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AVID PLANNING
Avid Planning was formed in 1986 as the institutional investment vehicle for the wealth generated by Jerry Zucker's InterTech Group, a diversified...
AVID PLANNING
Avid Planning was formed in 1986 as the institutional investment vehicle for the wealth generated by Jerry Zucker's InterTech Group, a diversified industrial conglomerate with holdings in chemicals, aerospace, and engineered materials. Anita Zucker assumed control of the family's business and investment interests following Jerry Zucker's death in 2008, and Avid Planning remains closely held, with no outside capital or external limited partners. The firm is headquartered in New York, with operational ties to InterTech's base in Charleston, South Carolina. The firm deploys capital across a deliberately broad mandate. Avid Planning invests in direct real estate — including commercial office, multifamily, and industrial properties concentrated in the Southeastern United States — alongside allocations to private credit instruments, hedge fund strategies, and public equities. Fixed income and natural resources round out the portfolio, reflecting the inflation-aware posture of an industrialist's balance sheet. Confirmed positions are rarely disclosed, though public records tie the firm to property holdings in South Carolina and New York. The geographic footprint tilts heavily toward North American markets, with occasional exposure to developed Europe through fund commitments. The firm operates with a lean structure, led by CIO Gregory M. Smith. Total assets under management are not publicly disclosed, and the firm does not maintain a public-facing website beyond a corporate domain placeholder. Anita Zucker is a prominent South Carolina philanthropist and a limited partner in the NFL's Carolina Panthers; her giving operates through separate vehicles distinct from Avid Planning. In 2023, InterTech Group completed the sale of its chemical division to a strategic buyer, a transaction that likely adjusted Avid's portfolio liquidity. Avid Planning is distinguished by its embeddedness within an operating industrial group. Rather than a family office serving liquid-securities preferences, Avid functions as a permanent capital vehicle attached to a manufacturer of physical goods — a structure that colors both its duration tolerance and its sector affinities. The firm does not market to external investors, does not participate in LP-led co-investment clubs, and transacts with the discretion characteristic of a long-tenured industrial fortune.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
1986
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Gregory M. Smith
Chief Investment Officer
Anita G. Zucker
Principal
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who makes the investment decisions at Avid Planning?
Gregory M. Smith serves as Chief Investment Officer and directs the firm's portfolio allocation. Anita Zucker, as principal and steward of the InterTech Group fortune, sets the overarching investment and philanthropic mandate. The firm runs a lean team without a large analyst corps, relying on manager selection and direct property acquisition rather than internal trading desks.
What is the relationship between Avid Planning and InterTech Group?
Avid Planning was established to manage the liquid and investment assets generated by InterTech Group, the industrial conglomerate founded by Jerry Zucker. InterTech operates manufacturing businesses in chemicals, aerospace components, and engineered materials. Avid Planning invests the cash flows and proceeds from those operating businesses across real estate, credit, and public markets, functioning as the family's institutional investment office.
Does Avid Planning invest in venture capital or early-stage companies?
The firm's known mandate focuses on mature asset classes — direct real estate, private credit, public equities, fixed income, and natural resources. There is no public record of Avid Planning participating in venture capital or early-stage technology investing. Its posture is consistent with late-cycle, cash-flow-generating assets rather than growth-stage speculation.
How does Avid Planning source its real estate deals?
Avid Planning acquires commercial office, multifamily, and industrial properties directly, primarily in the Southeastern United States and New York. The firm does not operate a conventional acquisitions team or syndicate deals to outside LPs. Sourcing is understood to rely on longstanding regional banking relationships and the industrial network of InterTech Group.
Is Avid Planning structured as a single family office?
Functionally, yes. Avid Planning serves a single family — the Zuckers — and does not accept outside capital or manage third-party assets. However, the firm is legally structured as an investment management entity rather than a registered family office, and it operates out of New York with a professional CIO rather than a multi-generational family governance board.
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