April 8, 2024 • 16 mins
Greg Woodford, a Co-Founder and Managing Director at G Squared Capital Partners, brings more than 20 years’ experience serving middle market companies in the Aerospace, Defense and Government Services industries.
Greg Nossaman, a Co-Founder and Managing Director at G Squared Capital Partners, works with Aerospace, Defense and Government Services companies to maximize value through mergers & acquisitions.
Greg Nossaman, a Co-Founder and Managing Director at G Squared Capital Partners, works with Aerospace, Defense and Government Services companies to maximize value through mergers & acquisitions.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
M and T Bank present CEOs.You should know Howard by Iheartaia. Let's
meet Greg Woodford and Greg Nausman together. They are managing directors for G Squared
Capital Partners based in Tysons Corner,Virginia, not only working with clients throughout
the DMV, but domestically and asthey say on their company website, precision
Advisory tailored success in defense and governmenttransactions. Now, this is the first
(00:24):
time in our series, believe itor not, that we've had two leaders
of the same company with the sameinterview and the same name of Greg.
So all we be referring to themas Greg W and Greg N. And
before we talk more about the GREGScompany, we'll find out more about their
origin stories. Starting first with GregW. I am a Virginia and I
grew up in Roanoke, Virginia,went up north to University of Richmond for
(00:46):
college, and then found my wayto Washington, d C. Where I
got into the investment banking world inthe late nineties and I've been here ever
since. And Greg En, howabout you. I was born and raised
a proud Texan, which has variousconnotations oaks, but I came up to
Virginia for undergrad and then moved upto DC to start my career in investment
(01:06):
banking. So guys, we're obviouslyhere to talk about G squared Capital partners
going on four years now before wedo that, and that epiphany, that
idea about starting a business, whichI think is always cool to hear about
those stories in this series. How'dyou guys meet? Sure, So it's
a lot of history here. Gregand I have actually worked together now for
over twenty five years across four differentinvestment banking platforms, and so we know
(01:29):
each other quite well. We havestrengths and weaknesses that play off each other
quite well. And we started Gsquare almost four years ago this April.
So Greg, and this will bethe answer that I always love when I
asked these questions about that that idea, As I said, that epiphany is
starting a business. Obviously, youguys have been in business a very long
time, but starting a business whenwe talked to all these entrepreneurs and self
(01:49):
starters and CEOs and co founders,and that you know, you need luck,
you need timing, you need money, and you need all sorts of
it's ten million things to come together. But I love to hear about the
idea about why you started the company, because you must have saw, with
Greg W a hole in the industryand said, you know what, I
think we could fill this up alittle bit with our kind of spin on
it. Can you tell us aboutthat? Absolutely, that's an exciting part
(02:13):
for us. So our motivation sendfrom a desire to challenge the status quo
and investment banking. We recognize theneed for a more client centered approach in
the middle market, which is wherewe focus our efforts, especially within secors
that are critical to national security andpublic welfare. So we established G squared
to offer something different, a firmthat genuinely values relationships and provides tailored solutions
based on our unique understanding of strategicinsight for our clients. So, Greg
(02:38):
W, what is the mission statementof G squared Capital Partners So? G
squared has founded on mutual respect,collaboration, and the principle that the best
ideas can come from anywhere. Weare big believers in our team. We
think we have the best team inthe industry, and this mindset extends to
our interactions with our clients, fosteringa partnership and it's built on trust to
(03:00):
create an environment that's very different fromthe competitive, siloed nature of traditional investment
banks, and we try to focusand set on on our collective success of
the G squared employees. Greggan,let's talk about that thirty thousand foot view,
because I think one of the coolthings about G squared Capital Partners being
around for four years and all thecool things that you do, there's still
a lot of people that haven't beenintroduced to the business yet and they'd like
(03:22):
to go, hey, what doesthis company do? So if you were
to give that view to everybody andsay what you do, what would it
be. G squared Capital Partners isa boutique investment bank specializing in guiding businesses
within the defense, national security,and public services sectors through critical financial transactions,
including mergers and acquisitions and capital raises. We cater primarily to the middle
market, focusing on deals ranging fromthirty to three hundred and fifty million dollars
(03:45):
in value. Greg w let's talka little bit and to get into the
weeds a little bit about programs,capabilities and if you want to mention clients
you can, and if you don't, because I know there's some super secret
things that you guys probably can discussand that's okay, that happens a lot
in this series. But what itcomes to some of the things that you
offer up as far as products anddifferent things like that, and working with
your clients, what are the thingsthat you're most proud of, and then
(04:06):
also what are clients interested in rightnow? It's a great question. So
G Squared focuses on advisory work.We work with business owners who are thinking
about their future strategic alternatives. Weare sell side focused, meaning we only
work with the seller. We believein staying on that side of the fence,
if you will. And again,we have twenty five plus years here
(04:28):
of collective experience working in that governmentcontracting environment. One of the things about
this industry, we're very proud ofthe fact that we are supporting our country.
