Roark Capital Group is an American

private equity firm A private equity firm is an investment management company that provides financial backing and makes investments in the private equity of startup or operating companies through a variety of loosely affiliated investment strategies including leve ...

with over $33 billion in assets under management. The firm is focused on

leveraged buyout A leveraged buyout (LBO) is one company's acquisition of another company using a significant amount of borrowed money (leverage) to meet the cost of acquisition. The assets of the company being acquired are often used as collateral for the loan ...

investments in

middle-market companies Authorities provide differing definitions of the middle-market or mid-market companies. While some authorities look to revenue generated by companies to define the middle market, other sources regard either asset size or number of employees as a bet ...

, primarily in the franchise/multi-location, restaurant and food, health and wellness, and business services sectors. It is named for

Howard Roark ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect, who battles against conventional standards and refuses to comp ...

, the protagonist in

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...

's novel ''

The Fountainhead ''The Fountainhead'' is a 1943 novel by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, her first major literary success. The novel's protagonist, Howard Roark, is an intransigent young architect, who battles against conventional standards and refuses to com ...

''. The firm claims that its name is not meant to connote any particular political philosophy but instead signify the firm's admiration for the iconoclastic qualities of independence and self-assurance embodied by the central figure in ''The Fountainhead''.

History

The firm, which is based in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, was founded in 2001 by the current Managing Partner, Neal K. Aronson. Senior team members include President Paul D. Ginsberg, Chief Investment Officer Erik O. Morris, and Managing Directors Timothy Armstrong, Stephen D. Aronson, Dennis Gies, Clay Harmon, Geoff Hill, Kevin Hofmann, Ian Picache, Gregory Smith, Sarah Spiegel, Michael Thompson, and David Wierman. Prior to founding Roark Capital Group in 2001, Aronson was a co-founder of

U.S. Franchise Systems U.S. Franchise Systems was a franchise company that owned Microtel Inns and Suites and Hawthorn Suites. It was founded in 1995 by Michael A. Leven and Neil K. Aronson. In March 1996, the company acquired the franchise rights to Hawthorn Suites, ...

in 1995. Roark currently is investing out of its fifth institutional private equity fund.

Investments

Roark's current and former portfolio companies include:

Current investments

Anytime Fitness Anytime Fitness is a franchise of 24-hour health and fitness clubs that is headquartered in Woodbury, Minnesota, United States. The company operates over 5,000 franchised locations in 50 countries. The gym facilities are open 24 hours a day, 36 ...

Batteries Plus Bulbs Batteries Plus (stylized as BatteriesPlus+, formerly Batteries Plus Bulbs stylized as Batteries+Bulbs) is an American specialty retail chain of several hundred franchise outlets founded in 1988 that sells and recycles batteries of varying size a ...

The Cheesecake Factory The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated is an American restaurant company and distributor of cheesecakes based in the United States. The company operates 219 full-service restaurants: 206 under The Cheesecake Factory brand and 13 under the Grand Lux ...

CKE Restaurants CKE Restaurants Holdings (an acronym from Carl Karcher Enterprises) is an American fast food corporation and is the parent organization for the Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Green Burrito, and Red Burrito brands. CKE Restaurants is a subsidiary of the priv ...

: (

Carl's Jr. Carl's Jr. Restaurants LLC is an American fast food restaurant chain operated by CKE Restaurant Holdings, Inc., with franchisees in North & South America, Asia, Oceania, Europe and Africa. In 2016, ''Entrepreneur'' listed Carl's Jr. as No. 54 ...

Hardee's Hardee's Restaurants LLC is an American fast-food restaurant chain operated by CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. ("CKE") with locations primarily in the Southern and Midwestern United States. The company has evolved through several corporate owne ...

, Green Burrito & Red Burrito) *

Culver's Culver Franchising System, LLC (Culver's) is an American fast-casual restaurant chain. The company was founded in 1984 by George, Ruth, Craig, and Lea Culver. The first location opened in Sauk City, Wisconsin on July 18, 1984 under the name "Cul ...

