Roark Capital Group Expands Franchise Investment Team

After closing three deals in the past two months, Roark Capital Group, an Atlanta-based private equity firm specializing in the Franchise sector, announced today that it has hired a new vice president to support their franchise investment team.  Vice President James L. Collins will be primarily responsible for sourcing, evaluating and executing franchise investments at Roark.

“James joins us at an ideal time as our pipeline of potential Franchise Opportunities continues to grow,” said Neal Aronson, founder and managing partner at Roark Capital Group. “His extensive experience in multi unit, consumer and retail industries, along with his professional character and leadership skills, makes him a valuable asset to our team.”

In September 2009, Roark announced it acquired its 15th franchise brand, Pet Valu, Canada’s leading small-format specialty retailer and distributor of pet food and supplies. A few weeks later, Roark closed on a $100 million investment in Waste Pro, one of the Southeast’s leading non-hazardous solid waste management companies. In October 2009, Roark announced that it increased its investment in its portfolio company PSC Info Group to support PSC’s acquisition of outsourced data management services company North Shore Agency, Inc. 

Prior to joining Roark, Collins was a Principal at Stone Tower Equity Partners, a $2.5 billion private equity firm.  Previously, Collins was a Director at Parish Capital Advisors, as well as a Principal at Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co.  Collins started his career at Bain & Company before joining Bowles Hollowell Conner & Co.

“Joining Roark provided me with a tremendous opportunity to work alongside a talented team of professionals who are held in high regard throughout the franchise industry,” Collins said. “I have a great deal of respect for Roark’s strong core values, best practices and investment philosophies.” 

Collins graduated magna cum laude from Howard University in Washington D.C. with a BBA in Accounting and received his MBA from the Harvard Business School in Boston, MA. He currently serves on the board of directors of Children for Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching the value of civic engagement and demonstrating that, no matter how young, everyone has something to give.

Earlier this year, Roark announced the addition of former Cinnabon President Geoff Hill, also as a Vice President, to build on its team of professionals with more than 100 collective years of operating and investment experience in the franchise industry.

About Roark Capital Group
Roark Capital Group is an Atlanta-based private equity firm that specializes in business and consumer service companies with attractive growth prospects and revenues ranging from $20 million to $1.0 billion.  Roark focuses on middle-market investment opportunities through family-owned business transfers, management/corporate buyouts, recapitalizations, going-private transactions, and corporate divestitures.  Roark has acquired 15 franchise/multi-unit brands that collectively have more than 45,000 points of distribution, 2,600 franchisees, and $3.7 billion in system-wide revenues across 50 states and 36 countries. Its current franchise portfolio includes such well known brands as Carvel, Cinnabon, Schlotzky’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Seattle’s Best Coffee International, McAlister’s Deli, Money Mailer, Fast Signs, Batteries Plus, Primrose Schools and Pet Valu.  The firm has more than $1.5 billion of equity capital under management.