MORGAN
PROPERTIES
Morgan Properties was founded by Mitch Morgan in 1985, and has grown today to be one of the largest multi-family residential landlords in the Mid-Atlantic, with over 50,000 units and over $8bn in assets under management. There are three adult children active in the business and Mitch and his wife Hilarie wanted a board to ensure family continuity and harmony. The second generation, all of whom have significant real estate experience outside the family business, wanted access to both institutional capital and strategic guidance for the growth they envisioned.
Lodestone Global assembled a board that included the head of Xerox’s U.S. real estate, GE’s European real estate and Starwood’s Asian real estate; the COO of the largest publicly traded healthcare REIT in the U.S; the managing partner of a multi-billion dollar mezzanine real estate investment fund; and an owner of a successful real estate family business with operations in multiple asset classes.
The board has subsequently provided effective guidance in more than $2bn worth of acquisitions since being instituted in 2017.
DIESCO
GROUP
Diesco is a large conglomerate based in Santo Domingo and one of the largest bottlers in the Caribbean. Since we put our board in place, we have quadrupled EBITDA, attracted Goldman Sachs' first investment in the Caribbean, won Advisory Board of the Year from Directors and Boards magazine, survived a hurricane in Puerto Rico only to come back stronger, winning exclusive supply contracts with Costco, Wal-Mart and more, and most recently, faced the tragedy of an explosion in our Santo Domingo plant that killed four people and injured more than 50.
The Board has played an integral role in our story, and it is an excellent example of the partnership we have created that has helped management, the company and our customers to achieve best in class performance. The board has driven strategy, demanded accountability, and mentored management team members as they grew into more complex and demanding roles.
MARTIN
PREFERRED FOODS
Martin Preferred Foods, founded in 1944, has grown from its humble roots to become an industry-leading further processor, operating around the clock with a nation-wide distribution network. The core of the business remains focused on “Center of the Plate,” with premium boxed, portioned, and value-added proteins, including fresh beef, chicken, veal, lamb, and pork. Jeff Tapick, the third generation in the family business, was named CEO in 2017 by his father Mike at the first board meeting, who then stepped into the Chairman’s role.
The Lodestone Global assembled board includes a former GM of PepsiCo’s bottling operations who also serves as a board member of several other substantial food distributors; the CEO of one of the largest family owned conglomerates in the Caribbean, with extensive operations in distribution to food service operations as well as significant factory holdings; the former CEO of several large bakery businesses whose primary customers were large restaurant chains; and a Senior Vice President and (family member) of the White Castle restaurant chain, who also served as the Chairman of the National Council of Chain Restaurants. Since the board has been in place, management has experienced a material upgrade, including new heads of Sales, Operations and Data Analytics, and the company has introduced new technologies that have greatly simplified the order process.
SYMEGA
FOOD INGREDIENTS
Symega Food Ingredients, Ltd., is a supplier of flavor, color and taste solutions to a diverse range of food and beverage customers around the world, based in Kerala, India. Customers include Quaker Oats, Kellogg’s, Tata and other major CPG companies. Symega is committed to international expansion and innovation, and recently opened a new Innovation Center in Bangalore, and added a world-class flavorist to lead the team in developing creative, natural ingredients to more effectively compete in new markets.
The Advisory Board includes the Managing Director for Maersk Line (the world’s largest shipping line) for South Asia, who has lived and worked in 6 countries on 4 continents; a former Ernst & Young CPA who is an experienced Director of food businesses; and the Director of Marketing Transformation for the Hershey Company.
