Michael Long

Michael D. Long is a Partner and one of the founding partners of MSouth Equity Partners, an Atlanta-based private equity firm formed in 2007 by veterans of Cravey, Green & Wahlen, Inc. (CGW), one of Atlanta's oldest private equity firms, founded in 1984. He co-founded the firm alongside partners including Mark L. Feidler and others, and MSouth positions itself as the successor organization to CGW's lower-middle-market investing franchise.

Long's career combines banking, operations, and private equity. From 1977 to 1995 he held a range of positions with NationsBank (a predecessor to Bank of America), working across its corporate, energy, syndication, and commercial banking groups. In 1995 he became an investor in L&G Financial, a private equity partnership based in Austin, Texas. He also brings direct operating experience, having served as CEO of Pac Pizza, LLC, a 148-unit Pizza Hut franchisee. He joined Cravey, Green & Wahlen as a partner (circa 1998) before co-founding MSouth in 2007.

Long earned both his undergraduate degree (B.S. in Finance/Accounting) and his M.B.A. from Oklahoma State University. At MSouth he sits among a small group of long-tenured partners — including David F. "Buddy" Bacon, Jr., Barry L. Boniface, Dan E. Campbell, Mark L. Feidler, Peter S. Pettit, and Charles J. Stubbs — whose partners have worked with Southern lower-middle-market companies for more than 40 years.

Across its history and predecessor funds, MSouth reports having invested over $1.9 billion in 46 companies, with more than $700 million under management across active funds, most recently MSouth Equity Partners IV.

• Invests as a control buyer in lower-middle-market companies valued $25–$125 million (enterprise value criteria stated as $25–$250 million), providing equity capital and operating support to management teams.
• Equity checks of roughly $25–$100 million per platform; platform targets typically generate $5–$30 million of EBITDA, with add-on acquisitions considered at any size.
• Concentrates on four sectors: Business Services, Healthcare Services, Niche Manufacturing, and Specialty Distribution.
• Transaction types include management and leveraged buyouts, buy-and-build platforms, family-succession and owner recapitalizations, corporate divestitures, and sponsor-to-sponsor deals.
• Screens for businesses with "defensible market position," "stable competitive dynamics," strong free-cash-flow conversion, and multiple exit options.
• Firm tagline captures the thesis: *"We strive to be the partner of choice for exceptional management teams in the South."*