Mission-Focused Private Equity Firm Coltala Holdings Creates Powerhouse Team with Additions to Investment Committee, Coltala Enterprise System (CES), and Investment Team

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Coltala Holdings

Jan 17, 2019, 05:00 ET


DALLAS-FORT WORTH, Texas (PRWEB) January 17, 2019 -- With its unique concept in private equity investing, Coltala Holdings announced today the addition of D. Scott Luttrell, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of LCM Group, to its Investment Committee; Damon Baker, CEO of Lean Focus, to head the Coltala Enterprise System (CES) lean management program; and Blaine Kaehr to their investment research team. Mr. Luttrell will serve on Coltala’s Investment Committee joining fellow Board Partner Darrell Bevelhymer, co-founder and director of Tenaska, Inc.; and Board Advisor Charles L. (Chuck) Jarvie, former President of Dr. Pepper Company and Fidelity Investments Marketing Corp. (Full bios included below.)

“These local Dallas-Fort Worth leaders bring valuable and complementary skills to the table having built and managed some of the most significant businesses in the United States,” asserted Edward J. Crawford, President and Co-Founder of Coltala Holdings. “Combined, they bring a deep bench of experience that will be available to mentor, coach, and support the businesses we acquire and manage. They’re true servant leaders who believe in making an impact on people’s lives. We will draw on their experience and values as we lead our portfolio companies to greater success and impact.”

The Coltala Enterprise System (CES)

Coltala Holdings also announced that Damon Baker will join the firm as a managing director and will head up the private equity firm’s Coltala Enterprise System (CES) which utilizes a lean management approach to maximize potential and achieve optimal scale for their portfolio companies. Mr. Baker will utilize his more than 20 years of experience in implementing lean management for prestigious companies such as Danaher Corporation, HNI, Eaton, Argo Consulting, Experian, and Winegard. He is currently the CEO of Lean Focus and holds an MBA from St. Ambrose University and a BA in Management and Marketing from Iowa Wesleyan University.

“We look forward to having Damon on board to integrate the lean management approach into our portfolio of businesses,” said Ralph Manning, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Coltala Holdings. “Given his long and broad industry experience and our focus on the Manufacturing sector and the Consumer and Business Services sector, the Coltala Enterprise System serves as a solid blueprint for success in our family of businesses.”

Manning added, “We have been extremely privileged to have had the advice, counsel, and encouragement early on from industry giants including Larry Culp, Chairman and CEO of General Electric, and Art Byrne, formerly EVP of Danaher Corporation and CEO of the famed Wiremold Company. Through their decades of successful application of the Danaher Business System, these two men have largely informed and influenced the development and ethos of the Coltala Enterprise System (CES).”

CES is based on lean management principles and is suitable in application to all businesses and processes, not just lean manufacturing. It combines a customer-centric application of kaizen (continuous and never-ending improvement), the efficient layout of the gemba (the shop floor), and the process of inculcating the lean culture of commitment. The lean approach is a way of achieving optimal output and speed with low risk through constant and never-ending improvement in all facets of the enterprise.

“We’re small, which means we’re agile. We’re well capitalized, which means we’re capable and we’re experienced, which in turn means we add value to any company we buy. In a values-driven firm, that’s quite a unique blend,” explained Board Advisor Chuck Jarvie.

Investment Team

“We’re also excited to appoint the first member to our rockstar team-in-training,” quipped Ralph Manning. Blaine Kaehr will assume the role of financial analyst wherein his duties will encompass financial modeling, evaluation of acquisition prospects, and industry research in key sectors. Prior to joining Coltala Holdings, Mr. Kaehr was a financial analyst with the high-profile MillerCoors company. While there he was engaged in their brewing and packaging operations and was intimately involved in managing department budgets and leading cross-functional teams to improve waste reduction and operational efficiency. He has a BS in Finance from the University of Kansas with a concentration in entrepreneurship.