We work with a lot of patriots. We work with folks that are
former military that come out and starta business, and so we build lifetime
relationships and friendships with these entrepreneurs andwe're very proud of the fact that we
help them achieve their goals with theirbusiness. And Greg, again we talked
(04:51):
about having this boutique style of businessthat you have this small business, you
have ten on staff there. Italk to smaller businesses that do what you
do. The thing that always comesup, that common thread is that we
have just enough people that our customerservice is there for the client all the
time, because we're not three thousandpeople and you don't know who you're going
(05:14):
to talk to that next day.I imagine that's one of the selling points
for you guys when it comes toyour clients, that you're a small boutique.
That means you get that extra customerservice. Would I be correcting that
that's exactly right. We found oneof the key to our success is the
highly personal touch that the boutique modelenables. So, as senior bankers at
a boutique, it's very different thana larger, more traditional investment banks where
a managing director or senior banker hasa big portfolio of clients at any given
(05:38):
time. We really limit our timeon a smaller handful of clients. So
we think of ourselves as a lowervolume, much higher closed rate environment where
senior bankers as well as the restof our bankers get very heavily involved with
all of the details of transaction fromstart to end with you guys working in
the DMV and also domestically and whatyou do for a living. I imagine
(05:58):
that just in the four years you'vebeen together with the business, it's grown
exponentially. But I imagine with AIcoming on board now and all the other
things that are happening in greg W, we can have you kind of expound
on this a little bit about wherethe business started for you and where it
is today. How much has itchanged. So it has changed significantly.
We actually started in April twenty twentywhen covid was shutting down the state of
(06:19):
the Virginia in the United States,So the first two years of G squared
was really done virtually. So luckilythe last several years we've been back in
the office environment, meeting with clientsface to face, and you know,
we are big believers in relationships andmeeting folks directly, so it's been a
(06:40):
breath refreshare to get back into theoffice. You know, from a capability
standpoint, you mentioned AI. Youknow, our clients are delivering cutting edge
solutions and capabilities to the federal government. So we like to work with differentiated
businesses. We like to work withcompanies that are providing really unique solutions to
the federal government, whether it's theDepartment of Defense agencies with the intelligence community.
(07:01):
So we're doing a lot of workaround digital transformation, cybersecurity, cloud
AIML and other cutting edge technologies.And greg Aan, you've obviously shown everybody
in yourselves that you're sustainable over thelast four years. What about growth?
What's the future look like for youguys down the road? We look we
want to grow. We have somepretty ambitious plans of where we think that
the business can go and frankly,the type of model that we offer and
(07:24):
how it's different from what other folksmight be offering. So we're really excited
about the future as we continue torefine our model, deepen our sector expertise,
and strengthen our client relationships. Soour goal is to remain at the
forefront of the strategic advisory business,but also we think that we can do
that in a way that is moreimpactful to the broader community. Greg w
I always point out to our listenersand all the founders and CEOs and future
(07:45):
entrepreneurs that even though you're running abusiness and things might be going well,
it's a good climate, that it'snot always unicorns and rainbows all the time.
So, with all that said,what are some of the current challenges
in the industry right now for you? So not to get down into the
minutia, but there were some challenges, some headwinds in twenty twenty three,
specifically around the broader macroeconomic environment country. We talked a lot about interest rates,
(08:07):
and obviously arising interest rates make debtmore expensive, and so we did
see a slowdown in transactions in twentytwenty three due to higher interest rates.
