Leonard I. Green
1933-2002

HISTORY

Our Founder

Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. was founded in 1989 by Leonard I. Green. Leonard was a pioneer in the development of the leveraged buyout industry.

In 1969, Leonard and two partners established Gibbons, Green van Amerongen (GGvA), one of the first New York-based merchant banking firms whose sole activity was management-led, non-hostile leveraged buyouts. In 1981, Leonard opened GGvA’s Los Angeles office and later that year, helped organize GGvA’s first capital pool that would later serve as a model for our first fund.

While at GGvA, Leonard participated in buyouts of 30 firms. Among the transactions he directed were the purchase of Budget Rent-A-Car Corp., Foodmaker, Inc., Horace Mann Educators Corporation, Kash n’ Karry Food Stores, Inc. and Purex Industries.

Our founding partner, Leonard I. Green, died in October 2002.

Leonard Green & Partners, L.P.

Our first fund, Green Equity Investors, L.P., was formed in 1989 with $216 million in commitments; followed by Green Equity Investors II, L.P. in 1994 with $311 million in commitments; Green Equity Investors III, L.P. in 1998 with $1.24 billion in commitments; Green Equity Investors IV, L.P. in 2002 with $1.85 billion in commitments; and Green Equity Investors V, L.P. with $5.3 billion in commitments.  In addition, in 2001 we formed the GCP California Fund, L.P. in partnership with the California Public Employees’ Retirement System with $50 million in commitments to invest in California-related industries and underserved markets.