What WoodLake Group does

WoodLake Group is a private investment firm founded in 1984, headquartered at 733 Third Avenue in New York City, with roots in Fieldston Investors and Seraphim Investment Group Inc. The firm targets lower middle market companies with $30-200M enterprise value and $5M+ EBITDA, partnering with private equity firms and family offices for co-investment and providing hands-on operational leadership through its core team of four professionals and the WoodLake Executive Partnership Program (WEPP). WoodLake currently holds 14 operating portfolio companies across automotive, aerospace & aviation, building products, business services, commercial industrial, food & beverage, and recreational sectors, having invested through at least five major recessions over its 40+ year history.

The firm generates returns through equity investments, earning management fees and carried interest from successful exits rather than through technology products or licensing revenue. Notable portfolio companies include StoneSource (high-end stone and tile distribution, expanded from 3 to 10 facilities under WoodLake ownership), Diamond Builders (prefabricated modular buildings, acquired 2023), Southern Siding (southeastern U.S. exterior installations, acquired 2021), Standard Precast (sold to Oldcastle/CRH in 2019), and SPC (telecom DSL repeater cases, sold to PPC/Belden in 2019 at 2.5X cash-on-cash). Go-to-market is relationship-driven, relying on direct co-investment partnerships with PE firms and family offices, content marketing through the company blog and vlogs, industry webinars (notably Aerospace & Defense with McGuireWoods, William Blair, and CIT Bank), and selective industry recognition including a 2017 ACG New York Champions Awards finalist designation.

Name

WoodLake Group

Legal name

WoodLake Group

Website

https://woodlake-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WoodLake Group is a private investment firm that partners with management teams to build lower middle market businesses with $30-200M enterprise value, currently holding 14 operating portfolio companies across industrial, building products, and B2B services sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Equity Investment Management

NAICS

Management of Companies and Enterprises (551), Offices of Other Holding Companies (551112)

SIC

Non-Operating Establishments (9995)

akta.pro primary industry

Onshore Private Banking (Domestic HNW/UHNW) (FSAAABAA)

Keywords

• Private equity investing
• Middle market acquisitions
• Portfolio company management
• Investment management services
• Co-investment partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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. Investment Management: WoodLake generates returns through equity investments in lower middle market companies, earning management fees and carried interest from successful exits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WoodLake Group is a private investment firm that partners with outstanding management teams to acquire, operate, and build exceptional lower middle market businesses with $30-200M enterprise value and $5M+ EBITDA. The firm provides both co-investment capital and hands-on operational leadership through its WoodLake Executive Partnership Program (WEPP), which matches experienced executives with portfolio companies for C-Suite or Board-level roles. WoodLake focuses on B2B companies across sectors including automotive, aerospace, building products, manufacturing, telecom, and commercial industrial.

Product overview

WoodLake Group is a private investment firm that operates as a single unified offering centered on partnering with management teams to build lower middle market businesses. The core investment services are complemented by the WoodLake Executive Partnership Program (WEPP), which matches experienced executives with portfolio companies. The firm maintains a diversified portfolio of 14 operating companies across sectors including Building Products (StoneSource, Valley Oak Cabinet Doors), Manufacturing (Diamond Builders, Southern Siding & Gutters, SPC), Construction Materials (Standard Precast Inc.), Automotive (SME), Industrial Manufacturing (Amicorp, Archon Woodworks), Oil & Gas (ThermaTech, TRC), Financial Services (Park Avenue Bank), and Hospitality (Caribbean Motel).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WoodLake Executive Partnership Program (WEPP): A program through which WoodLake Group collaborates with experienced executives in different sectors and functions to identify value-creating transactions and hold C-Suite or Board-level roles at portfolio companies.

Products and services

• Private Investment Services Private investment services partnering with outstanding management teams to build exceptional lower middle market businesses, focusing on B2B companies with $30-200M enterprise value and $5M+ EBITDA across sectors including automotive, aerospace, building products, and manufacturing.
• WoodLake Executive Partnership Program (WEPP) A collaborative program where WoodLake partners with experienced executives across different sectors and functions, matching them with portfolio companies for C-Suite or Board-level roles to build long-term value.

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% revenue increase while maintaining same EBITDA margin for Standard Precast
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Mazars USAminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPerformed Quality of Earnings study for Standard Precast acquisition, completed in record time during the due diligence process.
• McGuireWoodsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in WoodLake-hosted Aerospace & Defense webinar covering regulatory updates. McGuireWoods provided regulatory expertise for the industry discussion.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kian Capital Partners: Lower middle market PE firm targeting industrial and business services companies with EBITDA in a comparable range to WoodLake's $5M+ minimum threshold.
• Centre Partners: Lower middle market PE firm focused on family/founder-owned consumer, industrial, and business services businesses, with overlapping target company profiles and long-hold philosophy.
• Shoreline Equity Partners: Lower middle market PE firm focused on industrial, business services, and consumer companies, with similar target EV range and operational value creation approach.
• Trinity Hunt Partners: Lower middle market private equity firm partnering with management teams to build exceptional businesses, with comparable target sizes in the B2B industrial and business services space.
• Atlantic Street Capital: Lower middle market PE firm focused on services, consumer, and industrial sectors, with similar EV/EBITDA target ranges and add-on acquisition strategies.
• Comvest Partners: Middle market private investment firm focusing on lower middle market companies across business services, consumer, and industrial sectors, with comparable deal sizes and operational support approach.
• New Heritage Capital: Lower middle market private equity firm targeting founder/family-owned businesses, with comparable deal sizes and an operating partner model similar to WoodLake's WEPP approach.
• Sterling Investment Partners: Lower middle market PE firm focused on industrial, consumer, and business services companies with comparable EV targets and similar operating partner engagement model.
• Gallant Point Partners: Lower middle market PE firm partnering with management teams in B2B companies, overlapping with WoodLake's $30-200M EV target range and operational support model.

Broad incumbents

• Genstar Capital: Middle market PE firm operating across multiple sectors including industrial, business services, and financial services at a larger scale than WoodLake, representing the broader incumbent tier of middle market capital.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about WoodLake Group