Coming into twenty twenty four, youknow, we are hopeful that that will
change. We do have a presidentialelection coming up this year, which we're
all talking a lot about. Thatalways breeds a little uncertainly in our industry.
(08:28):
But I'd say one of the thingswith Greg and I have seen over
our last twenty five years is thatour industry is very resilient and frankly,
when there are broader economic challenges,we see a lot of capital actually cycle
into the government contracting market. Sowe had a record your last year as
a firm, and we have afantastic pipeline coming in twenty twenty four,
so we feel very good about whereour firm is outstanding Greg if you could
(08:50):
for us, and once again,no specificity. You don't have to bring
up a client, but we alsolike to share solid, cool stories that
are happening with clients out there.Is there something over the last four you
years where you said, you knowwhat we did well that day? You
know, this is why we getup. You know, we really knocked
it out of the park for thisclient. Everybody came together and we made
it all happen. Is there onceagain, no specificity if you don't want
(09:13):
to, but is there something thatsticks out in the four years you've been
there that you have a story that'sreal, real cool to tell and share
our listeners with. So we tendto get very geeked out and excited about
what our clients do. And inpart it's because we view ourselves as more
than just an investment bank. We'rea team that's really driven by a clear
and heartfelt mission to support the companiesthat are essential to defense and national security.
(09:33):
And so oftentimes you don't get theimmediate outcome of what you're looking for,
but I can give you a greatexample. We sold a business that
supported the intelligence community with some interestingtechnology. Five years after we sold,
we found out that we sold themto a much larger organization who was able
to field their technology in a waythat was used in helping to identify and
(09:54):
locate the whereabouts of Osama bin LadenAnd so that was a really talent,
tangible, proud moment for us toknow that we played a small part in
helping to get the capital necessary tofield that type of a critical technology to
the government. You know, Iknow that it's not going to surprise you,
guys, but when I talk tocompanies that do a little bit what
you do, the thing that myselfand our listeners and people that aren't in
the industry don't realize is that whilewe're sleeping at night, you and your
(10:18):
clients are doing some really incredible thingsin the dead of night keeping us safe.
And I know I'm not being specificright now, but there's just so
many amazing things happening with the govcon space and the super secret stuff that
we really never hear about. Andyou guys have a touch point towards that
I just think is cool. Andwhile you might have some insider knowledge grew
it must be cool that when youdo sleep at night that you are changing
(10:41):
lives, you're saving lives. Youtalked about patriots, and I think that
as hard as you guys work,it's got to be a cool part of
the business that you're making a differenceout there, and I think that's really
neat. Well, we appreciate that, and you know, ultimately, Greg
and I are finance guys. Imean, we're helping the folks that are
really making a difference. But youknow, we do believe very much in
the mission of what we're doing workingwith companies that are supporting the national security
(11:03):
area. And yeah, it makesa difference and we're very proud of that.
And again, we meet a lotof incredible people that spend their entire
careers building wonderful companies that support theUnited States and the federal government. And
you know that does I think resonatewith us and with our team outstanding.
Well, I'm going to give thefloor to both of you and Gregan,
(11:24):
I want to start with you firstand just maybe some final takeaways for our
listeners that you want to leave inwith when it comes to G squared Capital
Partners, What would the takeaways befor you? So, I would say,
and we're really proud of what Gsquared is building. I was careful
to say not what we've built,but what we're building, because we're very
forward looking and exciting. I thinkthat really our foundation, as Greg talked
(11:46):
about, on mutual respect and collaborationboth internally and externally, is a different
approach to investment banking that we're focusedon the ability to support companies and helping
to meet different milestones along the way. It's something that's incredibly invigorating for us,
and frankly, building a firm wherewe have lasting value, where we
can create opportunities for our really incrediblytalented team of investment bankers who took the
(12:11):
risk on joining a smaller firm andcreating opportunities for them that might not exist
at larger platforms. All of thoseare very personally meaning for us, meaningful
for us well, said Greg,w how about you. I would just
say thank you to our clients thattrusts us with helping them get to the
finish line. We've talked a lotabout the types of companies that we represent.
