Garden City Equity (“Garden City” or “the Firm”), a people-first holding company focused on acquiring and growing family- and founder-owned businesses for the long term, today announced it has raised $255 million for its next tranche of investments. The firm targets lower middle-market businesses in the South and Southwest United States with up to $25 million of EBITDA.

Garden City was founded in 2020, by CEO Michael Arrieta, former Global VP and Chief of Staff at DocuSign. Following that company’s multi-billion-dollar IPO, Arrieta set out to create a distinctly different type of investment firm, with a vision to build a long-term home for businesses and their employees. Since inception, the firm has supported eight companies that today have more than 500 team members.

“Growing up as the son of Puerto Rican parents working blue collar jobs, I saw first-hand that working hard didn’t necessarily lead to opportunities to thrive,” said Arrieta Founder and CEO of Garden City. “I founded Garden City Equity not only to generate returns for investors, but also to partner with existing leaders who would continue to run their businesses, and to create lasting impact where every portfolio company team member is treated with dignity, respect, and purpose.”

Garden City’s philosophy centers on supporting portfolio company employees in ways that go far beyond competitive wages, generous benefits, and significant charitable gift matching. The firm invests in a wide variety of non-traditional initiatives inside and outside the business, including improved company uniforms, providing a company chaplain focused on team members’ well‑being, financial literacy and language classes, no-interest loans for short-term financial challenges, and funding for therapy and marital counseling, among others.

“The average American spends over 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime, and we believe providing for team members in the workplace is one of the most powerful ways to impact people and our country,” Arrieta added.

A Unique and Uniquely Aligned Investor Group

The new capital came from approximately 200 mission-aligned shareholders including athletes Drew Brees, Tim Tebow and Mark Ingram II; business executives Horst Schulze, founder of Ritz Carlton, George B. Huber, founding Partner of Finback Investment Partners, Dude Perfect co-founder Tyler Toney; and John Venhuizen, CEO of Ace Hardware; as well as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and Grammy-winning/nominated artists Thomas Rhett, Brandon Lake, and Shay Mooney.

“I am grateful for such an esteemed group of patient shareholders to support Garden City Equity in our effort to build great businesses and create lasting impact in the communities where we have a presence,” Arrieta said. “Our people-first ethos resonates with these investors and founders who believe there are alternative ways to invest that improve people’s lives and give back to the community.”

“Michael is a unique servant and steward. Not only do we like Garden City because of their investment values, but the returns they generate support the model,” added investor John C. Maxwell, #1 New York Times best-selling author and leadership expert.

About Garden City Equity:

Garden City Equity is a people-first holding company that invests in exceptional founder and family-owned businesses. We partner with owners who truly care about the legacy of their businesses, and provide them with a fast, fair, and straightforward acquisition process. We utilize minimal debt, endeavor to hold our investments for the long term, and actively engage our family of 200+ mission-aligned shareholders to help grow our businesses. Learn more at www.gardencityequity.com

The individuals named in this release are current clients of Garden City Equity. They did not receive any cash or non‑cash compensation, fee reductions, or other benefits for allowing the use of their names or statements. Their experience may not be representative of all clients, and the inclusion of their names should not be construed as an endorsement of Garden City Equity’s advisory services or as a recommendation to invest. This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any security. Any offering can only be made to qualified investors through formal offering materials.

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