GulfStar Group Celebrates 30 Years of Service

HOUSTON, February 4, 2021 – In 1990, the founding partners of GulfStar Group (“GulfStar”) saw an opportunity to create a dominant investment banking boutique in the Southwest middle market to help entrepreneur and family-owned businesses achieve their objectives and financial success. Today, GulfStar proudly celebrates 30 years of service as one of the leading middle market investment banking firms in the United States with deep experience in mergers and acquisitions, private capital placements and general corporate finance. 

To this day, GulfStar is still driven by the entrepreneurial spirit of co-founders Tom Hargrove, Kent Kahle and Stephen Lasher. Even with a global pandemic to contend with in 2021, GulfStar has proven its ability to adapt to market changes over the years and survive some of the most challenging economic downturns by diversifying its services and industry focus to better serve clients and deliver superior results. 

“This past year in particular was one of the most challenging years we’ve faced as a firm,” said Kent Kahle, co-founder and managing director of GulfStar. “We express our sincerest thanks to our colleagues, clients, employees and friends of the firm for helping us reach this milestone and level of success in the Houston dealmaking community and beyond. We are optimistic that 2021 will be a great year and look forward to continuing our steadfast commitment to advising middle market business owners for generations to come.” 

GulfStar’s origin dates back to the early nineties when the senior investment bankers of Rotan Mosle, the middle market subsidiary of PaineWebber, acquired its regional investment banking business. Since then, GulfStar has added Managing Directors Colt Luedde, Cliff Atherton, Scott Winship, Bryan Frederickson and Brian Lobo; completed over 700 assignments; and more than tripled its number of employees and geographic reach by having closed transactions in 35 states and 16 countries. The firm also has been recognized as Boutique Investment Banking Firm of the Year by The M&A Advisor. Most importantly, GulfStar has kept an intense focus on its clients’ success, helping them to obtain over $20 billion in capital for either personal liquidity or corporate growth from private equity firms and strategic buyers across the globe.

About GulfStar Group
GulfStar is a leading middle market investment bank headquartered in Houston. GulfStar specializes in providing merger and acquisition advisory services, institutional private placements of equity and debt, and general corporate finance advisory services to companies with revenues or enterprise values generally ranging from $25 million to $350 million. Since its formation in 1990, GulfStar has completed more than 700 transactions in 35 states and 16 foreign countries across a variety of industries.