AEA

Relationships Matter

There is a simple reason our investment principles have worked for 50 years: We believe in a relationship-driven approach to investing through partnering with exceptional management teams of middle market companies to help them build and improve their businesses.

 

Alex joined AEA in 2004. After three years with the firm, he pursued other entrepreneurial focused initiatives before returning to AEA in 2009. He became a Partner in 2018. Alex focuses on AEA’s investments in the Consumer / Retail sector and currently serves on the boards of 1-800 Contacts, 24 Hour Fitness, BMS Enterprises, Jack’s Family Restaurants, Melissa & Doug and ThreeSixty.

Prior to joining AEA, Alex was a strategy consultant with Bain & Co. in San Francisco. Prior to Bain, he spent a year as a consultant to DataCom, Mongolia’s first internet service provider, as a Henry Luce Scholar.

Alex was a Morehead-Cain Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill.

James joined AEA in 2001 as an Associate and became a Partner in 2013. He focuses on AEA’s investments in the Consumer / Retail and Services sectors. James currently serves on the boards of 1-800 Contacts, Brand Networks, Melissa & Doug, ThreeSixty and Traeger Wood Pellet Grills. He also served on the board of 24 Hour Fitness. Prior to AEA’s exit from the investment, James served on the board of Shoes for Crews.

Prior to joining AEA, James was a strategy consultant with Bain & Company in Chicago, advising both private equity and corporate clients. During his time there, he developed acquisition perspectives and post-merger integration strategies for clients across a wide variety of industries, including consumer products, general industrial and services sectors.

Martin Eltrich joined AEA in 2001 and became a Partner in 2003. He leads the Consumer / Retail investment practice and currently serves on the boards of 1-800 Contacts, 24 Hour Fitness, At Home, Brand Networks, Jack’s Family Restaurants, Melissa & Doug, ThreeSixty and Traeger Wood Pellet Grills. Prior to AEA’s exit from the investment, Martin also sat on the boards of Acosta, Burt’s Bees, Cogent Healthcare, Henry Company, Li & Fung Distribution, Shoes for Crews and Tampico Beverages.

Before joining AEA, Martin was an investment banker covering the consumer products industry. He was an investment banker at Greenhill & Co. in New York, joining that firm at its inception in 1996. Prior to joining Greenhill, Martin was a banker in the consumer products group at Morgan Stanley.

  • $15b

    With over $15 billion under management, AEA is a leader in global, middle-market private investing.

  • 125+

    With approximately 130 employees, including over 80 investment professionals, AEA’s experienced and focused team leverages deep industry knowledge and exceptional operational expertise.

  • 5/3

    With five offices across three continents, AEA has an unparalleled global network of relationships with family owners of industrial companies, business executives and influential government leaders.

  • 1968

    Founded in 1968 by members of the world’s leading industrial families, AEA is one of the oldest and most experienced private equity firms with a long legacy of success.

  • 75

    AEA has more than 75 Participants, who include some of the world’s pre-eminent industrial families, business executives and former government leaders.