Oxford Financial Group, Ltd. announced the formation and funding of Mayfair Capital Partners (MCP), an in-house private equity investment team based in Carmel, Indiana and Minneapolis, Minnesota. The division has been seeded with approximately $500 million of initial AUM to support MCP’s expected investment pace of one to two deals per year with an equity ticket size of $50 – 125 million per transaction; Oxford has earmarked $300 million of incremental capital. Oxford’s sophisticated multi-family office structure allows MCP to create long-term value by focusing on alignment of goals and incentives. We believe this structure also provides advantages compared to traditional private equity so MCP can be a flexible, patient and supportive capital partner.
Oxford has tapped Ben Ault (MSc), formerly a Managing Director with middle-market buyout firm Grey Mountain Partners, and Bo Ramsey (JD, MBA, CFA, CAIA), formerly Co-CIO of Pendyne Capital, to lead the MCP effort and serve as Co-Chairs of the MCP investment committee. Additionally, Ben and Bo are active members on the Board of Directors of MCP’s two current portfolio companies: Indiana-based POLYWOOD and California-based IDW. POLYWOOD is a category-leading outdoor products business that recovers and transforms landfill and ocean-bound plastic into furniture that lasts for generations. IDW is a provider of in-store marketing solutions, custom refrigeration units and point-of-purchase displays for some of the world’s leading consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies.
Brittany Barney, also formerly with Grey Mountain Partners, has joined to coordinate MCP’s deal sourcing efforts. Oxford Investment Fellows and Managing Directors Jared Nishida (CFA) and Ryan Shidler (CFA, CAIA), and Oxford Senior Investment Analyst Carl Jackson (MBA, CFA), round out the initial Mayfair Capital Partners senior investment team. The firm plans to add more investment professionals to the team in the coming year.
MCP has the flexibility to make control buyout investments, minority growth equity investments and co-investments. The firm will focus on partnering with great management teams to make control buyout investments in companies with $10-30 million of EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) and non-control growth equity investments in companies at or better than EBITDA break-even. MCP will primarily make investments in high-margin, category-leaders with sustainability attributes in consumer products and services, business services, software and tech-enabled services and health & wellness related end markets.
The development of Mayfair Capital Partners is an extension of the Mayfair direct investment program, which has been an in-house division of Oxford since 2003, historically managing approximately $800 million of AUM in aggregate exclusively for the benefit of Oxford’s 700+ high net worth families and institutional clients. The formation of MCP represents a significant commitment of Oxford resources in order to better serve the needs of its client base and meet the growing demand for private equity allocations.
The Oxford team began making private equity investments in the 1980’s and currently has more than $1 billion of aggregate limited partner (LP) commitments in approximately three dozen private equity funds.* The firm also manages a series of $100 million co-investment funds, including a recently raised $115 million, 2021 vintage co-investment fund. Oxford is actively making investments in new private equity partnerships and plans to invest in 4-6 new general partner (GP) relationships per year.
Oxford Financial Group, Ltd.™ is the premier multi-family office in the Midwest and one of the largest independent RIA firms in the country with oversight of approximately $26.7 billion in assets under advisement (which includes assets under management). Oxford was founded in 1981 and provides multi-generational estate planning advice and forward-thinking investment solutions to 700+ significant families and prodigious institutional clients in 37 states.** Oxford remains privately owned and has more than 150 professionals including CPAs, attorneys, CFAs and CFP® certificants, with locations in Chicago, Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis and Minneapolis. Oxford is an independent, fee-only firm that is privately held by its partners, with special expertise in Bespoke Generational Solutions, Aspirational Solutions and Diversifier Strategies. The firm provides conflict-free advisory services, with fee-only compensation and no proprietary products, commissions, soft dollars or finder’s fees.