Gold Ridge Asset Management LLC

Gold Ridge Asset Management LLC is a private equity firm operating from Mount Pleasant, SC, with offices in the Charleston metropolitan area. It provides funding for acquisitions, growth capital, and ownership transitions, partnering with managers and owners who have substantial personal resources committed to their businesses. Its investments typically take the form of convertible securities or debt with warrants, and the firm also acts as a business broker representing buyers. Founded in 2005 by Michael Knox, CFA, the firm grew out of nearly two decades of prior Wall Street experience. Before starting Gold Ridge, Michael served as a founding partner and portfolio manager at Hamilton Investment Management LLC, a multi-strategy hedge fund where he oversaw the Convertible Arbitrage, Credit and Special Situations strategies for seven years. Earlier, he managed one of the largest convertible mutual funds in the country at Morgan Stanley Advisors and served as a high yield and convertible portfolio manager at Eagle Asset Management. He holds a BA from Ohio Wesleyan University, an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. Co-founder Manish Aggarwal, a managing partner, joined the firm the same year and previously worked in the risk arbitrage group at Hamilton Investment Management, having helped build that firm's back office operations starting in 1997. He holds a BS in accounting from the City University of New York. The firm offers an experienced team to assist with management and pursues long-term partnerships with no predefined exit strategy, with all invested capital coming from the firm's own principals. Its portfolio spans healthcare, packaging, defense services, lighting, food service, and other industries, including equity investments in AAM Health, CanSource, PDI, Sayres, Seanair, US Lighting Systems, Rheos, Sidekik, Craft Butchery, Local Yokel, and Luciano's Pizzeria near Kiawah Island, alongside debt and equity investments in Coastal Pizza, The Grind Hospitality Group, and Tacos Patron. Entrepreneurs may submit business plans and detailed financials for consideration.