A differentiated partner of choice for mid-market privately held businesses

MRE Capital was formed as the family office of David Williams focused on private company investing and development.

David spent more than 30 years building Merkle as CEO, the global leader in tech-enabled marketing services. David acquired Merkle in 1988 with $2.8M in revenue, $800K in EBITDA, and 25 employees. He then grew Merkle to more than $1.2B in revenue, $300M in EBITDA, and 15,000+ employees globally through a combination of service expansion, geography expansion, and M&A. David sold Merkle to Dentsu, the largest publicly traded advertising company in Japan, in 2020, generating a 1,092x MOIC.

Today, MRE Capital is focused on investing in high quality mid-market people-based services businesses with a strong market position, a high quality management team, and a desire to grow over a long period of time.

OUR PASSION

Building and scaling great companies from mid-market to enterprise is our sole focus.

We combine patient capital with operating expertise and focus on materially scaling businesses over longer periods of time. We back ambitious talent and help guide them in developing and growing a business at scale.

Our approach is hands-on, flexible, and aligned — built around shared ambition and real value creation. We're multi-generational investors with a commitment to helping companies grow with intention, resilience, and lasting impact.

Venn Diagram with MRE logo in the middle, and the three overlapping circles are labeled: Family Office, Private Equity, Operating Business

WHAT WE BELIEVE SETS US APART

We are not a private equity firm. We are operators with capital.

We combine the long-term thinking and stability of a family office, the financial discipline of private equity, and the focus of building great companies from an operator’s perspective.

We have a flexible mandate to achieve one goal – build great companies. We are active investors with a proven playbook for growth and value creation.

We have a long-term investment horizon with a focus on double-digit multiples of invested capital. We understand that true partnerships are based on a shared vision, trust, and respect.

CORE TENETS THAT DRIVE OUR THINKING

We are passionate about building great companies.

  • Great companies do two things well: focus on being the employer of choice and the market leader in the industry they choose to compete in.

  • Great companies have a strong and compelling vision, mission, and strategy.

  • Great companies are led by strong leaders and supported by a great management team.

  • Great companies consistently grow and are profitable.

  • Great companies have a well-defined management system. 

  • Great companies have a purposeful, principle-driven culture that drives desired behaviors.

  • Great companies attract and retain top market talent.

  • Great companies have an unwavering commitment to customers.

  • Great companies continually innovate and evolve.

  • Great companies are well capitalized and financially disciplined.

  • Great companies have the ability to balance the needs of customers, employees, and shareholders.

  • Great companies must have the will to be a great company!

INVESTMENT CRITERIA

We want to focus our efforts on a small core group of companies where we can have deep value-add and trusted relationships with management.

  • INDUSTRY

    People-based service industries

    Essential, non-discretionary demand

    $25B+ market size with GDP+ growth

    Fragmented buy & build opportunity

    Ripe for technology enablement vs. disruption

  • COMPANY

    $25M-$100M in revenue

    $5M-$20M in EBITDA

    Demonstrated track record of growth & profitability

    Recurring/reoccuring revenue

    Limited customer concentrations

    Clean financials (limited addbacks)

  • TEAM/TRANSACTION

    Majority transaction

    Family/founder/entrepreneur owned

    CEO alignment on path forward

    Significant equity rollover

WHAT OUR PARTNERS ARE SAYING

  • "We talked to over 25 private equity funds. These guys were different. We’ve been thrilled with our decision ever since joining the MRE family.”

    - DJ VanderSlik, Founder and CEO, DJ’s Landscape Management

    MRE Portfolio Company

  • "Working with MRE Capital on DJ’s Landscape Management has been a great, highly collaborative experience. Their thorough, institutional-grade diligence process set the tone early, and their hands-on approach to value creation, drawing on deep experience as both investors and operators, has brought meaningful strategic support to the business. They’ve been a true value-add partner.”

    - Avery Adams, Managing Director, 1248 Partners

    MRE Co-Investment Partner

  • "Partnering with MRE has been a great experience for me and our Trilliad leadership team. MRE is so much more than a financial partner. Their deep strategy and operating experience make them truly unique."

    - Craig Dempster, CEO, Trilliad

    MRE Portfolio Company

  • "We were fortunate to meet David Williams and the MRE team when we went to market a couple of years ago. At the time, we were with traditional PE. I was concerned before we met because of my understanding of a “Family Office.” Two and a half years later, our team would say that this is the best partnership that we could have dreamed of. The MRE team brings a wealth of knowledge regarding running, as well as intelligently scaling, the businesses they invest in. This knowledge comes from building great businesses through disciplined, repeatable practices, not just buying revenues and income."

    - Al Dyess, CEO, Curated Events

    MRE Portfolio Company

  • "MRE Capital is thoughtful and clear in creating long-term strategic visions and is equally effective in executing those growth plans alongside management teams. UMB Private Investments greatly values our partnership with MRE Capital in multiple businesses and we look forward to future investment opportunities together."

    - Tedd Carew, Managing Director of UMB Private Investments

    MRE Co-Investment Partner

  • "Serving as a first-time CEO under the guidance of David Williams as both our investor and Chairman of the Board has been both transformative and profoundly rewarding. The team at MRE combines natural mentorship with data-driven insights, skillfully balancing the imperatives of near-term performance and long-term strategic growth, all while nurturing a culture of continual improvement anchored by a clear and intentional playbook. Their openness to fresh perspectives, ability to provoke elevated thinking, and unwavering, timely support for our company and fellow investors have accelerated my development and fortified the foundation of our business."

    - Ann Johnson, CEO, Quality Brand Group

    MRE Portfolio Company

  • "I’ve been fortunate to spend over 20 years investing and supporting private equity deals in the middle-market, and I can attest that MRE truly brings a differentiated approach to their portfolio companies. Clear and concise growth strategies that are not only designed to drive revenue, but more importantly the strategies build an infrastructure and develop a mindset that fundamentally improves the business over the long term. The MRE team spends considerable time understanding the daily dynamics impacting the industry, company, and management team so they can provide thoughtful and useful guidance."

    - B. Douglas Phillips, Partner, PNC Mezzanine Capital

    MRE Co-Investment Partner