Coltala Values

Coltala believes that value is created through the embodiment of the mission-equals-margin approach by living their core values of BUILD. Coltala’s mission is massive and transformational - to have a meaningful impact not just on the bottom line, but on the lives of all those associated with the Coltala family of businesses.

Coltala Board Member Bios

D. Scott Luttrell, a founding Board Partner of Coltala Holdings, currently serves as the CEO and Chief Investment Officer of LCM Group, serves on the Board of Trustees (and is Chairman of the Investment Committee) for the $7bln YMCA Retirement Fund, and is Chairman of the Board of Advisors to North Avenue Capital and private equity firms Ballast Point Ventures and Mangrove Partners. Previously, he was a Principal and Managing Partner of the New York-based investment firm, Caxton Corp., spent 12 years on the Board of Directors of Florida Bank Group (a Federal Reserve regulated bank holding company) and 14 years on the Board of Directors of Cbeyond, Inc. (CBEY:NASDAQ). Mr. Luttrell holds a BA degree from Southern Methodist University and attended Harvard Business School’s Executive Education program in Corporate Governance.

Darrell Bevelhymer is a founding Board Partner of Coltala Holdings and a member of its Investment Committee. Most notably, Mr. Bevelhymer is a Co-founder and Director of Tenaska, Inc., one of the top 25 largest privately-held companies in the United States as well as one of the largest private, independent energy companies in the country. He currently serves as a Board Member of Agricen LLC (formerly known as Advanced Microbial Solutions, LLC). Mr. Bevelhymer has over 20 years of experience in the electric utility industry and has deep expertise in the areas of complex deal flow, deal structure, and industrial applications.

Charles L. (Chuck) Jarvie is a founding Board Advisor at Coltala Holdings. His expertise is derived from over 50 years of executive management experience with a number of iconic and highly-recognized companies. Most notable was Mr. Jarvie’s service as President of Dr. Pepper Company and Fidelity Investments Marketing Corp. In addition, he was Chief Executive Officer at Schenley Industries, Inc. and served as President/Partner of Host Communications, Inc. His accomplishments include the acquisition of Canada Dry Corporation and the sale of Schenley Industries, Host Communications and New Era Beverage Company. Mr. Jarvie also served as Chairman of J/P Management Associates, as a Director of Guinness America, Inc. and Galaxy Nutritional Foods Inc. Mr. Jarvie has served on more than 20 boards of directors over the last 20 years. He is active in his community, Cornell University affairs, and a number of national organizations including BENS (Business Executives for National Security). Mr. Jarvie holds a BS degree and an MBA from Cornell University.

Coltala Holdings – A Unique Concept in Private Equity Investing

About Coltala Holdings:

Coltala Holdings is a unique holding-company approach to private equity investing with a proven enterprise-level management system – The Coltala Enterprise System™ (CES) – that enables high-potential, small and mid-size companies to achieve optimal scale. With our deep bench of experienced industry professionals, and more than 100 years of combined experience, Coltala is well positioned to acquire and unlock the potential in family businesses and privately-held companies in the Manufacturing sector and the Consumer and Business Services sector. Coltala is committed to being a conscientious steward of your company’s legacy and to working with you and your team to take your company to the next level.

The Coltala Holdings Executive Team (alumni of Goldman Sachs, the Boston Consulting Group, The U.S. Navy, SMU, TCU, UT, TULANE, HARVARD, and MIT) have joined forces to create a new concept in private equity investing. Ralph Manning, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer; Edward Crawford, Co-founder and President; Chris Goodwin, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer; Christine Spadafor, Co-founder and Managing Director; and Damon Baker, Managing Director and head of the CES, bring broadly diversified expertise in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations to their portfolio companies.

For more information, please visit us at http://www.coltala.com or follow us on:

Melanie Barton, EVP, Coltala Holdings, http://www.coltala.com, 817-546-4600, [email protected]