Highwald is looking to acquire, own and grow services or specialty manufacturing businesses in the Mid-Atlantic. We invest our own capital and seek to own a business for the long term, partnering with owner-operators and management teams to provide additional resources, or offering a succession pathway to an exiting owner. We are an alternative ownership transition option to private equity.
Our approach is built on providing long-term, active family ownership that can preserve a company’s legacy, people and operations and continue to build by reinvesting earnings to drive enduring growth and scale. This helps us focus on operating the right way, with strong business practices to make long-term, strategic decisions and ensure a business, its people and culture continue to grow.
Highwald was founded by Fritz von Guionneau. The approach at Highwald is based on Fritz’s experience running a division of Continental Grain Company, a 7th generation, 200+ year-old family-owned investor and operator of industrial and services businesses. In his role as Co-Head of Direct Investments, he was responsible for leading new investments and partnering with management of portfolio companies in the industrials, consumer, and healthcare sectors. Portfolio companies and investments with which he was involved were Kinder's Holdings, Agile Cold Storage, as a Director on their Boards, Wayne Sanderson Farms and Ceva Animal Health.
Fritz also worked at Berkshire Partners, where he focused on investments in the consumer and healthcare sectors. Prior to Berkshire Partners, he worked at Bain & Company. He holds an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School and a BA from the University of Oxford. Fritz lives in the Philadelphia area with his wife and their two sons.
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