The Team

Operating Partners

One of the ways that Newport Partners is redefining private equity is in the way we work with our Operating Partners.

Our Operating Partners are the presidents of their respective platform companies, and therefore responsible for the day-to-day management and organic growth of their businesses.

In order to achieve fully-aligned mutual interests in our acquisitions, Newport Partners allocates significant equity - far above industry norms - to our Operating Partners. Correspondingly, our Operating Partners then channel their industry expertise and aggressive work ethic into their business to achieve above-par growth and operational goals.

Newport Partners works closely with, and significantly supports, its Operating Partners with an aggressive add-on acquisition growth program. It also provides high-level strategic counsel, world-class management mentoring, and special projects assistance.

Joseph DiPietro

Joseph DiPietro, the Senior Managing Partner of Newport Partners, has over 28 years of entrepreneurial, corporate, and private investment banking experience - with over 19 of those years in Mergers & Acquisitions. In addition to serving as Senior Managing Partner of Newport Partners, Mr. DiPietro also serves as the president for two of Newport Partners portfolio companies, Advantage Merger & Acquisition (mentioned above), and Bauer Rock Media Group, which publishes M&A Chicago, one of the largest business publications covering finance, private equity, and buyouts in the Midwest. Prior to founding Advantage Merger & Acquisition in 1990, Mr. DiPietro bought and sold small businesses for nearly a decade for his own account. During his career, and in the role of buy-side advisor and buyer, Mr. DiPietro has reviewed nearly 25,000 offering memorandums, performed preliminary due diligence on over 2,000 companies, and has been involved in over 100 successful transactions. This wealth of business acquisition search/review/negotiate/finance/due-diligence/document/close knowledge is a tremendous benefit for prospective Operating Partners seeking financial sponsorship in a targeted buyout, and then value-added operate/grow support afterwards.

Ben Renda

Mr. Renda is an Operating Partner at Newport Partners. He provides experienced operational and financial oversight, along with management mentorship to its portfolio companies. Mr. Renda brings over 30 years of operating experience with world-class public, private, and family-owned companies. Before joining Newport Partners, Mr. Renda founded and served as CEO of Global Capital, a management consulting and acquisition firm. In this capacity, Mr. Renda most recently served as the interim CEO for a Kentucky-based portfolio company of a Wisconsin private equity firm. Prior to starting Global Capital, Mr. Renda served as CEO and an equity partner in Jefferson Industries, a distributor and manufacturer of floor coverings. His customers included Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, Ace Hardware, and K-Mart. Prior to joining Jefferson Industries, Mr. Renda held several senior executive positions including President and CEO of Woodard Furniture Company (owned by Henry Crown Family of Chicago), Interim COO for Magnet Communications, an internet banking software company, Interim COO for Manticore Products, CFO of American Envelope Company, Group Controller for Illinois Tool Works where he was financially responsible for 20 international companies with annual sales of $500 million, and Controller of a $400 million division of the Continental Can Company that manufactured closures for the food and pharmaceutical industries. Mr. Renda is a CPA, and received a B.S. in Accounting from Bradley University, and an MBA from DePaul University.

This deal making, business building, and operational expertise allows Newport Partners to provide exceptional support to their Operating Partners in the buyout and growth of their investments.