Kelso & Company

Kelso is a North American-focused middle-market private equity firm. Kelso was founded on the principles of partnership and alignment of interest espoused by Louis Kelso, the inventor of the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Louis believed that businesses perform better when a strong alignment of interest exists between management, employees, and shareholders through shared equity ownership. Kelso’s unique history has driven a culture and approach to investing that we believe make us an attractive partner to management teams, owners of businesses, and corporations. Kelso employees have committed to invest, on average, 15% of every dollar invested in our three most recent funds, representing one of the largest GP commitments in the private equity industry. Our significant personal investment provides us with an owner’s mindset and focus on building businesses for the long term.