The Cambria Group
The Cambria Group is a private equity firm which acquires and invests in small and mid-sized businesses
across a wide range of industries and geographies. Cambria’s principals established the firm in 1996 to fill a void in the private equity markets — to pursue businesses which are fundamentally attractive, but which lack both the high growth characteristics sought by traditional venture capitalists and the scale required to interest most fund-based buyout firms. Driven by this strategy, Cambria seeks sound businesses with established operating histories, rather than startups and turnarounds. Since its founding, Cambria has invested in over 100 operating businesses. The firm’s principals distinguish themselves in two ways. First, each of the firm’s principals has both operating and financial experience, a combination which is employed in all stages of the private equity business — from evaluating opportunities to structuring transactions and helping to manage portfolio companies. Second, the principals provide the majority of the equity for each transaction personally. This approach allows the firm to make decisions quickly and without uncertainty as to their source of capital and accommodates a long-term perspective with respect to building shareholder value and seeking liquidity. Cambria focuses on quality businesses with revenues of under $50 million and valuations of under $25 million, investing across a wide range of industries, including the low-tech manufacturing, distribution and service sectors. Cambria considers a variety of transaction types as well, from outright acquisitions to growth equity financings.
across a wide range of industries and geographies. Cambria’s principals established the firm in 1996 to fill a void in the private equity markets — to pursue businesses which are fundamentally attractive, but which lack both the high growth characteristics sought by traditional venture capitalists and the scale required to interest most fund-based buyout firms. Driven by this strategy, Cambria seeks sound businesses with established operating histories, rather than startups and turnarounds. Since its founding, Cambria has invested in over 100 operating businesses. The firm’s principals distinguish themselves in two ways. First, each of the firm’s principals has both operating and financial experience, a combination which is employed in all stages of the private equity business — from evaluating opportunities to structuring transactions and helping to manage portfolio companies. Second, the principals provide the majority of the equity for each transaction personally. This approach allows the firm to make decisions quickly and without uncertainty as to their source of capital and accommodates a long-term perspective with respect to building shareholder value and seeking liquidity. Cambria focuses on quality businesses with revenues of under $50 million and valuations of under $25 million, investing across a wide range of industries, including the low-tech manufacturing, distribution and service sectors. Cambria considers a variety of transaction types as well, from outright acquisitions to growth equity financings.
Paul L. (“Lew”) Davies III
Lew Davies founded The Cambria Group in 1996 and is its Managing Principal. He is an experienced private equity investor, having previously been a Principal in the leveraged buyout groups of both Brentwood Associates and The Fremont Group. He also served in both operating and finance roles with Bechtel Group and Chevron Corporation. Mr. Davies brings experience in all stages of the private equity process, identifying and sourcing opportunities, arranging financing for transactions, building management teams at both the functional and executive levels, assisting with portfolio company acquisition and divestiture programs, and exiting investments. He currently serves on multiple corporate boards, as well as serving on the Board of Overseers of the Hoover Institution and the Advisory Council of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business; previously, he served as a National Trustee of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and a Trustee of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Lew holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, with distinction, from Stanford University. He also received an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar.
René Lajous
René Lajous is a Principal with The Cambria Group, working in the firm’s Dallas office. He participates in all aspects of Cambria’s activities, focusing equally on originating and evaluating investment opportunities, negotiating and arranging financing for transactions, and providing oversight for the firm’s portfolio companies. He serves on the boards of directors of several private companies in Cambria’s portfolio. Prior to joining Cambria, Mr. Lajous was a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, working in Dallas, Texas and Buenos Aires, Argentina. At BCG, he advised clients in the transportation, energy and telecommunications industries on a variety of issues ranging from strategy and operations to merger and acquisition activity and due diligence. Earlier, Mr. Lajous focused on logistics and operations in the consumer packaged goods industries, working for Procter & Gamble in Canada and Mexico, as well as Pillsbury in Canada. Mr. Lajous earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto, earning the W.S. Wilson Medal for academic excellence. He subsequently received an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
Chris Sekula
Chris Sekula is a Principal of The Cambria Group, dividing his time between the firm’s Dallas office and a satellite office in Lexington, Massachusetts. Mr. Sekula focuses his time on operating issues and serves on the boards of directors of several private companies in Cambria’s portfolio. Mr. Sekula was previously a Principal with The Lucas Group, a management consulting firm which demonstrated its commitment to value creation in working with client organizations by frequently linking its compensation to results generated by its engagements. In this capacity, he specialized in designing and implementing programs to enhance client companies’ operating performance and profitability and in conducting acquisition due diligence reviews. Mr. Sekula also served as a senior consultant for Bain & Company and as a Vice President of Enterprise Investors, LP, a leading private equity firm which managed over $340 million in capital for investment in Central Europe. Mr. Sekula earned a Masters degree in Environmental Engineering from Politechnika Warszawska in Poland and an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.