Great Rock Capital Westport, CT | www.greatrockcapital.com
Great Rock Capital is an asset-focused lender that supports middle market companies across North America by maximizing liquidity and providing growth capital. We offer senior secured financing solutions that include flexible revolver, term-heavy, and term-only structures, which range in size from $15 million to $100 million. The firm has received significant capital commitments from its partners, a private equity business and a large institutional investor. We have a team of 30 professionals located across the United States and Canada.
What specific programs do you offer to attract and retain talent? Great Rock has a highly flexible hybrid work environment. Our headquarters is a vibrant and refurbished industrial office space along the Saugatuck River in Westport, CT. We prioritize in-person team building gatherings throughout the year to celebrate our professional and personal successes, strengthen internal relationships, and to learn from one another. It is a priority to have fun together, so we encourage weekly lunches, happy hours, and friendly competitions that range from go-cart racing to cornhole tournaments to fantasy sports. Great Rock is dedicated to building a team that includes best-in-class talent from different backgrounds, skill sets, and experience to enhance our corporate culture. We have onboarding plans for new hires at all levels to integrate them with the culture on day one. Great Rock also offers credit training, collaborating with both in-house subject-matterexperts and third-party providers to ensure that our up-andcoming talent is benefiting from certain aspects of training rigor that the larger commercial banks provide. Interns have played an essential role in building our junior talent pipeline. The team currently has three full time employees that started their career at Great Rock as interns and are now key contributors to the Marketing, Underwriting, and FinOps functions. What makes your company stand out? Everyone has a voice. No matter your level or experience, each member of the Great Rock team makes an impact and contributes to our growth. The leadership team, which is comprised of over 40% women, operates with an open-door policy, and everyone on the team is more than willing to roll up their sleeves to dive into deals. Together, we have focused on creating a diverse team where each new hire makes the overall team stronger. Cultural fit and skills are equally important when evaluating candidates, and our hiring process is a team effort.
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THE SECURED LENDER SEPT/OCT 2024
What would you say are the best things about the industry you work in? What are the challenges? The best thing about the secured finance industry is the community. Real friendships are formed, and even though we compete for business, there is a sense of true happiness for others’ success. A close second would be learning so much about different companies, including production processes, their contribution to the business world, and the dynamics affecting each business. No two deals are the same! Competition is always a challenge, but as a lender, there
is also the intellectual challenge of fully understanding the situation each borrower is facing and providing a fulsome solution. A highlight for the team is interacting with management and founders who are enthusiastic about their companies, and it creates an added drive to be able to provide financing and help them achieve their goals. Contact information for prospective employees Jenn Cronin Managing Director, Head of Marketing cronin@greatrockcaptial.com 203.557.6277