Thomas Carney

Tom Carney is a Colorado-based investor, operator, and advisor with more than three decades of experience spanning engineering, consulting, private equity, and operating leadership. He began his career as an engineer at Bently Nevada (1998–2002), then spent roughly five years at General Electric as an operating leader (2002–2007). He moved into consulting at KPMG, where he served as a Managing Director in the Operations Strategy Group (2008–2013), advising companies on operational performance and value creation.

In November 2013 he joined Lion Equity Partners, a Denver private equity firm specializing in acquiring divisions of larger corporations (corporate carve-outs) and other special situations. As an Operating Partner there (2013–2020), Carney worked hands-on inside portfolio companies, driving operational improvements and integrations. The clearest example of this is UE Compression, a natural-gas compression equipment manufacturer that Lion Equity acquired from United Holdings (a division of Kirby Corporation) in November 2015. Carney went on to serve as Chief Executive Officer of UE Compression from May 2020 to November 2021, leading the business directly.

Since January 2022 he has been Founder & Managing Partner of Rist Canyon Advisors, a Colorado-based investment and advisory firm focused on real-estate investment, rural entrepreneurship, ownership transitions, and special-situations investing. He positions himself as an investor and operator who has "skin in the game," helping companies navigate capital raises, acquisitions, mergers, integrations, sales, and restructurings.

Carney holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University and a BS in Engineering Science from Pacific Lutheran University, with additional executive coursework at the University of Colorado Boulder's Leeds School of Business. He is deeply involved in his community, serving with Chaffee County Search and Rescue, Diamond Peaks Ski Patrol, the Chaffee County Economic Development Corporation, and the Chaffee Housing Authority.

• Invests and operates in lower-middle-market control situations, not venture/seed — his background is corporate carve-outs and operational turnarounds, not early-stage angel checks.
• At Lion Equity, the model is acquiring divisions of larger corporations and creating value "through a combination of organic growth and strategic add-on acquisitions," targeting businesses with enterprise values up to ~$50M.
• Looks for companies with market leadership, established products/services, scalable infrastructure, long-term customer relationships, and identifiable operational upside — the type of business where a hands-on operator can unlock value.
• At Rist Canyon Advisors, focuses on Colorado long-term value creation: real estate, rural businesses, ownership/succession transitions, and special situations, partnering with founders, families, and community organizations.
• Says "yes" where there is a clear operational improvement thesis and where he can be hands-on as an operator-investor with "skin in the game."