We Buy We Build We Sustain
Glass Lake Capital is a group of entrepreneurs that buy and build great businesses over a long time period. We understand that building a business takes years of perseverance and grit. When it’s time to transition ownership, you want someone that pays a fair price and takes care of your team. We invest in people-rich companies and double down on culture. We provide fuel for growth by remaining actively involved to support the management team. We love what we do.
We commit to extreme confidentiality
Focus Industries
The companies we work with, generally fit the following criteria:
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- Operating income >$1.5m
- Positive operating margins and cash flow
- Strong, defensible, niche position in the market
- High customer retention rates
- Recurring revenue business model
- Happy employees with low employee turnover
The focused discipline of hiring and coaching great talent, prioritizing the most critical things to accomplish, and taking advantage of growth opportunity is paying off.
I must admit, the company is more well-run now than ever before. The employees have an amazing opportunity to grow and develop.
Its so nice to have clear direction on our company priorities. We are finally solving critical issues that have plagued us for years.
OUR TEAM AND INVESTORS
About Brian
Brian Vanderheyden is the Managing Partner and Founder of Glass Lake Capital. Brian leads GLC’s investment operations, including strategy, deal sourcing and transaction execution, as well as being actively involved with companies under the GLC umbrella.
In 2017 Brian acquired Richmond Alarm Company (RAC), a commercial and residential security business with operations across the state of Virginia. He invested heavily in people, service delivery and add-on acquisitions. These investments resulted in a top 50 security company with an NPS score of 86. RAC merged with Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) in 2021. Prior to RAC, Brian worked at Abbott Labs and Abbvie in finance, new product development, and M&A.
Brian holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a B.S. from Purdue University. During his time at Booth, Brian was a Teaching Assistant for Scott Meadow’s “Commercializing Innovation” course.
Brian, his wife and four children reside in the Richmond, Virginia area. Brian is an active member of YPO and enjoys spending time outdoors with his family. He also serves as a member of the Board of Advisors of the Catholic Charities of Chicago and assists with fundraising for Tanzania Life Project.
News
CEO of Glass Lake Capital Company, reflects on how he began his ETA journey, Recorded during the Covid-19 crisis, Brain discusses his contingency planning during this new and rapidly developing situation, and its associated economic challenges. Click here
Brian, the CEO of Glass Lake Capital Company, shares how long did it take him to acquire a company, the key features he looked for in the business and then shares his journey of managing the business. Click here to enjoy the episode.
We’ll update this post about Glass Lake, soon!