Jeffrey Stevenson

Jeffrey Stevenson
JeffStevenson_VSS RSZ.jpg Managing Partner, Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS)
Native name	Jeffrey Stevenson
Born
🏡 Residence	New York, NY
Other names	Jeff Stevenson, Jeffrey Stevenson VSS
🏫 Education	Economics
🎓 Alma mater	Rutgers University
💼 Occupation	Investment Partner
👔 Employer	Veronis Suhler Stevenson
Title	Managing Partner
🌐 Website	https://www.vss.com/portfolio_page/jeffrey-stevenson/

Jeffrey Stevenson is the managing partner of VSS (Veronis Suhler Stevenson), a private investment firm headquartered in New York City. VSS invests in the information, business services, healthcare and education industries. Since 1987, VSS has partnered with lower middle-market companies working closely with management teams, providing flexible capital solutions to drive growth. VSS has the ability to invest control or non-control capital, based on the needs of the firm’s objectives.

After joining the firm in 1982 shortly after its formation, Mr. Stevenson founded its private equity business in 1987. In 2005, he became managing partner.

Mr. Stevenson has served on the boards of over 31 portfolio companies, including Infobase Publishing, Access Intelligence, The Official Information Company, Centaur Communications, Rifkin Acquisition Partners, among others.

Education

Mr. Stevenson holds a BA from Rutgers College. He joined Veronis Suhler (now VSS) upon graduating in 1982 when it was predominantly investing in media companies. In 1987, Mr. Stevenson founded VSS’ private equity business.

Today, the firm’s investment focus is in the information, business services, healthcare, and education industries.  

Career

Mr. Stevenson began his career with Veronis Suhler shortly after its formation. Within five years, he started the firm’s first private equity business. Since then, VSS has managed 7 funds with $3 billion of committed capital under management.

Throughout his tenure, Mr. Stevenson has successfully directed VSS from its initial focus in media investing to its current focus in Business Services, Healthcare, Information, and Education. The first two funds that VSS acquired stablished an internal rate of return that averages 46% each. In 1999, the third fund was launched, which remains active today.

VSS has invested in over 84 companies, which has resulted in over 350 acquisitions and add-on transactions. Further, the firm partnered with Mecom Group in 2005, which was headed by David Montgomery, the former chief executive of Mirror Group. This allowed for the acquisition of Berliner Verlag, a publisher of daily newspapers in Germany.

VSS is also responsible for conducting and publishing research data on financing and statistics, industry trends for the media, forecast, publishing, and more throughout the communications sector. This includes two heavily consulted American media industry periodicals: Communications Industry Report and Communications Industry Forecast. This is in addition to the recapitalization and investment portfolios that are maintained.

Mr. Stevenson contributes a significant amount of experience with nearly four decades in the investment sector. At the start of his career, his focus was primarily media investing. Managing directors, including Hal Greenberg and Tom Kemp, are on the board of VSS to help with investments. The VSS funds include owning 40 percent of Ascend Media as well as 100 percent of Schofield Media.

In 2005, Mr. Stevenson was responsible for the sales for VSS, including Hanley Wood, a construction industry media company that sold for $650 million. The EBITDA was able to quadruple during the six years that VSS owned the company. The other sale that was attributed to Mr. Stevenson’s success with the firm was the sale of Canon Communications, a medical industry media company. It sold for $200 million. Throughout the nine years that VSS owned it, the firm was able to boost the EBITDA four to five times.

Board Member Memberships

Jeffrey Stevenson serves as board member for a number of organizations, not only in the United States, but also throughout the U.K. His current board member positions include User Friendly Media, Advanstar Communications, Ebiquity, Infobase Publishing, Access Intelligence, Market Strategies, Southern Theatres, SureSource, and Cast & Crew.

Some of his past positions as a board member include serving on the boards of B&B Merger Corporation, Cable Management Ireland, Canon Communications, Triax Southeast Associates, Hanley Wood, Broadcasting Partners, Telefoongids, Rifkin Acquisition Partners, Spectrum Resource Towers, Birch Telecom, Pepcom, ITE Group, Vault.com, and Yellow Book USA.

Mr. Stevenson is also actively involved with a number of organizations, including the Lincoln Center Leadership Committee, the SBIA Board of Governors, and YPO/WPO.

Press

• Jeffrey Stevenson and VSS Invest in Education Technology
• VSS' Jeffrey Stevenson on the Digital Transformation in the Healthcare Sector
• Argyle Conversation: Jeffrey Stevenson, Managing Partner, Veronis Suhler Stevenson
• How to make your physician practice more attractive to private investment firms
• VSS and NewSpring Complete Investment in BRC Recovery, Announce Formation of BRC Healthcare

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