Updated:
Montage Partners
Montage Partners was established in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2004 by Managing Partners Rob Wolfman and Jordan Tate.
Montage Partners
Montage Partners was established in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2004 by Managing Partners Rob Wolfman and Jordan Tate. Wolfman had previously been a Director at Advent International, executing deals across North America, Europe, and Asia, while Tate cut his teeth in Merrill Lynch’s investment banking group. The firm remains headquartered in Scottsdale and has built a compact, relationship-driven operation focused exclusively on the lower middle market. Montage Partners runs a buyout strategy that spans growth equity, management buy-ins, management buyouts, recapitalizations, spin-offs, and succession-driven transactions—always targeting established businesses with EBITDA between $1.5 million and $7 million. Its disclosed sector coverage sits across four verticals: technology and professional services, healthcare, industrial products and services, and consumer. Known portfolio positions include Advantco International (enterprise software), METALfx (precision sheet metal fabrication), Military Fasteners (specialty defense and aerospace distribution), Moab Brewery and Distillery (craft beverage), and Solly Baby (infant lifestyle brand). The firm structures investments as direct control or significant-influence stakes, and its communications emphasize a 48-hour response time for intermediaries and seller management teams, signaling a deliberate speed advantage in a crowded auction market. With nine disclosed professionals, the firm operates a lean team across deal origination, execution, and portfolio oversight. Chris Young serves as CFO and Director of Operations, while investment activity is split between two sector-focused Vice Presidents: Chris Norwood, who leads industrial products and consumer, and Greg Ogard, who leads technology and healthcare. The firm maintains a dedicated deal origination function under Kelly McGowan, who builds intermediary coverage and referral relationships from Chicago. Jordan Tate is an active member of the Arizona chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), embedding the firm in a local network of executives and business owners—a sourcing channel for succession and management buyout opportunities. In May 2024, the firm publicized its investment in Lighten Up, a Los Angeles–based consumer services company, marking the most recent addition to an already-mature portfolio (per firm website, 2024). The firm’s structural differentiator lies in its origination architecture. Montage operates as a transaction-centric firm that treats deal sourcing as a distinct, professionally staffed function—unusual for an outfit of its size. McGowan’s role as Manager of Deal Origination, supported by sector heads, creates a dual-channel engine: one stream comes from long-tenured GP relationships and YPO access, the other from systematic intermediary coverage. This is not a capital-first buyout shop; it is a founder-liquidity specialist that markets itself to retiring owners and corporate-parent carve-outs first, then layers institutional co-investment on top.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2004
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Scottsdale
Corporate office
Scottsdale, AZ, United States
Principals
Jordan Tate
Managing Partner
Rob Wolfman
Managing Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Montage Partners?
Day-to-day investment decisions are driven by Managing Partners Rob Wolfman and Jordan Tate, supported by sector-focused Vice Presidents. Wolfman oversees sourcing, execution, and portfolio management for industrial and consumer deals, while Tate focuses on operational matters and limited partner relations—though each has been involved across the firm’s 21 disclosed platform investments.
How does Montage Partners source its deals?
Montage runs a dedicated deal origination function led by Kelly McGowan, who builds intermediary referral networks and scalable sourcing processes from her base in Chicago. This is layered on top of the Managing Partners’ own networks, including Jordan Tate’s membership in the Arizona chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), giving the firm a blend of systematic outreach and executive-level warm introductions.
What transaction types does Montage Partners engage in?
The firm executes management buyouts, management buy-ins, growth equity, recapitalizations, spin-offs, and founder succession transactions. Their marketing explicitly positions them as a capital partner for owners seeking liquidity or managers pursuing carve-outs from corporate parents.
Which sectors does Montage Partners explicitly avoid?
Montage Partners concentrates its origination and portfolio oversight within four named verticals—technology and professional services, healthcare, industrial products and services, and consumer. Sectors outside these bands, such as energy, real estate, or financial services, do not appear in their disclosed mandate or portfolio.
Does Montage Partners participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The firm operates as a direct investor taking control or significant-influence equity positions in individual companies; its public materials do not indicate a fund-of-funds program or commitments to external private equity funds. All named portfolio positions are platform-level operating businesses.
What is Montage Partners’ typical investment size?
Montage targets established businesses that already generate between $1.5 million and $7 million in EBITDA. By anchoring its transaction criteria in a company’s existing cash-flow profile, the firm signals a preference for post-startup, profitable companies ready for operational scaling or leadership transition.
How is Montage Partners structurally distinct from a traditional lower-mid-market fund?
Most firms of this size combine sourcing and execution roles across the same investment professionals. Montage splits the function: it employs a dedicated Manager of Deal Origination and operates a dual-channel model that mixes systematic intermediary coverage with the network effects of YPO participation. This makes the firm resemble a founder-liquidity specialist as much as a conventional buyout fund.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on private equity firms?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: