LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MetWest Ventures LLC, a multi-strategy asset management platform led by Richard S. Hollander, announced today it has closed its acquisition of a majority interest in Reed Conner & Birdwell, LLC (RCB), a Los Angeles based, value equity investment advisor with $1.6 billion under management. RCB’s business was founded in 1959 providing investment management services to institutional and high net worth clients.
Richard S. Hollander, Chairman and founder of MetWest Ventures, will become Chairman of RCB. Richard Schweitzer, CFA will assume the role of CFO and Chief Compliance Officer at RCB.
Messer’s Hollander and Schweitzer have a successful track record developing asset management firms by creating investment strategies that, at their peak, totaled over $80 billion AUM. MetWest Ventures is dedicated to partnering with talented investment professionals to provide the support necessary to build quality businesses. The firm believes that experience, integrity, leadership, and discipline are not only vital qualities to long-term success in the financial services industry but are also essential ingredients for meaningful growth and achievement in all professional arenas.
MetWest Ventures also announced that the principals of another of its affiliates, Aristotle Capital Management, LLC (Aristotle), are expected to join RCB’s management team during the next several months. The two firms share similar investment philosophies. MetWest Ventures anticipates that clients of both RCB and Aristotle will benefit from the collaboration.
“The anticipated integration of these two successful investment platforms, in conjunction with the resources of MetWest Ventures, is expected to provide benefits to all areas of the firm including investment research, trading, client service, back office and product distribution; ultimately, creating what we believe is a stronger investment management company with improved products and services,” concluded Mr. Hollander.
Additionally, the senior investment team of RCB, which includes Donn B. Conner, CFA, James P. Birdwell, Jr., James C. Reed, CFA, Victor F. Hawley, CFA, James R. Henderson, CFA, William A. Cram, CFA, Geoffrey S. Stewart, CFA, and Sean M. Thorpe, remains in place managing clients’ portfolios and actively participating in the business. RCB’s senior leaders have on average over 19 years of investment industry experience.
It is expected that Howard Gleicher, CEO & Chief Investment Officer of Aristotle, will be named Chief Investment Officer of RCB. Mr. Gleicher began his investing career in 1985 as Vice President and Equity Portfolio Manager at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO). He then joined the investment team at Palley-Needelman Asset Management. In 1997 Mr. Gleicher, along with Mr. Hollander of MetWest Ventures, co-founded Metropolitan West Capital Management, LLC where Howard served as CEO & Chief Investment Officer. MetWest Capital grew to become a well-recognized value manager, with assets under management in excess of $16 billion at the time of Howard’s departure in late 2010. Howard holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, an MBA from the Harvard Business School and is entitled to use the CFA designation.
About MetWest Ventures
MetWest Ventures was founded by Richard S. Hollander in 1992 with the vision of building fully independent and superior businesses by investing in outstanding management teams in the investment management arena.
Since its inception, MetWest Ventures has managed assets for several of the largest U.S. pension plans, creating related investment strategies that have totaled more than $80 billion AUM. Having partnered with and invested in successful firms such as MetWest Asset Management, MetWest Capital Management, Post Advisory Group, and Wachovia Global Securities Lending (now ClearLend Securities), MetWest Ventures boasts leading management teams with deep expertise in acquisitions, restructurings, and other special situations.
MetWest Ventures' most recent undertakings prior to RCB and Aristotle Capital Management, LLC are MetWest Realty Advisors, a commercial real estate private equity firm dedicated to above market, risk-adjusted returns on investments in the commercial real estate and West Gate Horizons Advisors, a SEC Registered Investment Advisor specializing in the management of floating rate senior secured loan portfolios for institutional investors. For more information, please refer to www.metwestventures.com