The Courtney Group

The Courtney Group

Thomas Courtney established The Courtney Group in 1983 in Newport Beach, initially structuring mergers and acquisitions for closely held companies before shifting capital toward principal investing. The firm sources from a network built over four decades of California middle-market advisory work, focusing on owner-operators seeking liquidity, succession, or growth partners. Unlike most private equity firms that raise blind-pool funds, Courtney invests proprietary partner capital on a deal-by-deal basis. The firm pursues buyouts, recapitalizations, and growth equity across industrial technology, business services, and niche manufacturing. Target companies typically generate between $10 million and $100 million in revenue. Deal types include management buyouts, divestitures, and spin-offs from larger corporations. Portfolio examples include manufacturing and energy-services companies operating across North America. The group structures transactions as both control acquisitions and significant minority positions with active board participation, emphasizing operational improvements over financial engineering. The Courtney Group runs a lean team from its Newport Beach headquarters, with senior partners directly involved in sourcing and executing each transaction. The firm does not disclose assets under management or aggregate deployment figures publicly. Operating as an independent partnership without external limited partners, the group reinvests realized returns into subsequent acquisitions. Thomas Courtney, as President and CEO, leads the partnership alongside a small group of career operators who take board seats and interim management roles at portfolio companies. What distinguishes The Courtney Group is its architecture: a permanent-capital, partner-funded vehicle that does not operate on a typical ten-year fund cycle. This structure allows indefinite hold periods — a compelling pitch for founders unwilling to sell to firms that will flip the business in three to five years. Succession planning and second-act leadership transitions drive a significant portion of the firm's deal flow, positioning it as a buyer of choice for baby-boomer business owners in the western United States without obvious internal successors.