Gregory Barger

Greg Barger is a General Partner of NewSpring and a General Partner of the firm's dedicated mezzanine funds (NewSpring Mezzanine). He joined NewSpring in 2009 and brings more than 30 years of experience financing middle-market and growth-stage businesses. NewSpring itself is a multi-strategy private equity platform (growth equity, mezzanine, holdings, and health strategies) managing roughly $3.5B+ across the platform, with the mezzanine strategy alone at about $1.3B in assets under management and 110+ investments to date.

Before NewSpring, Barger was a Managing Director (2006–2009) at Calvert Street Capital Partners, a private equity and mezzanine fund, where he helped fully invest its $130 million mezzanine fund. From 1996 to 2006 he was a Senior Vice President at Mercantile Bank, where he launched the bank's in-house private equity group and grew its portfolio of fund and direct investments to nearly $70 million. Earlier in his career he served as Director of Equity Research at Wilen Management Co., an investment advisory firm, and began in financial services in 1987 at MNC Financial Corporation (a predecessor of Bank of America), working across credit, structured finance, workout, and private banking roles.

He earned a BS in Finance from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from Loyola College (Loyola University Maryland), and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) credential (non-active). He sits on the board of the Association for Corporate Growth's Maryland chapter and volunteers with the Maryland chapter of Bringing Hope Home.

As a mezzanine investor, Barger typically acts as lead investor, board member, and deal sponsor. He currently serves on the boards of several NewSpring portfolio companies, including Aero Components, Exeter Image Holdings, Lawton Standard, Prospect Mold, Traffic Safety Solutions, and Jor-Mac.

• Invests mezzanine debt and/or equity into profitable lower-middle-market companies — this is growth/expansion capital, buyouts, recapitalizations, and acquisition financing, not seed-stage venture.
• Targets companies with demonstrated profitability, generally $2M+ EBITDA, that need flexible or creative capital structures banks won't provide.
• Core sectors: business services, consumer products/services, niche manufacturing and distribution, healthcare, and technology.
• Emphasizes partnership over pure capital — in his own words: *"Our goal at NewSpring Mezzanine is to build great companies through strong partnerships. We pride ourselves on building close relationships with financial sponsors, intermediaries, and portfolio company management teams to form strategic alliances that produce lasting value for all stakeholders."*
• NewSpring positions the strategy as offering "creative funding options" with a "collaborative" and "operator mindset focused on adding real value" beyond the check.