Palladium Equity Partners, LLC, a private investment firm with approximately $3.0 billion in assets under management, today announced that it has promoted its investment professionals Luis Zaldivar and Caleb Clark to the positions of Senior Managing Director and Managing Director, respectively, and hired Chris Allen as a new Principal.
Marcos Rodriguez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Palladium, said, “The well-deserved promotions of Luis and Caleb reflect their significant accomplishments in sourcing new investments, creating value at our portfolio companies and exemplifying the values of our firm. In addition, we are pleased to welcome Chris Allen, an accomplished investment professional possessing experience that is well matched to the Palladium team.”
“It is gratifying to recognize the contributions of these outstanding professionals to our franchise and exciting to welcome new talent to our team, which numbers 49 today,” said David Perez, President and Chief Operating Officer. “We are proud that Palladium has continued to broaden and deepen its bench. Our 17 senior team members today have an average of 20 years of industry experience.”
Mr. Zaldivar, who joined Palladium in 2004, serves on the boards of directors of the Palladium portfolio companies Del Real, HealthSun, TransForce, DolEx, Raben Tire and Hy Cite. He also has served on the boards of Palladium portfolio companies including Fora Financial, ABRA, Castro Cheese, Sahale Snacks, Taco Bueno, Teasdale and Wise Foods. Mr. Zaldivar is a former Vice President of corporate development and strategic investments at Univision. Prior to Univision, he worked for Lehman Brothers in the mergers and acquisitions group and for Accenture’s strategic services consulting practice as a senior consultant. Mr. Zaldivar serves on the Board of the National Association of Investment Companies. He earned a B.S. in Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Mr. Clark, who joined Palladium in 2014, serves on the boards of directors of the Palladium portfolio companies Jordan, Cannella, and GoodWest. Prior to Palladium, he was a Vice President at Windjammer Capital Investors where he sourced, analyzed and structured investments in a range of industries including industrial, specialty distribution, food, aerospace & defense, and business services. Before Windjammer, Mr. Clark worked for Genstar Capital and Deutsche Banc Alex Brown. Mr. Clark received his B.A. from Middlebury College, and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.
Mr. Allen joined Palladium from Arlon Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm in middle-market food and agriculture businesses. Prior to Arlon, he was an investment professional at GenNx360 Capital Partners and Windjammer Capital Investors, where he sourced, led and structured investments in a range of industries, including food, specialty distribution, industrials and business services. Mr. Allen began his career as a consultant at Bain and Company. He serves on the Board of Directors of Palladium portfolio companies Del Real and Kar’s Nuts. Mr. Allen graduated from the dual-degree engineering program at Morehouse College and the Georgia Institute of Technology with B.S. degrees in Mathematics and Electrical Engineering, respectively. He earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
About Palladium Equity Partners, LLC
Palladium is a middle market private equity firm with approximately $3.0 billion in assets under management. The firm seeks to acquire and grow companies in partnership with founders and experienced management teams by providing capital, strategic guidance and operational oversight. Since its founding in 1997, Palladium has invested approximately $1.9 billion of capital in 30 platform investments and more than 100 add-on acquisitions. The principals of the firm have significant experience in consumer/food, business/financial services, industrials, and healthcare businesses, with a special focus on companies they believe will benefit from the growth in the U.S. Hispanic population. Palladium is based in New York City. For more information, visit www.palladiumequity.com.
