Erie Street Appoints Margery Kraus and Kent Weldon to Advisory Board
Firm Expands Advisory Board and Staff; Achieves Strong Growth Momentum in 2022
DECEMBER 15, 2022 – CHICAGO – Erie Street Growth Partners (“Erie Street”), a private investment firm that partners with founders, management teams, and family office investors to achieve next-level growth, today announced the appointment of Margery Kraus, Founder and Executive Chairman of APCO Worldwide, and Kent Weldon, Advisory Partner to Thomas H. Lee Partners, to its advisory board.
Kraus and Weldon are business veterans with strong track records of redefining norms, as well as decades of experience in Communications and Private Equity, respectively.
As the founder, former CEO, and current executive chairman of APCO Worldwide, an Erie Street partner company, Kraus brings decades of public affairs, communications, business consulting, and corporate advisory expertise to Erie Street and its partners. Her experience founding APCO Worldwide and scaling it from a small office in Washington D.C. into a leading multinational consulting firm, with offices throughout the world, will provide invaluable insights to Erie Street and its founder partners on their next-level growth journeys.
With more than 30 years of Private Equity experience, Weldon has deep knowledge and understanding of private growth investments, having led corporate strategy and growth execution for companies spanning business services, media and information services, consumer, and healthcare. Weldon’s experience in leading transactions and creating investment strategies across a range of industry categories and growth stages will help guide investments and inform the evolution of Erie Street’s flexible investment structure.
“Margery and Kent are seasoned executives with incredible expertise – they know how to take high-potential companies to the next level,” said Terry Graunke, Chairman and CEO, Erie Street. “While they have provided informal support over the years, their formal guidance as strategic advisors will greatly benefit our firm, our partners, and our investors as we design the next level of growth in 2023 and beyond.”
Kraus and Weldon join Erie Street’s advisory board as the firm’s mission to transform disruption into growth continues to gain significant momentum.
In 2022, Erie Street expanded its staff to design and deliver next-level growth for its partner companies, including key managing director hires Michelle Stallings, Managing Director of Human Capital Operations, and Shane Kern, Managing Director of Operational Performance. Erie Street partner company and media and entertainment marketing leader Trailer Park Group completed three strategic acquisitions, capturing explosive growth in the modern gaming industry as well as expanding its market presence in the Asia-Pacific region. In May, 3Q Digital (now 3Q/DEPT) reached the next stage of its growth journey following three years of partnership with Erie Street, merging with DEPT®, a pioneering technology and marketing services company backed by global investment firm Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG).