The Cambria Group is a private equity firm which acquires and invests in small and mid-sized businesses across a wide range of industries and geographies. Cambria’s principals established the firm in 1996 to fill a void in the private equity markets — to pursue businesses which are fundamentally attractive, but which lack both the high growth characteristics sought by traditional venture capitalists and the scale required to interest most fund-based buyout firms.  Driven by this strategy, Cambria seeks sound businesses with established operating histories, rather than startups and turnarounds.  Since its founding, Cambria has invested in over 150 operating businesses.

 

The firm’s principals distinguish themselves in two ways. First, each of the firm’s principals has both operating and financial experience, a combination which is employed in all stages of the private equity business — from evaluating opportunities to structuring transactions and helping to manage portfolio companies. Second, the principals provide the majority of the equity for each transaction personally. This approach allows the firm to make decisions quickly and without uncertainty as to their source of capital — and accommodates a long-term perspective with respect to building shareholder value and seeking liquidity.

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Paul L. (“Lew”) Davies

 

Lew Davies founded The Cambria Group in 1996 and is its Managing Principal. He is an experienced private equity investor, having previously been a Principal in the leveraged buyout groups of both Brentwood Associates and The Fremont Group. He also served in both operating and finance roles with Bechtel Group and Chevron Corporation.  Mr. Davies brings experience in all stages of the private equity process, identifying and sourcing opportunities, arranging financing for transactions, building management teams at both the functional and executive levels, assisting with portfolio company acquisition and divestiture programs, and exiting investments. He currently serves on nine corporate boards, as well as serving on the Board of Overseers of the Hoover Institution and the Advisory Council of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business; previously, he served as a National Trustee of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and a Trustee of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Mr. Davies holds a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, with distinction, from Stanford University. He also received an MBA from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. 

 

 

​Rene Lajous

 

René Lajous is a Principal with The Cambria Group. He participates in all aspects of Cambria’s activities, focusing equally on originating and evaluating investment opportunities, negotiating and arranging financing for transactions, and providing oversight for the firm’s portfolio companies.  He serves on the boards of directors of several private companies in Cambria’s portfolio.  Prior to joining Cambria, Mr. Lajous was a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, working in Dallas, Texas and Buenos Aires, Argentina. At BCG, he advised clients in the transportation, energy and telecommunications industries on a variety of issues ranging from strategy and operations to merger and acquisition activity and due diligence. Earlier, Mr. Lajous focused on logistics and operations in the consumer packaged goods industries, working for Procter & Gamble in Canada and Mexico, as well as Pillsbury in Canada.  Mr. Lajous serves on the boards of directors of seven private companies.  He earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto, earning the W.S. Wilson Medal for academic excellence. He subsequently received an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.