The Stephens Group Hires Four to Bolster Business Development, Investment and Operational Teams

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Stephens Group, LLC (“The Stephens Group”), the private investment firm backed by the Witt Stephens and Elizabeth Campbell families, announced it has hired four new employees to bolster The Stephens Group’s business development, investment, and operational teams.

Ryan Morrow was hired as a Principal to focus on technology investing and is responsible for all aspects of deal sourcing, evaluation, and execution of new technology-focused investments as well as partnering with portfolio company management to execute strategic and operational initiatives. Previously, Mr. Morrow spent nearly a decade in various leadership roles in venture capital and private equity backed technology companies. Most recently, he was the CFO of Ungerboeck, a vertical SaaS provider to the events industry, and Apptegy, a high growth EdTech SaaS provider. Ryan began his career in both buyside and sellside equity research and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Callie Blankenau was hired as a Senior Associate to assist with the business development efforts and is actively involved in sourcing and originating new transactions on behalf of The Stephens Group. Previously, Mrs. Blankenau spent four and a half years as an Associate at ORIX in the Private Equity Solutions group, a generalist lower middle market private equity, and Energy Capital, an energy focused flexible capital provider.

Lindsey Joseph was hired as a Senior Associate to advise the firm’s portfolio companies on strategies to improve operational performance. Previously, Mrs. Joseph spent seven years as a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Accenture Strategy and Kurt Salmon serving Fortune 500 clients. Through her time in consulting, Mrs. Joseph has built particular expertise in the change management, ecommerce, data analytics and supply chain network optimization space.

Karlton Haney was hired as an analyst to assist the team’s investment and operational efforts. He conducts financial analysis, due diligence and industry research to evaluate new investment opportunities and works on the operations team, supporting strategic priorities for existing portfolio companies. Previously, Mr. Haney spent a year as a financial analyst in Walmart’s Accounting and Finance Development Program.

Witt Stephens, Chairman and CEO of The Stephens Group, said, “By investing in our people and expanding our functional capabilities over the last few years, we have seen measurable improvements in our ability to source and execute on new opportunities as well as create value across the existing portfolio. We are excited about strengthening our team across both our investment and functional disciplines.”

About The Stephens Group, LLC

The Stephens Group, LLC (https://www.stephensgroup.com) is a private investment firm that partners with talented management teams to help build valuable businesses. Backed by the resources of the Witt Stephens and Elizabeth Campbell families, the firm combines the operational expertise of a private equity firm with the flexibility provided by long-term capital. With nearly $2 billion of private equity assets under management, the firm has a long history of providing informed, sophisticated expertise and working with owners and managers to help them successfully achieve their strategic visions and build long-term value. Since 2006, The Stephens Group has invested in 49 companies, targeting investments in industries across the U.S., including industrial and commercial products and services, specialty distribution, B2B food, technology infrastructure and tech-enabled services.