Everglades Equity, LLC, a Miami-based private equity firm, announced its formation today. Everglades is led by Managing Partner Brett Craig, a veteran of the private equity industry.

Everglades will make majority equity investments in North American companies in a targeted group of sectors, including value-added distribution, facilities services, industrial services, and human capital management. The firm will focus on partnering with founder and family-owned businesses in the lower middle market, with EBITDA typically ranging from $3 million to $8 million.

Mr. Craig said, "We are pleased to launch Everglades Equity. We're going to be targeted in our investments, focusing on industries that we know. In terms of our ideal fit, we're looking for founder and family-owned companies with leading market positions, strong core businesses, and untapped growth opportunities. Everglades will be an ideal partner to management teams by providing them with patient capital and access to best-in-class operational resources, while protecting the cultures that made these companies successful in the first place."

Everglades has assembled a unique group of Strategic Advisors consisting of current and former senior professionals from top-tier consulting firms and Fortune 500 companies, including McKinsey & Company and FedEx, as well as veteran executives from the firm's targeted industries. Everglades will draw from its Strategic Advisors team to form boards that are custom-built for each portfolio company's industry and growth opportunities.

Mr. Craig continued, "Everglades built its team of Strategic Advisors to be a true differentiator and a powerful complement to our portfolio companies. Their unique combination of deep industry knowledge and consulting expertise will provide management teams with tremendous value as they execute on their strategic vision."

In conjunction with the launch of the firm, Everglades also announced that it is establishing the Everglades Equity Conservation Fund, a philanthropic initiative under which a meaningful portion of the investment profits of the general partnership will be directed toward charities supporting conservation efforts in the Florida Everglades.

Mr. Craig is a veteran of top private investment firms, including The Blackstone Group, H.I.G. Capital, and Quad-C Management. Most recently, Mr. Craig served as a Principal of Hidden Harbor Capital Partners, a leading lower middle market private equity firm, where he served on the firm's Investment Committee and was responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and executing lower middle market private equity investments. He holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.