Our reputation matters. 

 

Willis & Smith Capital was founded by co-founders Eric Willis and Terry Smith to create a private equity firm focused on partnering with successful business owners and management that can benefit from new capital and our operational expertise.  We bring deep private equity expertise and unique, substantial experience outside of the traditional investment community.  Most importantly, we value a fierce alignment of interests – we invest our own money in each transaction ensuring a true partnership and an owner's perspective.

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You can trust us to stay committed.

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We approach each investment with the core beliefs that (1) a hands-on approach is the only viable way to succeed (even if that means pitching in on the production floor or calling on customers), and (2) you can’t improve what you don’t measure. Whether it’s forecasting liquidity or verifying product quality, we’re prepared to roll up our sleeves.

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We are highly-experienced.

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Prior to co-founding Willis & Smith Capital, we had decades of experience with private company transactions.  Eric has worked in private equity since 2005, and was involved in 27+ private equity transactions, including at Platinum Equity and as a Partner at CounterPoint Capital Partners.  Terry was first a corporate lawyer, and later an executive at a private engineering and construction company that he helped restructure and ultimately transition to a private equity firm. 

 

We are here to stay.

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Eric and Terry have been close friends for 30 years, and have worked together on transactions for 5 years prior to co-founding Willis & Smith Capital.