The Stephens Group Adds Two New Executives and New Associate; Continues to Build Out Capabilities

October 8, 2019

LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS – OCTOBER 8, 2019.  The Stephens Group, LLC (“The Stephens Group”) announced the addition of three new leaders as it continues to add to its value creation capabilities and enhance the firm’s focus on its four key verticals:  commercial and industrial products and services, food and consumer products, software and tech enabled services, and opportunistic.

Mark Steenhoek joins the firm as Vice President of Operations.  Mark has extensive experience in driving operational improvement across all facets of an organization, including strategy, operations, pricing, cost optimization, data and analytics, project management and talent development.  Most recently, Mark served as Engagement Manager for McKinsey & Company, one of the leading consulting firms in the world.  Mark also completed a rotation with QuantumBlack, McKinsey’s advanced analytics division.  Prior to McKinsey, Mark held an operating role as Director of Operations, Technology and Analytics for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, a $1.3 billion worldwide leader in learning services, as well served as a Senior Consultant at Protiviti, a global leader in operations consulting.  Mark obtained his undergraduate degree in finance and accounting from the University of Oklahoma and his MBA from MIT.

Evan Grisham joins the firm as Vice President, with a primary emphasis on supporting the firm’s efforts in software and tech enabled services.  Most recently, Evan served as a Director in the Corporate Development and Mergers and Acquisitions Group at Walmart.  At Walmart, his responsibilities included corporate strategy and execution of acquisitions, strategic investments, divestitures and joint ventures across their global footprint.  Prior to Walmart, Evan was a Vice President at Westrock Group where he focused on the firm’s investments in coffee sourcing and trading, and he began his career as an analyst in investment banking at Stephens Inc. where he focused on the TMT space.   Evan obtained his undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Arkansas.

Lewis Jones joins the firm as Associate, providing overall support for the private equity initiatives of the firm.  Most recently, Lewis served as an Analyst at Harris Williams, a leading middle market investment bank.  Lewis was based in the Industrials practice at Harris Williams, where he engaged in transactional and analytical support.  Lewis obtained his undergraduate degree in commerce, with concentrations in accounting and finance, from the University of Virginia.

Witt Stephens, Chairman and CEO of The Stephens Group, commented, “We continue to invest in our people to support our firm’s commitment to identifying the most compelling investment opportunities, while supporting our management partners with strong value creating capabilities.  We expect to announce additional hires in the near future.”

ABOUT THE STEPHENS GROUP, LLC

The Stephens Group, LLC is a private investment firm that partners with talented management teams to help build valuable businesses. Backed by the resources of the Stephens family, The Stephens Group has a long history of providing sophisticated, strategic expertise and taking a partnership approach to help companies successfully achieve their strategic visions and build long-term value. With over $1.5 billion invested since 2006, The Stephens Group targets investments in industries across the U.S., including industrial and commercial products and services, specialty distribution, B2B food and consumer products, and technology infrastructure and tech-enabled services, as well as select opportunistic situations.