Our Partnership Model

Purpose-Built for Enduring,
Above-Market Growth

We’ve worked for nearly three decades to create a model and culture that truly support the goals and aspirations of middle-market management teams.

Gryphon’s fully integrated operating approach brings our five industry groups’ Investment Professionals together with our Operating Partners, tenured Functional Specialists, and relevant board-level Executive Advisors in a distinctive culture of collaboration. Our Proactive Investment Strategies identify the best companies and teams and help us align with them.


Operating Partners

Our Operating Partners are co-leaders of the Gryphon industry-focused investment teams. Recruited from the senior leadership ranks of their respective industries, they work closely with our investment professionals and portfolio company management. As successful former CXOs with multiple leadership roles, they bring relevant experience, relationships, and insights to every aspect of the acquisition and value-creation process.

For portfolio management teams, Gryphon Operating Partners serve as trusted advisors and sounding boards, during critical moments. Operating Partners understand what it is to be a CEO, and as senior members of the Gryphon team, help portfolio leadership guide new initiatives, access valuable resources, and navigate pivotal moments of a company’s transformation and growth trajectory.

Gryphon Operating Partners pride themselves on being active partners – “doers” who roll up their sleeves and work alongside management, not “pointers” who identify problems. They endeavor to accelerate growth by serving as a “force multiplier” for management, providing active leverage where it’s needed most.

Functional Specialists

Our Gryphon Operating Partners bring decades of C-suite experience to our management teams and provide hands-on operating support through our team of Functional Specialists.

Gryphon Operating Partners orchestrate the deployment of our Functional Specialists at the request of our management teams. Our specialists have deep expertise in Human Capital, Finance and Accounting, Information Technology, Capital Markets, and Due Diligence.  We believe that human capital is at the heart of driving growth and as such our Human Capital team offers a full suite of people-related services and expertise within Human Resources, Organizational Development, and Talent Acquisition.

Executive Advisory Board

The Gryphon Executive Advisory Board (GEAB) includes 65 current and former leaders of companies across our targeted industry sectors.

The GEAB is part of the broader Gryphon Executive Network, a vibrant and growing network of 300+ operational and strategic leaders aligned with both recurring operational needs and our proactive investment strategies.

Since our earliest days, we have endeavored to surround Gryphon and our portfolio with the very best operational expertise and leadership. Over the years, we’ve learned that knowing the right people is only the beginning: translating insight to action requires a culture of collaboration and efficient processes. 

Proactive Investment Strategies

Prior to investing in a new subsector, our Industry Sector Groups spend significant time—often more than a year—developing proprietary sector insights, operational playbooks, and board-level relationships with the most relevant leaders from the target industry.

For management teams, this means we show up to our partnership prepared with useful relationships and resources. Anchored in a culture of collaboration, we share what we’ve learned with management and then ask them to do the same before we chart a course forward together.