James E. McGrath, Principal
Jim has over 30 years of experience in private investments, acquisition transactions, and general management. Over his career, he has been an investor in or purchaser of more than 50 companies, many of which ultimately became publicly traded. He has also led venture capital and acquisition programs, both for funds he has raised and for corporations he has helped manage. He has been an active Board member of both public and private corporations, providing assistance and guidance to both entrepreneurs and outside shareholders facing issues associated with capital finance, business expansion, and becoming or being a publicly-traded company.
He is currently Chairman and CEO of Fairfax Capital Partners, Inc., a privately held investment and business advisory company, and also serves as a director of Perillon Software Inc., a leading software provider in the energy management field.
From 1997 to 2001, Jim was Chairman of the Board of Xycom Automation, Inc., a leading privately held high-technology factory automation company. He led the leveraged acquisition of this firm before ultimately selling it to a publicly -traded Japanese firm.
Jim was a Co-Founder and Director of American Medical Response, Inc., a New York Stock Exchange-listed company which consolidated the ambulance industry through the acquisition of more than seventy-five companies. Between the Company’s inception in 1991 and its sale to Laidlaw Industries in 1997, the Company’s annualized revenue grew from less than $100 million to approximately $1.5 billion, ultimately employing over 12,000 people in 29 states. The Company’s stock price rose from its initial offering price of $8.50 to $40.00 at the time of its sale, with more than 70 major institutions becoming shareholders. Only one year after its founding, Forbes Magazine ranked the Company as one of "America's 100 Best Small Companies".
From 1982 to 1996, Jim served on the Board of Perceptron, Inc., a publicly-traded (NASDAQ) high-technology company serving the industrial machine vision market. In 1993, he was appointed Chairman, where in conjunction with a new COO he restructured the organization and emplaced the professional disciplines which resulted in revenues more than doubling and profits increasing more than four-fold in just three years. The Company’s stock rose from $3.60 to $37.00; over 30 major institutional investors became shareholders; and six investment houses issued "buy" recommendations. For each of the three years he was Chairman, Crain's Business Weekly ranked Perceptron as one of the top five (number one in 1994) midwestern companies in the United States in its annual review of "Companies Best Serving Their Shareholders."
From 1987 through 1989, Jim was Managing Director and a Partner at William E. Simon & Sons, Inc., where he was responsible for both private and public investments in various industries. In addition, he organized and created the firm's venture capital funds. He also helped lead the leveraged acquisition of Seacor, Inc., which has become one of the world's leaders in select offshore marine activities, with its equity value increasing nearly a hundred times.
From 1981 through 1987, Jim was with E.F. Hutton & Company, Inc. As President and a Director of the venture capital division and later head of the firm's merchant banking, leveraged buy-out, and direct acquisition activities, he was responsible for several hundred million dollars of investments in over 40 companies. In 1985, he was also appointed a corporate-level Senior Vice President.
Earlier in his career, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of McLaughlin, Inc., a West Coast construction firm. Through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions, in four years he built its Stoneway Concrete affiliate into the dominant force in the Seattle area as revenues grew from $6 million to nearly $15 million at the time of its sale. Mr. McGrath began his business career in 1977 with Bain and Company, a strategic consulting firm.
Jim received his BA degree from Harvard College and his MBA degree from the Harvard Business School. He is active in several charitable organizations, including serving as President of The McLaughlin Foundation. His hobbies and interests include collecting and restoring antique powerboats, underwater photography, and sports. He has lectured on entrepreneurship and consolidation at the Harvard Business School and other institutions.