economics: management fees on committed capital across its fund vintages plus carried interest on portfolio realizations. Deal sourcing is relationship-driven, relying on referrals from advisors, prior portfolio executives, and the firm's own network built through Association for Corporate Growth involvement and academic affiliations at Harvard Business School, Pepperdine, and UCLA Anderson. Operating partners provide hands-on C-suite guidance at portfolio companies, differentiating the firm from capital-only sponsors in the lower middle market.

Name

Pacific Growth Investors

Legal name

Pacific Growth Investors, LLC

Website

https://pginvestors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pacific Growth Investors is a Torrance-based private equity firm founded in 2003 that provides flexibly-structured equity and debt capital of $5-25 million to lower middle market companies in Precision Manufacturing, Business Services, Technology, and Industrial sectors across the Western U.S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity Investment Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Sector / Generalist Growth Equity (FSANACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrials & Manufacturing Growth Equity (FSANACAF), Technology & Software Growth Equity (FSANACAA)

Keywords

• Private equity investing
• Lower middle market
• Flexibly-structured equity debt
• Control financial sponsor
• Growth and recapitalization capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Torrance

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. Fund Management: PGI generates revenue through traditional private equity fund management structures, including management fees and carried interest (performance fees) from successful portfolio company realizations. The firm has managed three funds (Vintage Capital Partners I, II, and PGI) since 2003.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Pacific Growth Investors is a private equity firm that structures majority or significant minority equity investments for lower middle market companies in the Western U.S. The firm provides flexibly-structured equity plus debt capital solutions ranging from $5 million to $25 million, combining preferred equity, common equity, senior secured debt, and subordinated debt with warrants to fund organic growth, acquisitions, recapitalizations, management buyouts, and corporate divestitures. Investments target Precision Manufacturing, Business Services, Technology, and Industrial companies with revenues exceeding $20 million and positive or clear-path EBITDA.

Product overview

Pacific Growth Investors is a private equity firm that offers a single unified product: flexibly-structured equity plus debt capital solutions. The firm provides investment sizes ranging from $5 million to $25 million for companies with revenues exceeding $20 million, targeting Precision Manufacturing, Business Services, Technology, and General Industrial sectors. Their capital solutions combine common equity, preferred equity, subordinated debt with warrants, and senior secured debt with warrants to meet various growth objectives without requiring operating control from business owners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flexibly-Structured Equity Plus Debt Capital Solutions (Private Equity Investment Services) Core private equity offering investing $5M-$25M of preferred equity, common equity, senior secured debt, and subordinated debt with warrants in lower middle market companies with over $20M in revenue and positive EBITDA to fund organic growth, acquisitions, recapitalizations, management buyouts, and corporate divestitures. Targets Precision Manufacturing, Business Services, Technology, and Industrial companies in the Western U.S.
• Vintage Capital Partners I (VCP I) Fund Fund vehicle through which Pacific Growth Investors (and its predecessor Vintage Capital Partners) invests in lower middle market companies. VCP I held portfolio investments including PlayNetwork, ATS Systems, Avioserv, eScreen, and Lubricating Specialties Company.
• Vintage Capital Partners II (VCP II) Fund Fund vehicle through which Pacific Growth Investors makes investments. VCP II held investments including Sandel Avionics, with True Position Technologies as the first realization from VCP II, sold to HBD Industries in December 2017.
• Pacific Growth Investors (PGI) Fund Current fund vehicle through which PGI makes new equity plus debt investments. Active portfolio companies include Conquest Firespray, Emerge Diagnostics, Spectra Aerospace, and Originate.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful sale of True Position Technologies to HBD Industries in December 2017, marking first realization from Vintage Capital Partners II
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DoctorsNowcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2019Pacific Growth Investors portfolio company Emerge Diagnostics partnered with DoctorsNow to offer customized DoctorTriage and Virtual Wellness Clinics to enhance the Electrodiagnostic Functional Assessment Soft Tissue Management (EFA-STM) Program.
• Lanic Engineering (Lanic Aerospace)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2019Pacific Growth Investors formed Spectra Aerospace in partnership with its portfolio company Lanic Engineering (dba Lanic Aerospace) and Gardena Specialized Processing (GSP). PGI partnered with management to help rebuild and improve manufacturing facilities.
• Gardena Specialized Processing (GSP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2019Pacific Growth Investors formed Spectra Aerospace in partnership with portfolio company Lanic Engineering and Gardena Specialized Processing (GSP).
• CasKencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2018Pacific Growth Investors portfolio company Emerge Diagnostics partnered with CasKen to provide the transportation industry with more and easier access to Emerge Diagnostics' soft-tissue injury management program.
• Starr CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2018Starr Companies announced an agreement with Emerge Diagnostics, LLC to help clients by offering objective evidence to the pathology of an injury. This partnership provides medical professionals valuable information and helps employees return to work in a timely fashion while helping insureds with ADA and EEOC compliance.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Jordan Company: Middle market private equity firm targeting control investments in lower middle market industrial, business services, and consumer companies with checks often in the $25-250M range, comparable to PGI's $5-25M equity-plus-debt tickets.
• Quad-C Management: Lower middle market PE firm making $10-75M control investments in business services, industrials, and consumer companies; highly comparable in fund structure, check size range, and sector breadth to PGI.
• CIVC Partners: Lower middle market PE firm partnering with management in business services and consumer/institutional services companies; comparable in check size, control orientation, and flexible capital structuring approach to PGI.
• Graham Partners: Middle market PE firm focused on industrial technology and advanced manufacturing companies; PGI co-founder Tom Webster was on Graham Partners' investment team, and the two share a precision manufacturing / industrial orientation and similar check sizes.
• Sterling Investment Partners: Lower middle market PE firm making control investments in founder-led business services and industrial companies; comparable in geographic reach (U.S.), check size, and lower-middle-market company profile to PGI.
• Trinity Hunt Partners: Lower middle market PE firm focused on business services, consumer, and industrial companies across the U.S.; closely comparable in check size, control orientation, and emphasis on partnering with experienced management teams.
• Palladium Equity Partners: Middle market PE firm making control investments in lower middle market business services, industrials, and consumer companies with flexible capital structures; comparable in sponsor model and target company profile to PGI.
• Levine Leichtman Capital Partners: Lower middle market PE firm providing flexible capital solutions to founder-led businesses; PGI co-founder Mark Sampson was a Partner at LLCP, and both firms pursue similar control equity plus debt structures in similar company-size ranges.
• Riverside Company: Global lower middle market PE firm partnering with management teams across business services, industrials, and technology; comparable in flexible structuring, sector breadth, and lower middle market focus to PGI.

Regional players

• Riordan, Lewis & Haden: Lower middle market PE firm investing exclusively in Western U.S.-based founder-led businesses; directly comparable given the geographic focus on Western U.S. and similar LMM deal size, despite operating primarily in slightly larger checks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pacific-growth-investors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Pacific Growth Investors