I've been doing this almost twenty sixyears, and I've got to say
(12:33):
Greg and I think both are stillwe wake up excited and motivated to do
our jobs, and we're excited aboutthe future G squared and our goal is
to continue to grow the business,to remain at the forefront of the strategic
advisory marketplace, and continue to buildgreat relationships and have great outcomes for our
clients. Well, guys, Iknow this is going to surprise you,
but one of the things that comesthrough as we've got to know each other
(12:54):
over the last twenty minutes or sois the passion that you have for what
you do and once and that isa common thread for all our founders and
CEOs and leaders out there. Theyhave a passion for what they do.
Plus their people are really important tothem too that are on staff, and
I know that's also a great componentfor you guys. I want to have
you, guys, talk about onemore thing before you go, if I
may. You were in an unusualposition where you've known each other for a
(13:18):
quarter of a century. Now thebusiness has been on four years. So
once again, there's a lot ofleaders that listen to this series and also
future leaders, and I think it'smore for the latter when it comes to
people that know each other for along time and then start a business.
I'd love to hear advice about thisbecause you know what, this doesn't work
for everybody, whether it's a husbandand wife team, whether it's a best
friend team, whether it's people likeyou that have known each other for a
(13:39):
long time. Greg w I wantto start with you, tell us about
this relationship, why it works,what you do to make it work,
and just a dynamic, because obviouslythere's a friendship there, but although there's
a working relationship too, So pleaseexpound on that for us. Yeah,
that's a great question. So Iwould say for anyone thinking about starting a
company with a business partner. Imean there are ups and downs, candidly
(14:03):
right, and not every day,as you said, unicorns and rainbows.
But I think what Greg and Ihave done well is that we trust each
other. Again, I think Greghas strengths where I have weaknesses, and
I think vice versa, and sowe trust each other to do the right
thing. And we've worked together longenough that we often come to the same
conclusion, even if we come atit from a different angle. But ultimately
(14:26):
there's got to be a level oftrust there for this to work. I
would agree with that. And Greggan, how about you. I think it
begins with having shared values, understandinghow you approach business, how you approach
relationships. I think Greg and Iboth take a lot of pride in high
integrity, doing the right thing,even when it's not the easy thing,
and that's a great foundation to buildfrom. From there, then you have
to look at what are long termobjectives and how to those align and making
(14:50):
sure that we might have different waysto get there, but we're both working
towards the same objective. And thenlastly, you know, as Greg said
to Echo, it's that level oftrust. I have to say that,
uh, you know, building abusiness and for the first time building a
business and knowing what our clients havereally gone through on their own, I
would hire Greg in a heartbeat tosell my business. And you know,
(15:11):
that's a pretty high bar, andit really illustrates the level of trust that
our client's place in us. Andso I think those three elements are are
really critical to building and form forminga partnership that lasts. Greg, w
did you hear that you're hired?Buddy? I'm writing I'm writing that,
Gregan, you want to give awebsite if people want to find out a
little bit more about G Squared CapitalPartners, if they want to you know,
(15:33):
just look at what you do,or maybe there's a partnership and working
with you. What's the website toaddress for everybody? Sure, it's www
dot G squared cap that's spelled outG s q U A R E d
C A P dot com. Outstanding. Hey, gentlemen, Greg W and
Greg and thank you so much forthis. It sounds like a great partnership
(15:54):
and knowing each other for as longas you have it is cool and I
see the friendship there, but Ialso see the working partnership of the strengths
and the weaknesses. You know.I joke about this with my wife.
We've been together for almost twenty fiveyears, and the one thing we tell
people the secret is divide and conquer. And if I got any message from
you too, it sounds like youguys do exactly the same when it comes
(16:14):
to the business. Divide and conquerwith your strengths and your weaknesses. Would
I be correct in assuming that that'sgreat? Absolutely good? Hey, guys,
thank you so much for joining uson CEOs. You should know I
brought to you by M and TBank. We really appreciate this and it's
been a lot of fun to getto know you and continue success. Thank
you very much, sens thank you. Our community partner, M and T
Bank supports CEOs. You should knowis part of their ongoing commitment to building
(16:37):
strong communities and that starts by backingthe businesses within them. As a Bank
for communities, M and T believesin dedicating time, talent and resources to
help local businesses thrive because when businessessucceed, our community succeed.
