Garden City Equity Garden City Equity

We are the People Equity Firm.

We seek to create value for our shareholders, while positively impacting the lives of our team members. We believe that when you put people first, profits follow.

Our founding story.

Garden City Equity

4201 Congress Street, Suite 230Charlotte, North Carolina 28209

Dear business owner,

First, congratulations. What you’ve built took years of grit, and it shows.

Our name comes from the Garden of Eden, a place where all people were created to thrive. That’s the kind of company I want to build, and the kind I want to back.

The average American spends 90,000+ hours at work. Get work right, and you change a lot of lives.

We’re not traditional PE. We invest in family- and founder-owned businesses, and we grow them with a network of 200+ mission-aligned families, operators and advisors.

We care radically for the people who make a company work. And we partner with the leaders already in the building rather than replacing them.

We invest to grow profits and create lasting impact — a company where every team member is treated with dignity.

People and profits. That’s why we exist.

With gratitude,

Michael Arrieta

Founding & Managing Partner

Investment criteria.

What We Look For

  • $5–30M of EBITDA

    For platforms; add-ons of any size

  • Family & Founder-Owned

    Owners who value legacy, stewardship, and the right partner

  • Values-Aligned Leadership

    High character management team and a strong depth of bench

  • Competitive Edge

    Businesses with a strong value proposition and right to win

  • Opportunity to Add Value

    Through our expertise, shareholder network and operating approach

Verticals We Like

  • Commercial & Industrial Services

    Essential services with repeat demand, technical complexity, and durable customer relationships

  • Asset-Light Manufacturing

    Highly engineered, mission-critical manufacturing

  • Specialty Distribution

    Value-added distribution backed by technical expertise and service capabilities

  • Opportunistic

    Where we have an angle

How We Invest

  • People-First

    People-first approach focused on supporting team members

  • Flexible Capital

    Flexible time horizon designed to support our partners and their businesses

  • Network Resources

    200+ shareholder families, operators and advisors

  • Founder Partnership

    Founders and families stay part of the story

Driven by our core values.

  1. I

    Serve Others

  2. II

    Pursue Excellence

  3. III

    Relentless Passion

The power of our network.

200+ families investing as one, from Fortune 100 executives
to professional athletes, politicians and nonprofit leaders.

Connected Capital

  • Source

    Opportunities from our shareholder network

  • Perspective

    Input from shareholders who know the industry

  • Scale

    Shareholder support long after the close

How We Help

  1. Business Development

    Customer introductions

  2. Leadership

    Developing great leaders

  3. Strategy

    A multi-year strategic plan, built together

  4. Market Entry

    Growth into new regions

  5. M&A

    Add-on acquisitions

  6. AI

    AI that makes teams more productive

Talk to our deal team.

Own a business that fits, or advise one? Tell us a little about it.

Please don’t send confidential information through this form.

Rooted in Charlotte.

Garden City HQ

4201 Congress Street, Suite 230
Charlotte, NC 28209

Directions

Own a business you love?
Give it a home.

info@gardencityequity.com