News

Team Additions

Houston, TX February 28, 2023

The Sterling Group Announces Promotions

The Sterling Group, a Houston-based, operationally focused middle market private equity firm, is pleased to announce that Franny Jones, Jim Apple and Jud Morrison have been promoted to Partner. In addition, Claudine Lussier was promoted to Managing Director, Human Capital.

“We are excited to recognize the dedication and contributions of these key team members,” said Brad Staller, Partner at The Sterling Group. “Franny, Jim, Jud and Claudine are experts in their respective roles and have played a critical part in Sterling’s success to date. We are thrilled to celebrate the talents and contributions of these four individuals.”

Franny Jones, Partner, Investor Relations, joined Sterling in 2010 to lead the firm’s fundraising and investor relations efforts. During Franny’s time at Sterling, the firm has raised five funds across its Middle Market, Lower Middle Market and Private Credit strategies totaling over $4.4 billion in capital commitments.

Jim Apple, Partner, Sourcing, joined Sterling in 2013 to lead the firm’s sourcing efforts. For over a decade, Jim has helped families and entrepreneurs, find and structure the right solutions for their businesses. Jim is passionate about understanding the current and potential “future state” of a company and its industry, a passion shared across the Sterling team.

Jud Morrison, Partner, Operations, joined Sterling in 2018 to lead the execution of operational initiatives at Sterling portfolio companies and continuous improvement efforts within Sterling. Jud works closely with Sterling’s investment professionals and portfolio management teams to drive growth and build capabilities for Sterling portfolio companies. Since joining Sterling, Jud has played a critical role in the execution and continued refinement of the Sterling value creation model.

Claudine Lussier, Managing Director, joined Sterling in 2017 to lead both the firm’s and its portfolio companies’ human capital efforts. She is responsible for developing and implementing people and talent management strategies to help drive growth through comprehensive human talent strategies and the identification and acquisition of talent.

To learn more about a career at The Sterling Group, please visit www.sterling-group.com/careers/ or contact Claudine Lussier at clussier@sterling-group.com.

About The Sterling Group

Founded in 1982, The Sterling Group is a private equity and private credit investment firm that targets investments in basic manufacturing, distribution, and industrial services companies. Typical enterprise values of these companies at initial formation range from $100 million to $750 million. Sterling has sponsored the buyout of 64 platform companies and numerous add-on acquisitions for a total transaction value of over $14.0 billion. Sterling currently has over $5.1 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit www.sterling-group.com.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results and all investments are subject to loss.

---