Steve LaBarre
Steve brings over 20 years of investing, executive management and corporate restructuring experience to Leelanau Private Capital. Steve is responsible for all facets of the transaction process including sourcing, negotiating, structuring, financing and closing transactions. Once investments are made, he works closely with management to set overall strategic vision and identify new avenues for growth.
Prior to founding Leelanau Private Capital, Steve spent 14 years with Strength Capital Partners, a lower middle market private equity firm. While there, Steve oversaw more than 40 transactions across 8 different platform investments. Steve's most significant impact was at ARCH Global Precision where he was involved from the very beginning when the platform was formed in 2011. During Strength's ownership of ARCH, the company completed and integrated 18 acquisitions and more than quadrupled its size. In 2015, Steve led the recapitalization of ARCH yielding a 5.6x multiple of capital and 60% IRR for investors. Following recapitalization, the business formally built out three business segments including Segment level leadership and branding. The business was ultimately sold in 2019 generating an incremental 2.3x multiple of capital and 25%+ IRR for new investors, or 13x and 40% IRR for those invested from the beginning.
Before joining Strength Capital, Steve was the CFO/Controller of a general contracting enterprise operating in the residential construction market in Southeast Michigan. He also held various financial management positions at a national chain of specialized hospitals headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI. Steve started his career at Stout, a global advisory firm with a focus in investment banking, restructuring, and valuation advisory.
Steve completed his MBA at University of Michigan's Ross Business School in 2006. During his time at Ross, he focused on Private Equity and Entrepreneurial studies.
Steve met his wife Kimberly while attending Michigan State University where he studied finance. Steve and Kim reside in Birmingham, MI with their three sons - 18, 16, and 11. When he's not on the fields / courts coaching, Steve enjoys boating, golfing, skiing, traveling to new places, and working out with his 5:30am crew aptly named Keep Pressing Play (KPP).
