Summit Park, a Charlotte-based private equity firm focused on the lower middle market, has been named to Inc.’s Founder-Friendly Investors list, which recognizes private equity firms with the best track records of success backing entrepreneurs. This award acknowledges firms that focus on partnering with founder-led businesses to build on their legacy and support their accelerated growth.

Summit Park’s mission is to be a trusted partner for owners, entrepreneurs, and management teams and support them in growing bigger, more resilient businesses. Since its founding in 2006, Summit Park has been solely focused on the lower middle market and has partnered directly with founders in the vast majority of its investments.

Bob Calton, Co-Founding Partner of Summit Park, added, “It is an honor to receive an award that showcases the core values on which our Firm was built. Our team understands and values the unique elements of culture in a small business, and we work hard to retain what is special about the companies we partner with.”

Jim Johnson, Co-Founding Partner of Summit Park, added, “We have been focused on partnering with founders since starting our firm in 2006, and we truly understand the unique characteristics of founder-led businesses. We are proud to receive this recognition and are thankful to our company founders and leadership teams who play an integral role in Summit Park’s success.”

To read more about Inc.’s Founder-Friendly Investors and view a list of other firms that were also recognized, please visit https://www.inc.com/founder-friendly-investors/2022. During the selection process, Inc. gathers data on how the portfolio companies for each nominee have grown and extensively interviews entrepreneurs on their relationship with the nominee firm. The editors then determine the firms whose missions most significantly support founder-led businesses, their growth, and the men and women who started them.