Christopher Grillo Email & Phone Number

New York, Ny, Us

Brightstar Capital Partners is a middle market private equity firm focused on investing closely held family, founder or entrepreneur-owned businesses where Brightstar believes it can drive significant value with respect to the management, operations and strategic direction of the business. Brightstar employs an operationally intensive “Us & Us” approach that leverages its extensive experience and relationship network to help companies reach their full potential. For more information, please visit www.brightstarcp.com.

Baar, Zug, Ch

Private Equity Operator engaged in due diligence and value creation activities for Services, Industrial, and Consumer sectors in the middle / upper-middle market.Portfolio Company – United States Infrastructure Corporation (Industrial Services). Embedded for 18-months to improve long-term financial performance through the development and implementation of operational processes to scale the business. Responsible for driving productivity, quality, and safety improvements through operational standardization, increased commercial presence, state regulatory engagement, and employee retention. Generated 12% top-line growth in 2023. In a separate embedded capacity, served as the Director of the Project Management Office and the CEO’s Chief of Staff. Improved accountability and transparency at the executive level, which led to a 19% EBITDA increase and achieved operating plan for 21 of 23 primary KPIs.Portfolio Company – Careismatic Brands (Consumer, Medical Apparel Manufacturer and Distributor). Helped redevelop the Company’s five-year strategy, executed management changes, and the selection of top executive positions. Facilitated the planning and implementation of efforts to refine supply chain. Led third-party project for SKU rationalization, supported efforts to refine overseas manufacturing footprint, and consolidate distribution sites.Portfolio Company – DBi Services (Industrial Services). Stepped into the restructuring of an underperforming credit investment. Managed third-party consultant support and the development of a turnaround strategy to recapture margin and divest from unprofitable contracts.Additional responsibilities – Conducted due diligence through the collaboration and management of third-party advisors to assess acquisition opportunities. Sectors include auto-aftermarket, chemical manufacturing, commercial HVAC and plumbing.Co-Founder of a program to hire military veterans into PE investing roles. Hired seven veterans over three years.

Indianapolis, In, Us

(Partners Group employee embedded into a portfolio company) P&L owner for West Division, responsible for a +$440m top-line and a 3,500+ person workforce protecting critical underground infrastructure across 27 districts and 18 states.Responsible for executing against financial and operational goals. Assessed organizational effectiveness in meeting these goals through the development, measurement, and reporting of operational KPIs.Translated Company’s strategic priorities into short-term objectives for the division. Collaborated with functional departments to develop and implement short and long-range operational objectives, plans, budget, and forecast based on goals and objectives.Assessed, analyzed, and interpreted operational information and prioritized datapoints to determine and justify appropriate resource allocation.Identified opportunities within the division and create improvement action plans to address gaps through people, performance, and process improvements. Created performance improvement plans to improve underperforming segments. Drove change transformation and strategy execution to achieve specific business results. Instituted continuous improvement programs intended to support safety, quality and productivity.Drove growth strategies through geographic expansion, new customer contracts and potential acquisitions.Conducted quarterly business reviews with major customers and maintained strong relationships with customers and other stakeholders.Built solid trusted working relationships and teamwork. Leveraged on-going relationships with other regions and Company business teams to include sharing best practices.Established and maintained collaborative relationships with local utilities, representatives of community, customers, and public interest groups.

Indianapolis, In, Us

Indianapolis, In, Us

(Partners Group employee embedded into a portfolio company) Requested by the CEO and Board to step into an interim role focused on improving retention of a 8500+ person workforce dispersed across 70+ geographic areas in the U.S. Identified key retention drivers and steps to improve recruiting and hiring processes that were successfully adopted by management. Reported to the CEO.Led efforts with third-party consultants to identify tools and processes to improve retention through both monetary and non-monetary means. The culmination of this effort led to the creation of a training program for frontline managers and the adoption of new incentives, which helped improve year-over-year retention by 24%.

Indianapolis, In, Us

(Partners Group employee embedded into a portfolio company) Embedded upon the transition of a new CEO and tasked to help refocus the Company on six strategic initiatives to improve the Company's performance and get growth back on track to the investment case. Increased transparency for the CEO and Board of Directors and helped exceed 23 of 25 financial and operational KPIs. Reported to CEO. Established standard process for tracking projects supporting strategic initiatives. Rebuilt the Project Management Office (PMO) and setup new reporting process and cadence for CEO. Assessed, selected, and built PMO platform to track and manage projects. The process would later be established as a standard practice for other Partners Group investments. Worked with CEO to compile and draft all board presentation materials which extensively leveraged the PMO tracking program. Involved with the screening and interviewing of senior members of management and the selection of a permanent replacement upon conclusion of the embedded role. During the COVID-19 pandemic, served as a member of the Company's crisis management team. Leveraged personal network to help secure safety equipment which allowed Company's essential employees to continue to provide critical services and protect buried infrastructure.

Chatsworth, Ca, Us

• Supported the board Chairman as interim Board Secretary at Careismatic Brands, Inc. during a period of management changes.• Ensured board cadence and hygiene were maintained to facilitate smooth operations and decision-making processes.

Chatsworth, Ca, Us

• Led supply chain optimization efforts and managed third-party consultants for a SKU rationalization effort.• Traveled to Vietnam with the board and management team to assess manufacturing sites for optimizing the Company's footprint.• Navigated management changes and strategized the Company's long-term direction amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Washington, Dc, Us

• Led multiple teams in various leadership roles during six combat deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia.• Managed operations and strategic planning as an active-duty SEAL officer for over 13 years.• Continues to serve in the Navy Reserves as a Commander, demonstrating dedication and commitment to service.

Master Of Business Administration, Finance And Management

Bachelor Of Science, Quantitative Economics