Byron Trott | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 2, 1958 Springfield, Missouri, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago (AB, MBA) |
| Title | Chairman and co-CEO of BDT & MSD Partners |
| Spouse | Tina Trott |
Byron David Trott (born December 2, 1958) is the founder, chairman and co-CEO of BDT & MSD Partners, a merchant bank that provides advice and capital to family and founder-led companies. Formerly, Trott was vice chairman of Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs.
Raised in Union, Missouri, Trott received an AB from the University of Chicago in 1981, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1982. [1] As an undergraduate, he played on the varsity baseball and football teams, and joined the Chi Upsilon chapter of Phi Gamma Delta. [2] Trott was the 1981 recipient of the Amos Alonzo Stagg Medal, an award presented to the senior male student-athlete at the University of Chicago with the best overall record for academics, athletics and character. [3]
In 1982, Trott joined Goldman Sachs as a stockbroker, joining Goldman's investment banking division in 1988 and working under future U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. [4] He eventually rose to become vice chairman of investment banking at Goldman Sachs. [4] He advised many of the wealthiest families and closely held companies in deals ranging from the $23 billion Mars-Wrigley combination, the Pritzkers’ $4.5 billion sale of Marmon Holdings to Berkshire Hathaway, and the $5 billion capital infusion from Berkshire Hathaway into Goldman Sachs in September 2008 during the financial crisis. [5]
Trott left Goldman Sachs in early 2009 to strike out on his own. [6] He runs Chicago-based BDT Capital Partners. BDT Capital Partners is a merchant bank that provides long-term capital and advice through its affiliate BDT & Company to help family and founder-led businesses pursue their strategic and financial objectives. [7] BDT Capital Partners manages more than $33 billion across its investment funds from its global limited partner investor base. [7] Among the fund’s investments are a partnership with the Stephen family in Weber-Stephen Products, [8] a manufacturer of barbecue grills; a minority investment in Tory Burch LLC; [9] [10] [11] [12] a partnership with Alliance management and co-investors in Alliance Laundry Systems, [13] the world’s leading commercial laundry equipment manufacturer. [14] BDT Capital Partners partnered with founder and CEO Mark Kaufman on an investment in Athletico Physical Therapy, a provider of orthopedic rehabilitation services. [7] [15] Additional minority portfolio investments include Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Caribou Coffee, Einstein Bros. Bagels and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, in addition to JDE and Keurig Green Mountain, all in partnership with JAB, the investment vehicle of the Reimann family from Germany. [16] On June 14, 2019, it was announced that BDT bought a majority stake alongside the Dobson family in the Texas burger chain Whataburger. [17]
From an advisory standpoint, BDT & Company has advised many leading business-owning families and their companies, including Alberto-Culver, Carlson, Cox Enterprises, EXOR, Guardian Industries, Guthy-Renker, Hyatt, JAB, Mars, Molex, S. C. Johnson & Son, and Wrigley. [16] [18]
Trott is a trustee of the University of Chicago, founded the Jeff Metcalf Internship Program and helped to launch the Trott Business Program, which provides undergraduate UChicago students with practical work experience and mentoring. [19] Trott is a director of Conservation International, and in 2011 was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans and is now president of the Association. [20]
Whataburger is an American regional fast food restaurant chain, headquartered and based in San Antonio, Texas, that specializes in hamburgers. Founded by Harmon Dobson and Paul Burton, it opened its first restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1950. Family-owned by the Dobsons until 2019, the chain is now managed by the private equity firm BDT & MSD Partners; the Dobson family still holds a small stake.
Warren Edward Buffett is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist who currently serves as the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. As a result of his investment success, Buffett is one of the best-known investors in the world. As of October 2024, he had a net worth of $147 billion, making him the eighth-richest person in the world.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1839 as a textile manufacturer, it transitioned into a major conglomerate starting in 1965 under the management of chairman and CEO Warren Buffett and vice chairman Charlie Munger.
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The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company, known as the Wrigley Company, is an American multinational candy and chewing gum company, based in the Global Innovation Center (GIC) in Goose Island, Chicago, Illinois.
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BDT & MSD Partners is an American merchant bank that is co-headquartered in Chicago and New York City. The firm has both an advisory platform and an investment platform.
Gregg Lemkau is the co-CEO of BDT & MSD Partners, a merchant bank that provides advice and capital to family and founder-led companies. Additionally, he is the Chairman of DFO Management, formerly MSD Capital, the office of Dell Technologies’ Michael Dell and his family. Previously, Lemkau was CEO of MSD Partners, a predecessor firm of BDT & MSD Partners. He also spent 28 years in various roles and leadership positions at Goldman Sachs.
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