LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Red Mountain Capital Partners LLC, a constructive activist investment firm specializing in enhancing shareholder value through active ownership in small cap public companies, today announced that Matthew Hepler has joined the firm as a Partner. Hepler will be responsible for identifying new investments and executing value-enhancing initiatives through active engagement with portfolio company management teams. As a senior member of the investment team, he will also contribute to the general management of Red Mountain’s concentrated portfolio of investments.
“We are delighted to have Matt join Red Mountain,” said Managing Partner and CIO, Willem Mesdag. “He is a proven senior investment professional in the activist community with a strong track record and significant active engagement experience. He will play an integral role in the continued growth of our firm.”
Prior to joining Red Mountain, Hepler served as a Managing Director at Relational Investors LLC, leading the firm’s research and investment selection effort in the industrials, materials and utilities sectors. Prior to joining Relational in 2008, he spent six years as a Vice President in the investment banking division of Credit Suisse. He began his career as a senior analyst in the technology group at Robertson Stephens. Hepler holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
“I am excited to be part of the Red Mountain team,” Hepler said. “I am particularly enthusiastic about the firm’s substantial base of long-term institutional limited partners and its strong track record of improving the strategic vision, operational efficiency, capital allocation and corporate governance of its portfolio companies.”
Anne Sheehan, Director of Corporate Governance at The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (“CalSTRS”), said, “I worked closely with Matt for many years while he was at Relational Investors, one of the pioneers in activist investment management. We look forward to continuing our working relationship with Matt in his new role at Red Mountain.” CalSTRS recently joined Red Mountain as a limited partner of an affiliated fund.
About Red Mountain Capital Partners LLC
Red Mountain was established in January 2005 by Willem Mesdag, a former partner at Goldman, Sachs & Co., to invest primarily in undervalued small cap companies and to enhance and realize shareholder value through active ownership. Will Mesdag is joined by four partners: Chris Teets, John Hill, Patrick Lally and Matt Hepler. As of March 1, 2015, Red Mountain’s assets under management were approximately $500 million.