Rick Greene

Rick Greene is Chief Operating Officer of Dobbs Equity Partners, LLC, a Memphis-based family investment firm that invests its own family assets rather than raising outside capital. Dobbs says it prefers long-term investment opportunities and supports portfolio companies with back-office functions including accounting and finance, tax preparation, human resources, insurance and risk mitigation, and legal services.

Before joining Dobbs Equity Partners, Greene was an executive at Delta and Pine Land Company, an NYSE-traded agricultural biotechnology company that was sold to Monsanto Company in 2007. At D&PL, he held several senior roles, including Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice President of International Business, and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development.

As head of corporate development at D&PL, Greene oversaw business development and strategic planning, including mergers and acquisitions, licensing, and business expansion. Dobbs’ bio states that he has been involved in dozens of business combinations, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and similar transactions.

Greene is a summa cum laude graduate of Christian Brothers University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

• Dobbs Equity Partners states that, unlike a traditional private equity firm, it invests its own family assets and does not raise outside capital.
• The firm’s stated investment approach is long-term: it says it is not constrained by specific time frames or exit strategies and is willing to “buy and hold indefinitely” when a business performs well.
• Management quality is central to the thesis. Dobbs says, “management makes all the difference,” and that the key to value creation is a strong management team with industry-specific operating experience.
• The firm is primarily interested in businesses where it can invest $3 million to $25 million for a majority stake, though it says it can invest more when warranted and may use some debt financing.
• Dobbs will consider start-ups, management buyouts, turnarounds, and special situations when strong management is already in place.
• Preferred characteristics include an established business model, defensible franchise, strong ROIC, free-cash-flow generation, reinvestment opportunities, operational or add-on acquisition upside, and incentive alignment with management.
• Stated industry interests include distribution, industrial and specialty business services, health care, maintenance and repair businesses, manufacturing, and business franchises.
• Dobbs says it generally does not invest in real estate, information technology, speculative technology, biotech, or businesses with unresolved proof-of-concept or regulatory-approval risk.