Garrett Werner

Garrett Werner is a co-founder of Barn Ridge Partners, a New York–based lower-middle-market private equity firm he launched in early 2024 alongside Alexander Peskind (a former Blackstone GP Stakes vice president). Barn Ridge pursues control investments in service-oriented businesses, with a stated mission of helping "great businesses grow through enduring, long-term partnership." The note in the source stub tying Werner to The Sterling Group with the title "Associate" reflects an earlier stage of his career; his contact record there is now several years out of date.

Werner built his career in investment banking and private equity. He began as an Analyst at Evercore (2016–2018), working in the firm's energy M&A group. He then joined The Sterling Group in Houston as an Associate (2018–2020), an operationally focused middle-market PE firm where he evaluated investments in manufacturing, distribution, and industrial-services businesses. After earning his MBA, he joined Palladium Equity Partners in New York, rising from Senior Associate to Vice President (2022–2024), where he served on the boards of Palladium portfolio companies including Trachte and Paragon Integrated Services Group before departing to start Barn Ridge.

On the education side, Werner graduated cum laude from Middlebury College with a B.A. in Economics (and a minor in Psychology), and earned an MBA from Columbia Business School (2022).

• Invests in established, profitable, service-oriented businesses — not startups. Barn Ridge screens for "multi-year track records of profitable operations," fragmented markets with room to consolidate, and sector tailwinds.
• Pursues control / buyout positions across B2B and B2C services, positioning itself as a long-term operating partner rather than a short-hold financial buyer.
• Firm philosophy is people-first and legacy-minded: "great businesses are the product of great teams, with owners who take care of their people," emphasizing collaborative, transparent ownership transitions.
• His prior seats give him depth in industrials, manufacturing, distribution, and energy/oilfield services (from Sterling Group and Palladium) in addition to broader services.
• Note: despite the "Angel Investors / Seed Round" label in the source record, there is no evidence he makes seed-stage or angel investments — his track record is lower-middle-market buyouts.