Corporate Opportunities

Overview

Our flagship corporate opportunities funds pursue investments in growth-oriented middle market companies in North America and Europe. Our senior investment professionals average over 21 years of experience investing in, advising, underwriting and restructuring leveraged companies.

We seek to invest in high-quality middle market companies in our core industries - Healthcare, Services, Industrials and Consumer - where we can utilize our extensive growth-oriented investing experience, proprietary Value Creation System and our ability to flex into distressed to seek to generate consistent returns across market environments.

We seek to generate strong fund-level returns by identifying and investing in middle market inefficiencies. We will also seek to generate predictable alpha during our investment period by utilizing (i) our experience of systematically and sustainably helping build great businesses and (ii) our proprietary Value Creation System to help our companies drive long-term revenue and EBITDA CAGRs in excess of industry averages and market expectations. Utilizing these capabilities, we seek to align with management on a company's controllable growth levers (e.g., M&A, new unit openings, new products/services) and invest behind those levers to drive enduring, long-term growth.

Overview
Corporate Opportunities

We focus on identifying and investing in middle market inefficiencies in high-quality, growth-oriented companies where we can seek control or significant influence through two principal transaction types: (i) growth buyouts and (ii) distressed.

Our growth buyout-focused approach, with the ability to flex into distressed investing during periods of heightened market volatility, allows us to quickly adapt to changing market environments and continue sourcing and executing on a broad funnel of deal flow irrespective of market conditions. We pursue a relative value investment philosophy focused on identifying opportunities in an effort to maximize attractive net returns, as opposed to limiting opportunities to a specific transaction type or structure.

We believe that this strategy is differentiated amongst our peers and widens our universe of potential investment opportunities beyond that of many other buyout firms.

Targeted Investments

Targeted Investments

We seek compelling investments in leading companies that typically have not maximized their growth potential. We invest our capital in a variety of structures, depending on the needs of a company or a particular transaction. We are equally comfortable investing in both majority and shared-control situations and our Private Equity Group has developed extensive experience in working through the issues that can surround shared-control investing. As a result, this flexibility helps us to develop a creative transaction that meets the needs of a company's various stakeholders.

Targeted Investment Characteristics

  • Differentiated or disruptive business model
  • Multiple potential controllable growth levers
  • Experienced leadership characterized by strong processes and culture
  • Strong customer base
Targeted Investment Characteristics
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Ares_OurBusiness_PrivateEquity_CorporateOpportunities_Value_Proposition

Value Proposition

For Management Teams

We work in partnership with our portfolio company management teams to employ Ares' Value Creation System, typically over a five to seven-year investment horizon. By properly capitalizing a company at the time of our investment, management can refocus its efforts toward compounding EBITDA growth and maximizing free cash flow. The chart below illustrates the prototypical actions and objectives of this process, which are customized for any given particular situation.

For Management Teams

Corporate Opportunities Action Plan Strives to Accomplish


Stage 1
Stage 1

Rapid Onboarding & Alignment

Establish alignment and partnership

Build early momentum and quick wins

Quickly address high-impact talent acquisition

Stage 2
Stage 2

Mobilization

Seek to unlock long-term growth

Prioritize key value drivers and ensure talent is aligned to value agenda

Build high impact board and align discussions to growth plans

Stage 3
Stage 3

Execution Support

Provide customized support to enhance execution

Deliver growth plan with sustainable long-term value creation

Support key talent to value priorities

Stage 4
Stage 4

Maximize "Escape Velocity"

Update mobilization plans

Invest in and execute on key value drivers; continued people investments

Position company for exit and explore exit alternatives

For Investors
For Investors

The combination of our differentiated strategy and broad resources of Ares Management widens our universe of potential investment opportunities and allows us to deploy capital across various market environments while remaining highly selective. Many of these situations originate from proprietary channels and require us to generate creative and complex structuring solutions.

Portfolio of Investments

We pursue investments in growth-oriented middle market companies where we can drive long-term growth to generate attractive returns. We seek to invest in the most attractive relative value opportunities and build a diversified portfolio with uncorrelated risks. The table below lists our current platform investments.

