Transformative Capital

Investing with families, founders and entreprenuers to build great companies

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Transformative capital

Whether it’s adding the right people to the team, investing in R&D, building new facilities, or breaking into new markets, the right investments often require patience.

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True partners to a focused investment portfolio.

Our portfolio companies aren’t a game of batting averages. We focus on making more selective investments and prioritize making each investment a success.

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About us

Brookstone creates investment situations where our goals as an investor are directly aligned with those of management. We call this approach "Goal Congruency." As soon as we commit our capital to a company, our Principals begin working aggressively with management to build the company. This approach is one of the key factors behind our firm's success.

We deliberately maintain a focused investment portfolio with a longer-term investment horizon. As a result, Brookstone is truly aligning its interests with those of its management teams. We have a reputation for being reliable partners and for keeping our word.

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Why Partner With Us

For business owners, choosing the right partner is a critical decision as it impacts the long-term trajectory of your business. Brookstone prides itself in taking the patient capital approach, deliberately maintaining a focused investment portfolio and making decisions for the long-term success of the business. As a result, Brookstone is truly aligning its interests with those of management teams.

We have a reputation for being reliable partners, of keeping our word and closing transactions.

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What they're saying

  • Bill Rusch

    CEO Anomatic
    2010 to Present 35 + years with Anomatic

    It’s a small group, each individual inside the firm brings a different perspective and a different talent that sheds a different light on any given topic.
     
    The level of intellect and horsepower brought to the table is significant.  For the typical entrepreneurial guy like myself that pretty much had to make every decision by himself, it’s certainly a hell of a resource to have.
     
    There’s healthy debate - not everyone agrees all the time but they challenge me to rethink and question my own ideas and beliefs in some areas. I think it always results in a better outcome. A more thoughtful outcome.
     
    I would say it really boils down to guys that are very open minded, bring a lot of diverse experience and diverse backgrounds to the table .
     
    I think the group as a whole is an extremely honest group of people.  Very ethical.
     

  • Bill Rusch

    CEO Anomatic
    2010 to Present 35 + years with Anomatic

    It’s been a wonderful, great ride for the last ten or eleven years. It wasn’t easy.
     
    The expertise that the Brookstone guys had and that fortitude, that backing, that is what you really need when you make tough decisions. I didn’t worry about the immediate results because we made the right long term decisions together. We make the right long term decisions for the business.  You do what you have to do and Brookstone’s long term backing fortifies you in business.  When you have a financial partner that says to you we will take the risk.  We will do the right thing. It means everything. 
     
    In the last two years a Partner at the firm and I have connected in a very unique way. Where we are almost finishing each other’s sentences and really can understand exactly what had to be done, when it had to be done and how to do it. I want to thank him for that.
     
    I really cherish the relationships that have made this happen over the past ten or eleven years.
     

  • Gordon Strout

    Founder & CEO Instone
    1989 to Present

    It’s a small group, each individual inside the firm brings a different perspective and a different talent that sheds a different light on any given topic.
     
    The level of intellect and horsepower brought to the table is significant.  For the typical entrepreneurial guy like myself that pretty much had to make every decision by himself, it’s certainly a hell of a resource to have.
     
    There’s healthy debate - not everyone agrees all the time but they challenge me to rethink and question my own ideas and beliefs in some areas. I think it always results in a better outcome. A more thoughtful outcome.
     
    I would say it really boils down to guys that are very open minded, bring a lot of diverse experience and diverse backgrounds to the table .
     
    I think the group as a whole is an extremely honest group of people.  Very ethical.

     

  • Paul Kreie

    Senior Managing Director
    Present

    The Brookstone guys are great to work with. They are
    very thorough, thoughtful and diligent in their approach. They
    approach business from a very practical and pragmatic perspective.
     
    I think they are very effective communicators with us as co-investors and lending sources. Compared to other private equity firms, I think Brookstone is much more upfront, open and pro-active in their communications. Good, bad, indifferent, we hear about things real time. They really view us as true partners in the relationship and not like lenders who are only there when you need them.
     
    I think their approach to the business and how they deal with us is much more relationship oriented than other folks. Although they are from the east coast, we view them as having more of a Midwestern kind of values set.  They are ethical based, moral based, and have a moral compass in how they treat people and deal with people in businesses. I think from that perspective they are head and shoulders above a lot of the other firms that we’ve had relationships with.

     

  • Tom Gutman

    Senior Vice President
    Present

    Focused on aligning everyone’s interests – management, capital partners. Good and honorable people. They work hard to understand your business. Brookstone cares about aligning their interest with management. They care very much about the capital partners in their deals. The firm plays a key role not only as an investor and as an equity provider but also operationally.