NAIC Selects Fund of Funds to Deploy Capital to Invest in Diverse-Owned Businesses and Communities

NAIC announced it has selected five firms that will facilitate raising and allocating billions of dollars of growth equity capital to drive scale and enhance innovation in ethnically diverse and women-owned business enterprises (DWBEs). The selected firms are:

• Barings Alternative Investments
• GCM Grosvenor
• Muller & Monroe Asset Management
• Neuberger Berman Private Equity
• The Rock Creek Group

Made possible through a grant from the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the NAIC Minority Growth Equity Funds Initiative was launched in October 2019 to support job-creation and foster innovation and growth for diverse enterprises by providing much-needed access to capital while also identifying viable opportunities for growth investors.

NAIC Perspectives: Knowing the Process

What will it take to increase the level of diversity on public plan trustee boards? In this installment of Perspectives, NAIC's online video series, Jarvis V. Hollingsworth, Chairman of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), explains some of the processes keeping many diverse candidates out of the running for these appointed positions and how preparing the next generation of professionals to enter the pipeline can lead to increased representation.

Buy and Build: WM Partners and its Strategy for the Health & Wellness Sector

The health and wellness space is performing well thanks to a growing consumer trend that seems to buck the current state of the financial markets. In this Member Focus, we profile Fort Lauderdale-based WM Partners, which acquires lower middle-market companies in the natural consumer health space. In the article, we detail its investment strategy and share its origins, from the early days of raising Fund I and its initial acquisitions to its more recent deals. We also highlight the firm’s 2018 sale of its first nutritional supplements platform to Clorox Company for $700 million.

NAIC Welcomes Graham Allen Partners and Asland Capital Partners!

NAIC proudly welcomes Graham Allen Partners and Asland Capital Partners! A South Bend, Indiana-based private equity buyout firm, Graham Allen Partners (https://www.graham-allen.com/) is focused on value appreciation through the digital transformation of traditional lower middle-market businesses based in secondary and tertiary markets like the Midwest. Since 2011, Graham Allen Partners has established three platform businesses focused on the healthcare and data solutions space as an independent sponsor.

Founded in 2019 in New York City by James H. Simmons III, Asland Capital (https://aslandcap.com/) is a private equity real estate investment firm specializing in multifamily, mixed-use and retail investments designed to revitalize sub-markets throughout the U.S. that improve communities and enhance the lives of their residents.

Fairview Capital Partners Launches New Video Series

NAIC member firm Fairview Capital Partners has launched "View," a new video series that provides deep and authentic insights into relevant and timely topics for not only Fairview’s stakeholders but also the broader investment community. "View" offers unique access to industry leaders and experts in an engaging, conversational dialogue.

The first installment of "View" features a discussion between Roy Swan, Director of Mission Investments at the Ford Foundation, and Larry Morse, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Fairview. A leading private foundation with a mission of advancing human welfare, the Ford Foundation has been driving its mission for more than 80 years by supporting organizations working toward social and economic equality, poverty reduction and urban development.

Swan shares his thoughts on diversity in the industry, investing with diverse managers, advice for other foundations and diverse managers, and much more.

Investigative Services Available from ICV Partners Portfolio Company, Mintz Group

NAIC member firm ICV Partners announced that comprehensive background checks, detailed fact-gathering, thorough internal investigations and other related services are available to the NAIC network through its portfolio company, Mintz Group, a global provider of investigative services. Mintz Group helps institutional investors, multinational companies, litigators and executive search firms gather and understand facts all over the world at three key points in time: before they form new relationships, during disputes and after various allegations, such as fraud.

Headquartered in New York City, Mintz Group has 280 investigators in 15 offices across eight time zones. The Mintz team speaks more than 30 languages and has successfully conducted over 10,000 investigations in more than 100 countries. To learn more, please contact Zack Henry, Managing Director, Business Development, at [email protected], 1-212-489-7100, or visit www.mintzgroup.com.

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