M and T Bank present CEOs.You should know Howard by Iheartaia. Let's
meet Greg Woodford and Greg Nausman together. They are managing directors for G Squared
Capital Partners based in Tysons Corner,Virginia, not only working with clients throughout
the DMV, but domestically and asthey say on their company website, precision
Advisory tailored success in defense and governmenttransactions. Now, this is the first
(00:24):
time in our series, believe itor not, that we've had two leaders
of the same company with the sameinterview and the same name of Greg.
So all we be referring to themas Greg W and Greg N. And
before we talk more about the GREGScompany, we'll find out more about their
origin stories. Starting first with GregW. I am a Virginia and I
grew up in Roanoke, Virginia,went up north to University of Richmond for
(00:46):
college, and then found my wayto Washington, d C. Where I
got into the investment banking world inthe late nineties and I've been here ever
since. And Greg En, howabout you. I was born and raised
a proud Texan, which has variousconnotations oaks, but I came up to
Virginia for undergrad and then moved upto DC to start my career in investment
(01:06):
banking. So guys, we're obviouslyhere to talk about G squared Capital partners
going on four years now before wedo that, and that epiphany, that
idea about starting a business, whichI think is always cool to hear about
those stories in this series. How'dyou guys meet? Sure, So it's
a lot of history here. Gregand I have actually worked together now for
over twenty five years across four differentinvestment banking platforms, and so we know
(01:29):
each other quite well. We havestrengths and weaknesses that play off each other
quite well. And we started Gsquare almost four years ago this April.
So Greg, and this will bethe answer that I always love when I
asked these questions about that that idea, As I said, that epiphany is
starting a business. Obviously, youguys have been in business a very long
time, but starting a business whenwe talked to all these entrepreneurs and self
(01:49):
starters and CEOs and co founders,and that you know, you need luck,
you need timing, you need money, and you need all sorts of
it's ten million things to come together. But I love to hear about the
idea about why you started the company, because you must have saw, with
Greg W a hole in the industryand said, you know what, I
think we could fill this up alittle bit with our kind of spin on
it. Can you tell us aboutthat? Absolutely, that's an exciting part
(02:13):
for us. So our motivation sendfrom a desire to challenge the status quo
and investment banking. We recognize theneed for a more client centered approach in
the middle market, which is wherewe focus our efforts, especially within secors
that are critical to national security andpublic welfare. So we established G squared
to offer something different, a firmthat genuinely values relationships and provides tailored solutions
based on our unique understanding of strategicinsight for our clients. So, Greg
(02:38):
W, what is the mission statementof G squared Capital Partners So? G
squared has founded on mutual respect,collaboration, and the principle that the best
ideas can come from anywhere. Weare big believers in our team. We
think we have the best team inthe industry, and this mindset extends to
our interactions with our clients, fosteringa partnership and it's built on trust to
(03:00):
create an environment that's very different fromthe competitive, siloed nature of traditional investment
banks, and we try to focusand set on on our collective success of
the G squared employees. Greggan,let's talk about that thirty thousand foot view,
because I think one of the coolthings about G squared Capital Partners being
around for four years and all thecool things that you do, there's still
a lot of people that haven't beenintroduced to the business yet and they'd like
(03:22):
to go, hey, what doesthis company do? So if you were
to give that view to everybody andsay what you do, what would it
be. G squared Capital Partners isa boutique investment bank specializing in guiding businesses
within the defense, national security,and public services sectors through critical financial transactions,
including mergers and acquisitions and capital raises. We cater primarily to the middle
market, focusing on deals ranging fromthirty to three hundred and fifty million dollars
(03:45):
in value. Greg w let's talka little bit and to get into the
weeds a little bit about programs,capabilities and if you want to mention clients
you can, and if you don't, because I know there's some super secret
things that you guys probably can discussand that's okay, that happens a lot
in this series. But what itcomes to some of the things that you
offer up as far as products anddifferent things like that, and working with
your clients, what are the thingsthat you're most proud of, and then
(04:06):
also what are clients interested in rightnow? It's a great question. So
G Squared focuses on advisory work.We work with business owners who are thinking
about their future strategic alternatives. Weare sell side focused, meaning we only
work with the seller. We believein staying on that side of the fence,
if you will. And again,we have twenty five plus years here
(04:28):
of collective experience working in that governmentcontracting environment. One of the things about
this industry, we're very proud ofthe fact that we are supporting our country.
