Robert Clark

Robert L. Clark, Jr., who goes by “Rufus,” is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Bunker Hill Capital. The firm describes him as having more than 28 years of experience as a principal working with middle-market companies. In his current role, he works actively with portfolio companies as a lead investor and has board-level experience.

Clark currently sits on the boards of Bunker Hill Capital portfolio companies Dyno Holdings and Hubbardton Forge. Dyno is the exclusive licensee of the Singer brand for sewing accessories and also markets holiday decorative home products. Hubbardton Forge is a Vermont-based designer and manufacturer of branded hand-forged premium lighting fixtures.

Before founding Bunker Hill Capital, Clark was a Managing Director at BancBoston Capital. Before BancBoston Capital, he worked at Bank of Boston. He holds a B.A. from Harvard College.

In a 2024 BluWave interview, Clark and co-founder Mark DeBlois said Bunker Hill was formed after they had been senior members of BancBoston Capital’s buyout team and wanted to operate with a private-equity mindset outside the constraints of a bank-affiliated platform.

• Bunker Hill focuses “exclusively in the lower middle market” for growth-oriented platforms based in North America, typically companies with $3 million to $15 million in EBITDA.
• The firm’s stated sector focus is industrial growth, specialized business services, and niche consumer products.
• Its three investment models are scope build-ups, scale roll-ups, and secular growth plays.
• Bunker Hill looks for a limited number of high-growth platforms and states that its primary search criterion is the potential to achieve 10% to 20% EBITDA CAGR over the investment period.
• In the BluWave interview, Clark and DeBlois said their key buying criterion is often to be the first private-equity owner buying from founders or owner-entrepreneurs who want to remain involved or have identified a management team.
• Bunker Hill’s operating model is hands-on after close: the firm describes a 90- to 120-day strategic planning process that turns diligence findings into a “Full Potential Roadmap” and “Key Initiative Tracker.”
• Older firm releases describe Bunker Hill as investing in lower-middle-market companies with enterprise values up to $120 million, but the current firm focus page emphasizes EBITDA rather than enterprise value.