Great Range Capital Welcomes John Rhea
When growing our team at Great Range Capital, character matters. A stellar resume is only the first step. Passion for the Midwest and a belief in the region’s values and people are essential. As you’ll see, our newest hire John Rhea ticks all of the boxes and we’re thrilled to be adding him to the Investment Team as an Associate.
John was born and raised in Jefferson City, Missouri, where his family runs a construction company. “Being brought up in a family-based, entrepreneurial environment is what sparked my interest to want to work in private equity, specifically the lower middle market,” he explained. “I wanted to partner with hardworking entrepreneurs who share similar values that are important to me.”
With this aspiration in mind, John studied Finance as an undergraduate at the University of Missouri – Columbia and later received his Juris Doctor degree from Mizzou’s law school. But while lawyers play a crucial role in the deal-making process, John realized during his coursework that the finance side was still far more interesting, particularly the role played by private equity firms. “For me, the work is fascinating in the sense that you actually have a seat at the table, quarterbacking the deal, bringing it to completion, and ultimately working with the partner to strategize and create value,” he said. “Working with companies like we do at GRC and helping them reach their goals ultimately seemed more rewarding and exciting.”
Still, John’s legal training isn’t going to waste. “It’s given me a well-rounded awareness of the complexities of a deal and what it takes to operate companies,” he explained. “It allows me to have a big-picture mentality in areas such as structure, understanding negotiating pinpoints, and both identifying and mitigating potential risks.”
Prior to joining GRC, John served as an Investment Banking Analyst at Capstone Partners in Denver, Colorado, where he predominantly worked on middle market sell-side M&A transactions for family-owned and sponsor-backed privately-held companies across a wide range of industries and sectors. A desire to partner with entrepreneurial and family-owned companies specifically located in the Midwest and to work alongside those who shared his mindset drew him to our firm. “A lot of the companies we partner with at GRC represent decades of hard work and are led by people who care deeply about the succession plans of their business,” he noted. “I’m really looking forward to working with these great companies, honoring their legacy and helping them attain their next chapter of growth and success.”
“John’s background and skill set will be huge assets to our investment team,” said Paul Maxwell, Managing Partner at GRC. “He has a homegrown devotion to the people of the Midwest and is genuinely eager to support our partners in reaching their goals.”
When John isn’t making deals, you can find him enjoying a wide variety of live music at one of Kansas City’s fantastic venues (an interest that stems from his love of playing guitar growing up) and supporting his alma mater at football tailgates.
If you’d like to join us in welcoming John or get a recommendation on where to hear some live music in Kansas City, you can reach him at (573) 619-8423 or john.rhea@greatrangecapital.com.