Roark Capital Management, LLC, also known as Roark Capital Group or simply Roark Capital, is an American
private equity firm
A private equity firm or private equity company (often described as a financial sponsor) is an investment management company that provides financial backing and makes investments in the private equity of a Startup company, startup or of an existin ...
with around $37 billion in
assets under management
In finance, assets under management (AUM), sometimes called fund under management, refers to the total market value of all financial assets that a financial institution—such as a mutual fund, venture capital firm, or depository institutio ...
. The firm is focused on
leveraged buyout
A leveraged buyout (LBO) is the acquisition of a company using a significant proportion of borrowed money (Leverage (finance), leverage) to fund the acquisition with the remainder of the purchase price funded with private equity. The assets of t ...
investments in middle-market companies, primarily in the franchise/multi-location, restaurant and food, health and wellness, and business services sectors. It is named for Howard Roark, the protagonist in
Ayn Rand
Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum; , 1905March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and philosopher. She is known for her fiction and for developing a philosophical system which s ...
's novel '' The Fountainhead''. The firm claims that its name is not meant to connote any particular political philosophy but instead signify the firm's admiration for the iconoclastic qualities of independence and self-assurance embodied by the central figure in ''The Fountainhead''.
History
The firm, which is based in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, was founded in 2001 by the current Managing Partner, Neal K. Aronson.
Prior to founding Roark Capital Group in 2001, Aronson was a co-founder of U.S. Franchise Systems in 1995.
Investments
Roark's current and former portfolio companies include:
CKE Restaurants
CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. (an acronym for Carl Karcher Enterprises) is an American fast food corporation and is the parent organization for the Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Green Burrito, and Red Burrito brands. CKE Restaurants is headquartered in ...
: (
Carl's Jr.
Carl's Jr. Restaurants LLC is an American fast-food restaurant chain store, chain owned by CKE Restaurants, CKE Restaurant Holdings, Inc., who also owns Hardee's, with franchisees in North and South America, Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Africa.
...
,
Hardee's
Hardee's Restaurants LLC is an American Fast food restaurant, fast-food restaurant chain operated by CKE Restaurants, CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. ("CKE") with locations primarily in the Southern and Midwestern United States. The company has ...
, Green Burrito & Red Burrito)
* Culver's (minority investment)
* Dave's Hot Chicken
* Divisions Maintenance Group
* Driven Brands: 1-800-Radiator & A/C, Abra, CARSTAR, International Car Wash Group/ICWG, Maaco, Meineke, Merlin 200,000 Mile Shops, Xpress Lube, Take 5 Oil Change, Pro Oil Change, Econo Lube & Tune
* Fitness Connection
* GoTo Foods (formerly Focus Brands):
Auntie Anne's
Auntie Anne's is an American franchised chain of pretzel shops founded by Anne F. Beiler and her husband, Jonas, in 1988. Auntie Anne's serves products such as pretzels, dips, and beverages. They also offer Pretzels & More Homemade Baking Mix ...
Jamba Juice
Jamba, formerly known as Jamba Juice, is an American quick-service restaurant and juice bar chain that sells blended fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, and other food products. The first Jamba location, originally named Juice Club, opened ...
Sonic Drive-In
Sonic Corporation, founded as Sonic Drive-In and more commonly known as Sonic (stylized in all caps), is an American drive-in fast-food Chain store, chain owned by Inspire Brands, the parent company of Arby's, Jimmy John's, Buffalo Wild Wings, ...
Mister Donut
Mister Donut is an international chain of doughnut stores, operating mostly in Asia. It was founded in the United States in 1956 by Harry Winokur. Primary offerings include doughnuts, coffee, muffins and pastries. After being acquired by Allied ...
,
Baskin-Robbins
Baskin-Robbins, Inc. is an American multinational chain of ice cream and cake specialty store, specialty shops owned by Inspire Brands. Baskin-Robbins was formed in 1945 by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in Glendale, California.Massage Envy
* Mathnasium
*
Miller's Ale House
Miller's Ale House is a Florida-based American restaurant and sports bar chain which serves steaks, chicken, burgers, salads, seafood, and similar items. Though most of their locations are in Florida, there are several restaurants now open in G ...
Movie Gallery
Movie Gallery, Inc. was an American movie and game rental company based in Wilsonville, Oregon. With a total of 4,749 stores at its peak, it was the second largest video retailer in the United States and Canada, behind Blockbuster Video. The ...
* Naf Naf Grill
* Peachtree Business Products
* PSC Info Group
* Qualawash
* Solterra Recycling
* United States Arbitrage Finance II
* USFS
* Waste Pro
* Wingstop