We work with a lot of patriots. We work with folks that are
former military that come out and starta business, and so we build lifetime
relationships and friendships with these entrepreneurs andwe're very proud of the fact that we
help them achieve their goals with theirbusiness. And Greg, again we talked
(04:51):
about having this boutique style of businessthat you have this small business, you
have ten on staff there. Italk to smaller businesses that do what you
do. The thing that always comesup, that common thread is that we
have just enough people that our customerservice is there for the client all the
time, because we're not three thousandpeople and you don't know who you're going
(05:14):
to talk to that next day.I imagine that's one of the selling points
for you guys when it comes toyour clients, that you're a small boutique.
That means you get that extra customerservice. Would I be correcting that
that's exactly right. We found oneof the key to our success is the
highly personal touch that the boutique modelenables. So, as senior bankers at
a boutique, it's very different thana larger, more traditional investment banks where
a managing director or senior banker hasa big portfolio of clients at any given
(05:38):
time. We really limit our timeon a smaller handful of clients. So
we think of ourselves as a lowervolume, much higher closed rate environment where
senior bankers as well as the restof our bankers get very heavily involved with
all of the details of transaction fromstart to end with you guys working in
the DMV and also domestically and whatyou do for a living. I imagine
(05:58):
that just in the four years you'vebeen together with the business, it's grown
exponentially. But I imagine with AIcoming on board now and all the other
things that are happening in greg W, we can have you kind of expound
on this a little bit about wherethe business started for you and where it
is today. How much has itchanged. So it has changed significantly.
We actually started in April twenty twentywhen covid was shutting down the state of
(06:19):
the Virginia in the United States,So the first two years of G squared
was really done virtually. So luckilythe last several years we've been back in
the office environment, meeting with clientsface to face, and you know,
we are big believers in relationships andmeeting folks directly, so it's been a
(06:40):
breath refreshare to get back into theoffice. You know, from a capability
standpoint, you mentioned AI. Youknow, our clients are delivering cutting edge
solutions and capabilities to the federal government. So we like to work with differentiated
businesses. We like to work withcompanies that are providing really unique solutions to
the federal government, whether it's theDepartment of Defense agencies with the intelligence community.
(07:01):
So we're doing a lot of workaround digital transformation, cybersecurity, cloud
AIML and other cutting edge technologies.And greg Aan, you've obviously shown everybody
in yourselves that you're sustainable over thelast four years. What about growth?
What's the future look like for youguys down the road? We look we
want to grow. We have somepretty ambitious plans of where we think that
the business can go and frankly,the type of model that we offer and
(07:24):
how it's different from what other folksmight be offering. So we're really excited
about the future as we continue torefine our model, deepen our sector expertise,
and strengthen our client relationships. Soour goal is to remain at the
forefront of the strategic advisory business,but also we think that we can do
that in a way that is moreimpactful to the broader community. Greg w
I always point out to our listenersand all the founders and CEOs and future
(07:45):
entrepreneurs that even though you're running abusiness and things might be going well,
it's a good climate, that it'snot always unicorns and rainbows all the time.
So, with all that said,what are some of the current challenges
in the industry right now for you? So not to get down into the
minutia, but there were some challenges, some headwinds in twenty twenty three,
specifically around the broader macroeconomic environment country. We talked a lot about interest rates,
(08:07):
and obviously arising interest rates make debtmore expensive, and so we did
see a slowdown in transactions in twentytwenty three due to higher interest rates.
Coming into twenty twenty four, youknow, we are hopeful that that will
change. We do have a presidentialelection coming up this year, which we're
all talking a lot about. Thatalways breeds a little uncertainly in our industry.
