Fairmont is a private venture capital and investment company which makes equity investments in companies that are strategically positioned for growth. These companies can range from start-ups needing seed capital to mature and seasoned entities that need an acquisition restructuring.
Fairmont’s principals have considerable investment experience, including: consumer products and services, food and food services, software, education, franchising, retail and retail related manufacturing.
Fairmont believes it can create or add value to each of its investments by: developing effective growth and operating strategies, coaching and motivating the management team, providing expansion capital and other financing solutions when needed, and designing appropriate exit strategies. Fairmont brings strategic, financial and managerial experience to each of its investments.
Fairmont and its predecessor, Equivest Partners, Inc., have invested in a multiple of start-ups and have led the acquisition of seven platform and six add-on companies.
Perception
Fairmont is never one dimensional or myopic in its investment strategy. Being “on the edge” or “outside the box” is very comfortable.
Michael W. Gibbons
President
Mr. Gibbons has been a business executive, private investor, hands-on operating manager, motivational speaker and entrepreneur for many years. Earlier in his professional career, he was a management consultant.
Mr. Gibbons’ executive management and investment experiences cover a wide range of activities – from commercial and investment banking to furniture retailing, automobile auctioning, restaurant chains, department store retailing, plastic manufacturing, mail order apparel, and upholstery manufacturing. His consulting experiences have included consumer goods, coal mining, railroads, and public utilities. His operational experiences range from rapid growth to consolidations, to turnarounds.
Mr. Gibbons is also a successful mountaineer and experienced outdoorsman. He is one of the first 112 individuals that have climbed to the top of the “eight” highest peaks on the seven continents. His experiences include a very adventurous ascent of Mount Everest in 2011. He has cross-country skied to the North Pole and South Pole, and is the 60th person in the world to complete The Explorers Grand Slam. As a motivational speaker, Mr. Gibbons often delivers a message which takes the lessons of mountain climbing and applies them to business, team-building, risk-taking and personal growth.
Mr. Gibbons holds an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a BA Magna Cum Laude in Economics from Harvard College.
Mark J. Gill
Managing Director
Mr. Gill is the financial operations and analysis lead for investments and acquisitions by Fairmont. On occasion he takes an active management role in certain investments, including a multi-year effort as the chief financial officer in both the turnaround of Expressions Furniture, Inc., and the national roll-out of Krause’s Furniture, Inc.
Prior to joining the Fairmont efforts, Mr. Gill was the Vice-President Controller at The John Breuner Company, a retail subsidiary of BAT Industries, and held a variety of financial positions with Weinstocks, a department store division of Carter Hawley Hale.
Mr. Gill holds an MBA in finance from Golden Gate University and a BA in Economics from the University of California at Davis.
