Kelso’s twelve Principals have been with the firm for an average of 18 years. This has resulted in continuity and stability that has allowed the firm to develop and apply a consistent and disciplined approach to pursuing and evaluating investment opportunities.

As a highly selective and disciplined investor for over 29 years, Kelso has generated attractive returns and multiples of capital invested. Since 1980, Kelso has made investments in over 100 companies with aggregate initial capitalization at close of over $35 billion. These investments have spanned multiple business and economic cycles and widely varying conditions in the capital markets.

Over 75 of these investments have been realized. The average holding period on these realized investments is approximately five and a half years.

Kelso’s Principals and employees are the largest investor in each of Kelso’s three most recent funds. These investments represent a substantial majority of the Principals’ collective net worth. Kelso believes that this financial commitment creates a strong alignment of interests with management teams.

Kelso has built its successful investment record by working in close partnership with experienced and talented management teams. Kelso focuses on companies where the interests of management teams and Kelso are closely aligned. This is accomplished by ensuring that senior managers have made significant personal equity investments and receive meaningful equity incentive programs.

Kelso enjoys a reputation of being an attractive partner for management. Management teams like working with Kelso for reasons such as the firm’s long-term view to building shareholder value, the continuity and stability of the firm’s employees, Kelso’s significant level of personal investment, and its willingness to support growth in portfolio companies.

Kelso focuses its efforts and resources primarily on investment opportunities in growing middle market companies. In addition to experienced and talented management teams, these companies typically have achieved a history of strong earnings and cash flows, maintain a significant market presence characterized by proprietary products or value-added services with sustainable franchises, and generate attractive returns on invested capital. These characteristics combine to create the potential for substantial growth in equity value. The firm has invested in many different industries through a variety of economic and financial market conditions.