(08:28):
But I'd say one of the thingswith Greg and I have seen over
our last twenty five years is thatour industry is very resilient and frankly,
when there are broader economic challenges,we see a lot of capital actually cycle
into the government contracting market. Sowe had a record your last year as
a firm, and we have afantastic pipeline coming in twenty twenty four,
so we feel very good about whereour firm is outstanding Greg if you could
(08:50):
for us, and once again,no specificity. You don't have to bring
up a client, but we alsolike to share solid, cool stories that
are happening with clients out there.Is there something over the last four you
years where you said, you knowwhat we did well that day? You
know, this is why we getup. You know, we really knocked
it out of the park for thisclient. Everybody came together and we made
it all happen. Is there onceagain, no specificity if you don't want
(09:13):
to, but is there something thatsticks out in the four years you've been
there that you have a story that'sreal, real cool to tell and share
our listeners with. So we tendto get very geeked out and excited about
what our clients do. And inpart it's because we view ourselves as more
than just an investment bank. We'rea team that's really driven by a clear
and heartfelt mission to support the companiesthat are essential to defense and national security.
(09:33):
And so oftentimes you don't get theimmediate outcome of what you're looking for,
but I can give you a greatexample. We sold a business that
supported the intelligence community with some interestingtechnology. Five years after we sold,
we found out that we sold themto a much larger organization who was able
to field their technology in a waythat was used in helping to identify and
(09:54):
locate the whereabouts of Osama bin LadenAnd so that was a really talent,
tangible, proud moment for us toknow that we played a small part in
helping to get the capital necessary tofield that type of a critical technology to
the government. You know, Iknow that it's not going to surprise you,
guys, but when I talk tocompanies that do a little bit what
you do, the thing that myselfand our listeners and people that aren't in
the industry don't realize is that whilewe're sleeping at night, you and your
(10:18):
clients are doing some really incredible thingsin the dead of night keeping us safe.
And I know I'm not being specificright now, but there's just so
many amazing things happening with the govcon space and the super secret stuff that
we really never hear about. Andyou guys have a touch point towards that
I just think is cool. Andwhile you might have some insider knowledge grew
it must be cool that when youdo sleep at night that you are changing
(10:41):
lives, you're saving lives. Youtalked about patriots, and I think that
as hard as you guys work,it's got to be a cool part of
the business that you're making a differenceout there, and I think that's really
neat. Well, we appreciate that, and you know, ultimately, Greg
and I are finance guys. Imean, we're helping the folks that are
really making a difference. But youknow, we do believe very much in
the mission of what we're doing workingwith companies that are supporting the national security
(11:03):
area. And yeah, it makesa difference and we're very proud of that.
And again, we meet a lotof incredible people that spend their entire
careers building wonderful companies that support theUnited States and the federal government. And
you know that does I think resonatewith us and with our team outstanding.
Well, I'm going to give thefloor to both of you and Gregan,
(11:24):
I want to start with you firstand just maybe some final takeaways for our
listeners that you want to leave inwith when it comes to G squared Capital
Partners, What would the takeaways befor you? So, I would say,
and we're really proud of what Gsquared is building. I was careful
to say not what we've built,but what we're building, because we're very
forward looking and exciting. I thinkthat really our foundation, as Greg talked
(11:46):
about, on mutual respect and collaborationboth internally and externally, is a different
approach to investment banking that we're focusedon the ability to support companies and helping
to meet different milestones along the way. It's something that's incredibly invigorating for us,
and frankly, building a firm wherewe have lasting value, where we
can create opportunities for our really incrediblytalented team of investment bankers who took the
(12:11):
risk on joining a smaller firm andcreating opportunities for them that might not exist
at larger platforms. All of thoseare very personally meaning for us, meaningful
for us well, said Greg,w how about you. I would just
say thank you to our clients thattrusts us with helping them get to the
finish line. We've talked a lotabout the types of companies that we represent.