(minority investment) * Divisions Maintenance Group * Driven Brands: (1-800-Radiator & A/C, Abra, CARSTAR, International Car Wash Group/ICWG, Maaco, Meineke, Merlin 200,000 Mile Shops, Xpress Lube, Take 5 Oil Change, Pro Oil Change, Econo Lube & Tune) *

Drybar Drybar is a California based chain of salons that provides a hair styling service known as blowouts. The company was founded in 2008 by Alli Webb. History In 2008, Alli Webb began a side business called Straight At Home, which provided a ...

* Fitness Connection *

Focus Brands Focus Brands is an American company that is an affiliate of the American private equity firm Roark Capital Group that currently owns the Schlotzsky's, Carvel, Cinnabon, Moe's Southwest Grill, McAlister's Deli, Auntie Anne's and Jamba brands. ...

: (

Auntie Anne's Auntie Anne's is an American franchised chain of pretzel shops founded by Anne F. Beiler and her husband, Jonas, in 1988. Auntie Anne's serves products such as pretzels, dips, and beverages. They also offer Pretzels & More Homemade Baking Mix f ...

, Carvel,

Cinnabon Cinnabon is an American chain of baked goods stores and kiosks, normally found in areas with high pedestrian traffic such as malls, airports and rest stops. The company's signature item is a cinnamon roll. As of December 2017, there are more th ...

, Jamba,

McAlister's Deli McAlister's Deli is an American chain of fast casual restaurants founded in 1989 in Oxford, Mississippi, by retired dentist Dr. Don Newcomb. There are currently over 500 locations in 29 states. The menu includes deli sandwiches, "giant spuds" ...

Moe's Southwest Grill Moe's Southwest Grill, referred to informally as Moe's, is an American fast casual restaurant franchise chain that was founded in Atlanta, Georgia, in December 2000FOCUS Brands press release, FOCUS Brands to Acquire Moe’s Southwest Grill', April ...

Schlotzsky's Schlotzsky's is an American franchise chain of restaurants, specializing in sandwiches and pizza. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Schlotzsky's has more than 330 franchised and company-owned locations throughout the United Sta ...

,) * Great Expressions Dental Centers * Home Service Store *

Inspire Brands Inspire Brands, Inc. is an American holding company and the owner and franchisor of the Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic Drive-In, Jimmy John's, Rusty Taco, Mister Donut, Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins restaurant chains. Inspire operates S ...

: (

Arby's Arby's is an American fast food sandwich restaurant chain with more than 3,300 restaurants system wide and third in terms of revenue. In October 2017, '' Food & Wine'' called Arby's "America's second largest sandwich chain (after Subway)". Ar ...

Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Wild Wings (originally Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck, hence the nickname BDubs, or BW3) is an American casual dining restaurant and sports bar franchise in the United States, Canada, India, Mexico, Panama, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and Unit ...

Sonic Drive-In Sonic Corporation, founded as Sonic Drive-In and more commonly known as Sonic (stylized as SONIC), or "The Drive-In," is an American drive-in fast food restaurant Chain store, chain owned by Inspire Brands, the parent company of Arby's and Buf ...

Jimmy John's Jimmy John's is an American sandwich chain headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. The business was founded by Jimmy John Liautaud in 1983. After Liautaud graduated from high school, his father gave him a choice to either join the military or star ...

, Rusty Taco, Dunkin' Donuts, Dunkin', Baskin-Robbins) * Installation Made Easy * Jim 'N Nick's BBQ Restaurants * Massage Envy * Miller's Ale House * Orangetheory Fitness * Pet Retail Brands: (Bosley's, Pet Supermarket, PetValu) Petstores * Primrose Schools * Self Esteem Brands: (Basecamp Fitness, The Bar Method, Waxing the City) * Solterra Recycling * ServiceMaster, ServiceMaster Brands: (ServiceMaster Clean, ServiceMaster Restore, ServiceMaster#AmeriSpec, AmeriSpec, Furniture Medic, Merry Maids) * Mathnasium * Aftermath Services

Former investments

* Atkins Nutritionals * Cyber Core Technologies * Fastsigns * GFL Environmental * Il Fornaio: (Corner Bakery Cafe) * Advertising mail, Money Mailer * Movie Gallery * Naf Naf Grill * Peachtree Business Products * PSC Info Group * Qualawash * United States Arbitrage Finance II * USFS * Waste Pro * Wingstop

References

External links

* {{Private equity and venture capital Financial services companies established in 2001 Private equity firms of the United States Companies based in Atlanta American companies established in 2001 Franchises