Headquartered in New York City, Branford is a pre-eminent private market investor. We are focused on working with already strong companies that typically have under $100MM in sales. Since Branford’s founding in 1986, our mission has been to work with these companies to maximize their potential, both in terms of strengthening operations and facilitating growth.
As evidence of the success of our partnership with companies, two recent managers of our businesses made 30-45x their invested capital during Branford’s ownership period when we sold the companies.*
In the investment world, there are few organizations more experienced and qualified to work with private companies. The Branford team is made up of highly regarded individuals with significant investing experience. For the past 15 years, Branford has been led by John S. Castle and David Castle.
Branford’s team is rounded-out with highly skilled and professional investors and operators, who understand that carefully listening to the needs of entrepreneurs and management teams is crucial to recognizing the distinct needs of a business and helping it to achieve enduring success.
Branford’s investing experience makes it a world-class partner both in closing a transaction and in helping to build businesses:
TRANSACTION EXPERIENCE
Our principals have closed hundreds of private market transactions, some as large as $1 billion in transaction value.
TRANSACTION STRUCTURING
Branford typically requires a control stake in a business post-transaction, but encourages management teams and prior owners to re-invest equity in the company and can structure highly tailored and flexible transactions to meet the needs of all involved in the deal.
COMMITMENT TO THE BUSINESS
Branford spends a significant amount of time post-transaction working with portfolio company executives to augment the existing operations and to grow the business to new heights.
OPERATING EXPERIENCE
Given the hundreds of companies our principals have worked with, we have accumulated an exceptional amount of knowledge in terms of helping companies grow. We recognize that the first thing to do is to listen to the experience and the histories of the executives and owners who have first-hand experience running the business.
Branford Philosophy
Branford believes that a good partnership is good business. That core belief underlies everything we do at Branford, from our collaborative style to the close relationships we build with our portfolio company management teams. Much of our success can be credited to our record of being good listeners who respect transparency and believe in strong corporate governance policies.
We are highly supportive partners of our management teams. We believe the most successful opportunities are created by strong management teams who respond positively to operating autonomy and meaningful equity ownership. We work closely with management to create long-term value by identifying value-drivers that can improve a company’s performance, and we create generous, performance-based incentives that align management with the interests of the shareholders.
The combination of an experienced, motivated management team with Branford’s financial, strategic and operating experience, expertise, and sophistication has consistently served to enhance the value of Branford’s portfolio companies.
* Returns are for portfolio company managers and include investments and incentives. These returns do not necessarily reflect the returns of Branford Castle Partners or its investing affiliates.
JOHN S. CASTLE
John S. Castle is responsible for managing Branford, including all activities of the Branford funds. Mr. Castle is and has been a Board member of various companies owned by Branford, including Carmel Car and Limousine Service, Earthlite Massage Tables, Vitrek, and Titan Production Equipment. Prior to joining Branford in 2002, he was a Director of Business Development at Airwave Wireless (an Idealab! Company, the leading Internet incubator in the early 2000’s). Prior to that, he was an Analyst, M&A at Dillon Read & Co. John S. Castle received an A.B. from Harvard College, where he was a John Harvard Scholar (top annual academic achievement) and Cum Laude graduate. He also started at running back on the Harvard football team. He received an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Riverdale Country School in New York City, and is a Trustee of the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York.
JOHN S. CASTLE
President & CEO
John S. Castle is responsible for managing Branford, including all...
DAVID CASTLE
Mr. Castle’s primary responsibilities are deal execution, post-acquisition oversight and fund administration. Mr. Castle is and has been a board member of various companies owned by Branford. Prior to joining Branford in 1996, he was a Regional Director for Santa Fe Steakhouse, a casual themed restaurant chain headquartered in Ohio. Prior to that, he was a Risk Management Specialist with GE Capital/Monogram Bank. David Castle received a B.A. from Skidmore College (Phi Beta Kappa) and a J.D. from the Cornell Law School with a concentration in business law and regulation. David Castle is licensed to practice law in the state of New York. He is a member of the Big Apple Gold Chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization. Mr. Castle has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Skidmore College and a member of its Alumni Association Board of Directors, as well as an officer and member of the Board of Trustees of the Caedmon School in New York City.
DAVID CASTLE
Managing Partner
Mr. Castle’s primary responsibilities are deal execution, post-acquisition oversight and...
CEON FRANCIS
Mr. Francis is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, executing and overseeing new investments. He has been with Branford since 2018 and is currently a board member of Lafayette Instrument and Handi Quilter. Prior to Branford, Mr. Francis began his career in management consulting before transitioning to Macy’s where he was a Director focused on Strategy & Marketing. Mr. Francis received his B.A. in Economics from Wesleyan University and earned an M.B.A. from ESSEC Business School in France. Additionally, he was recognized as one of 2020’s Rising Star Dealmakers by the Global M&A Network and was also selected as one of the winners of the M&A Advisor’s 11th Annual Emerging Leaders Awards.
CEON FRANCIS
Managing Director
Mr. Francis is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, executing and overseeing...
JAMES REDDINGTON
Mr. Reddington manages the financial, administrative and accounting operations of a global portfolio of companies. Prior to joining Branford in 2010, he was CFO of Synergy Workplaces, a provider of flexible workplaces. Prior to that, Mr. Reddington was CAO of NY Mortgage Trust, a mortgage REIT listed on the NYSE, where he oversaw all financial accounting, operational accounting and budgeting, SEC reporting and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Mr. Reddington received a B.S. in accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is a Member of the American Institute of CPAs and is a Certified Public Accountant.
JAMES REDDINGTON
Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Reddington manages the financial, administrative and accounting operations of...
Marilyn Yang
Ms. Yang is involved in the sourcing, acquisition and oversight of new and existing investments and is currently a board member of ABC Industries, GPT Industries, and Marine Floats. Prior to joining Branford in 2018, Ms. Yang worked as an investment banking analyst in the Global Industrials Group at Barclays, where she focused on mergers and acquisitions as well as equity and debt financing transactions. Ms. Yang graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Economics and concentrations in Finance, Marketing and Strategic Management.
Marilyn Yang
Principal
Ms. Yang is involved in the sourcing, acquisition and oversight...
Lucky Gilja
Mr. Gilja is responsible for sourcing and evaluating new investments. He joined Branford in 2023. Prior to Branford, he worked at Alpine Investors on their sourcing and investing teams, and worked as a management consultant at Price water house Coopers before that. Mr. Gilja graduated from Georgia State University with a BBA in Finance & received a certification from Georgia Institute of Technology in International Finance.
Lucky Gilja
PRINCIPAL, HEAD OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Mr. Gilja is responsible for sourcing and evaluating new investments....