I've been doing this almost twenty sixyears, and I've got to say
(12:33):
Greg and I think both are stillwe wake up excited and motivated to do
our jobs, and we're excited aboutthe future G squared and our goal is
to continue to grow the business,to remain at the forefront of the strategic
advisory marketplace, and continue to buildgreat relationships and have great outcomes for our
clients. Well, guys, Iknow this is going to surprise you,
but one of the things that comesthrough as we've got to know each other
(12:54):
over the last twenty minutes or sois the passion that you have for what
you do and once and that isa common thread for all our founders and
CEOs and leaders out there. Theyhave a passion for what they do.
Plus their people are really important tothem too that are on staff, and
I know that's also a great componentfor you guys. I want to have
you, guys, talk about onemore thing before you go, if I
may. You were in an unusualposition where you've known each other for a
(13:18):
quarter of a century. Now thebusiness has been on four years. So
once again, there's a lot ofleaders that listen to this series and also
future leaders, and I think it'smore for the latter when it comes to
people that know each other for along time and then start a business.
I'd love to hear advice about thisbecause you know what, this doesn't work
for everybody, whether it's a husbandand wife team, whether it's a best
friend team, whether it's people likeyou that have known each other for a
(13:39):
long time. Greg w I wantto start with you, tell us about
this relationship, why it works,what you do to make it work,
and just a dynamic, because obviouslythere's a friendship there, but although there's
a working relationship too, So pleaseexpound on that for us. Yeah,
that's a great question. So Iwould say for anyone thinking about starting a
company with a business partner. Imean there are ups and downs, candidly
(14:03):
right, and not every day,as you said, unicorns and rainbows.
But I think what Greg and Ihave done well is that we trust each
other. Again, I think Greghas strengths where I have weaknesses, and
I think vice versa, and sowe trust each other to do the right
thing. And we've worked together longenough that we often come to the same
conclusion, even if we come atit from a different angle. But ultimately
(14:26):
there's got to be a level oftrust there for this to work. I
would agree with that. And Greggan, how about you. I think it
begins with having shared values, understandinghow you approach business, how you approach
relationships. I think Greg and Iboth take a lot of pride in high
integrity, doing the right thing,even when it's not the easy thing,
and that's a great foundation to buildfrom. From there, then you have
to look at what are long termobjectives and how to those align and making
(14:50):
sure that we might have different waysto get there, but we're both working
towards the same objective. And thenlastly, you know, as Greg said
to Echo, it's that level oftrust. I have to say that,
uh, you know, building abusiness and for the first time building a
business and knowing what our clients havereally gone through on their own, I
would hire Greg in a heartbeat tosell my business. And you know,
(15:11):
that's a pretty high bar, andit really illustrates the level of trust that
our client's place in us. Andso I think those three elements are are
really critical to building and form forminga partnership that lasts. Greg, w
did you hear that you're hired?Buddy? I'm writing I'm writing that,
Gregan, you want to give awebsite if people want to find out a
little bit more about G Squared CapitalPartners, if they want to you know,
(15:33):
just look at what you do,or maybe there's a partnership and working
with you. What's the website toaddress for everybody? Sure, it's www
dot G squared cap that's spelled outG s q U A R E d
C A P dot com. Outstanding. Hey, gentlemen, Greg W and
Greg and thank you so much forthis. It sounds like a great partnership
(15:54):
and knowing each other for as longas you have it is cool and I
see the friendship there, but Ialso see the working partnership of the strengths
and the weaknesses. You know.I joke about this with my wife.
We've been together for almost twenty fiveyears, and the one thing we tell
people the secret is divide and conquer. And if I got any message from
you too, it sounds like youguys do exactly the same when it comes
(16:14):
to the business. Divide and conquerwith your strengths and your weaknesses. Would
I be correct in assuming that that'sgreat? Absolutely good? Hey, guys,
thank you so much for joining uson CEOs. You should know I
brought to you by M and TBank. We really appreciate this and it's
been a lot of fun to getto know you and continue success. Thank
you very much, sens thank you. Our community partner, M and T
Bank supports CEOs. You should knowis part of their ongoing commitment to building
(16:37):
strong communities and that starts by backingthe businesses within them. As a Bank
for communities, M and T believesin dedicating time, talent and resources to
help local businesses thrive because when businessessucceed, our community succeed.
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