Empeiria Team - Partners
Alan Menkes
Alan Menkes is Managing Partner of Empeiria Capital Partners, a company he co-founded in 2002. Alan has over 30 years of experience as a private equity investor, and has played a lead role in 23 platform investments and more than 50 add-on acquisitions totaling approximately $7 billion in total enterprise value. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Empeiria Acquisition Corp., Empeiria's special purpose acquisition company, from 2011 to 2012. From 2009 to 2010, Alan was also a Managing Partner of G2 Investment Group, an investment management firm. From 2007 to 2008, he was a Partner of Enterprise Infrastructure Ventures, a real estate investment firm focused on data centers. From 1999 to 2002, Alan was Co-Director of Private Equity and a member of the Executive Committee of Thomas Weisel Partners, an investment banking and asset management firm. Before that, he was a Partner of Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst from 1992 to 1998, where he played a major role in sourcing and executing $5 billion of leveraged buyout and private equity transactions primarily in the industrial, food and consumer products, and media sectors. Alan was with The Carlyle Group from its founding in 1987 to 1992. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Tank Partners Holdings and on the Board of B&B Roadway and Security Solutions. He previously served on the boards of Conner Steel Products Holdings, BGS Acquisition Corp., NextMedia Group, Ion Systems, The Capital Markets Company, Alliance Consulting, Centive, IPNet Solutions, Worldchain, QuantumShift, International Home Foods, Hedstrom, Intercable and TV Cidade. Alan graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia where he received his B.A. in Economics with Highest Distinction and received his M.B.A. with Distinction from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Keith Oster
Partner
Keith Oster is a Partner of Empeiria Capital Partners, a company he co-founded in 2002. Keith has 30 years of experience as a private equity investor, and has played a lead role in 16 transactions totaling approximately $1.2 billion in value. He served as President of Empeiria Acquisition Corp., Empeiria's special purpose acquisition company, from 2011 to 2012. Previously, Keith was a Managing Director with Genstar Capital, a middle market buyout firm with over $2.5 billion under management. Prior to Genstar, he was with Fremont Partners, the private equity arm of the Fremont Group. Keith was a General Partner with Thomas Weisel Capital Partners from, where he held principal responsibility for investments in the industrial technology sector. He also co-founded J.F. Lehman & Company, an investment firm, with John Lehman, the former Secretary of Navy under President Reagan. Keith began his private equity career in 1988 as one of the early members of The Carlyle Group. He has served on the boards of the Racal Instruments Group, McCormick Selph, Special Devices, Elgar Electronics, Burke Industries, and Empeiria Acquisition Corp. Keith currently serves as Chairman of the Board of B&B Roadway and Security Solutions and on the Board of Tank Partners Holdings. Keith graduated with a B.A. in Economics and English from Oberlin College and earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Joseph Fong
Joseph Fong is a Partner of Empeiria Capital Partners. Joe has 18 years of experience as a private equity investor and an investment banker. He served as an Executive Vice President and the Chief Financial Officer of Empeiria Acquisition Corp., Empeiria's publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, from 2011 to 2012. From 2009 to 2012, Joe was also a Managing Director at G2 Investment Group, an investment management firm. From 2007 to 2009, he was a Vice President in the private equity business of Fortress Investment Group. Prior to Fortress, Joe was a Senior Vice President in investment banking at Lehman Brothers, where he completed over $30 billion of advisory and capital markets transactions. He was also a Co-Founder and the Chief Investment Officer of All Stor Storage, a company that invested in self storage properties in the U.S. from 2013 to 2015. Joe currently serves on the Boards of Directors of B&B Roadway and Security Solutions and Tank Partners Holdings. He graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University with majors in economics and architecture, and also earned Master of Architecture and M.B.A. degrees from Yale.