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AIR logo
Initial Investment
2023
Industry
Industrial Automation
Headquarters Location
CA
Description
De novo industrial automation platform

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TAG
Initial Investment
2006
Industry
Healthcare Services
Headquarters Location
NY
Description
Dental practice management company

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CHG-healthare
Initial Investment
2012
Industry
Healthcare Services
Headquarters Location
UT
Description
Healthcare staffing services

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city-ventures
Initial Investment
2010
Industry
Building Products
Headquarters Location
CA
Description
Homebuilder in California coastal communities

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convergint
Initial Investment
2018
Industry
Services
Headquarters Location
IL
Description
Independent global security, fire and life safety integrator

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coolsys
Initial Investment
2019
Industry
Services
Headquarters Location
CA
Description
Provider of commercial refrigeration and HVAC services

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cooper's-hawk
Initial Investment
2019
Industry
Restaurants
Headquarters Location
IL
Description
Experiential restaurant concept and wine club

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DCR
Initial Investment
2017
Industry
Energy
Headquarters Location
TX
Description
Provider of development capital to upstream oil and gas operators

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Duly
Initial Investment
2017
Industry
Healthcare Services
Headquarters Location
IL
Description
Independent multi-specialty physician group

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Epic
Initial Investment
2017
Industry
Energy
Headquarters Location
TX
Description
Long-haul midstream logistics company

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Exemplar
Initial Investment
2020
Industry
Healthcare Services
Headquarters Location
United Kingdom
Description
A leading provider of full-time, specialist-nursing mental healthcare care for adults with high acuity needs

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Frontier
Initial Investment
2020
Industry
Telecom
Headquarters Location
CT
Description
Leading provider of telecommunication services in the U.S.

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fs-crude
Initial Investment
2020
Industry
Energy
Headquarters Location
TX
Description
Midstream company focused on developing and operating oil gathering and blending infrastructure assets

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Guitar-center
Initial Investment
2010
Industry
Retail
Headquarters Location
CA
Description
Leading retailer of music products in the United States

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Interstate Waste logo
Initial Investment
2023
Industry
Waste Collection
Headquarters Location
NJ
Description
A leading municipal solid waste platform

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KPI Solutions Logo
Initial Investment
2021
Industry
Industrial
Headquarters Location
MO
Description
Pure-play technology and solutions integrator

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laseraway
Initial Investment
2021
Industry
Healthcare
Headquarters Location
CA
Description
Leading provider of aesthetic dermatology solutions

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SCM
Initial Investment
2017
Industry
Energy
Headquarters Location
TX
Description
Midstream company focused on developing and operating gas gathering and processing infrastructure

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Point-vision
Initial Investment
2021
Industry
Healthcare
Headquarters Location
France
Description
Largest network of private diagnostic ophthalmology practices in France

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Press Ganey
Initial Investment
2019
Industry
Healthcare Technology
Headquarters Location
IN
Description
Provider of healthcare technology solutions

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Resource-label
Initial Investment
2021
Industry
Label Solutions
Headquarters Location
TN
Description
Provider of label solutions focused on small and medium-customers

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Ryan logo
Initial Investment
2022
Industry
Tax Advisory
Headquarters Location
TX
Description
A leading U.S. provider of indirect tax advisory services

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savers
Initial Investment
2019
Industry
Retail
Headquarters Location
WA
Description
For-profit thrift retailer

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SLR Consulting logo
Initial Investment
2022
Industry
ESG Consulting
Headquarters Location
United Kingdom
Description
Global provider of ESG advisory and technical services

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lockwood
Initial Investment
2021
Industry
Healthcare
Headquarters Location
CT
Description
Scientifically focused medical communications partner to the life sciences industry

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tricorbraun
Initial Investment
2021
Industry
Packaging Distribution
Headquarters Location
MO
Description
Leading full-service packaging distribution solutions provider

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Unified
Initial Investment
2013
Industry
Healthcare Services
Headquarters Location
FL
Description
A leading women's healthcare provider in the U.S.

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USHV logo
Initial Investment
2021
Industry
Cardiovascular PPM
Headquarters Location
TN
Description
Clinically focused cardiovascular platform

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Verdad
Initial Investment
2017
Industry
Energy
Headquarters Location
TX
Description
Independent oil and gas exploration and development company

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Virgin Voyages logo
Initial Investment
2023
Industry
Cruise
Headquarters Location
FL
Description
Adults-only premium cruise line

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vmo-aircraft
Initial Investment
2020
Industry
Aircraft Leasing
Headquarters Location
CA
Description
De novo aircraft leasing platform

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WHP Global
Initial Investment
2023
Headquarters Location
NY
Description
A Leading Acquiror and Licensor of Consumer Brands

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99-cent
Initial Investment
2012
Industry
Discount Retailer
Headquarters Location
CA
Description
Extreme value retailer of everyday merchandise

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