Grain Management, LLC

Army Veteran and Grain Managing Director, Chad Crank, recently sat with CoBank's Digital Infrastructure Lead Economist, Jeff Johnston, CFA, for their All Day Digital Podcast series. The monthly series connects communications executives and thought leaders to get their perspective on what’s shaping the industry. In this latest episode, the pair discussed the benefit of public/private sector cooperation and the new business opportunities the Department of Defense represents for rural operators. You can listen to the episode in the link below, if you have any questions about Grain’s portfolio visit our website. https://lnkd.in/eWcVqRFC

Earlier this year, our Founder & CEO David J. Grain joined Verdun Perry of Blackstone and Marty Nesbitt of The Vistria Group for a panel at Harvard Business School for their annual H. Naylor Fitzhugh Conference. The conference, named after the notable 1933 alum, gathers HBS alumni, current students, and other professionals to discuss culture and politics across all major industries. David was honored to share his experience founding and scaling a private equity firm alongside his panelists who faced similar feats as they advanced in their careers. Higher education and entrepreneurship have always been a passion of David’s, and we cannot think of a better way to celebrate today’s holiday by reflecting on his mission to instill these core tenants in the next generation of diverse leaders. Thank you to Harvard’s African American Student Union and their Black Investment Club for the invitation to speak. We are excited to see what’s in store for next year.

Council of Urban Professionals’ (CUP), recently named Grain’s Founder & CEO, David J. Grain, as this year’s Breakthrough Leadership Award recipient. CUP’s mission is to elevate the next generation of diverse leaders, David is honored to accept this award for his exceptional leadership and achievements in business and his community. David will receive the award on June 20th at CUP’s annual Leadership Gala in New York City, please join us if you are in the area. For more information on David and his accomplishments, visit Grain’s team page. https://lnkd.in/egZitfgw

This morning, Managing Director Nikola Trkulja, will be speaking on the “Keep Capital Flowing Into Passive Telecom Infrastructure” panel at this year’s TowerXchange - a techoraco brand Meetup Americas conference. The two-day conference is a must attend industry event for investors, towercos, and operators in the Latin American telecom ecosystem. If you are in the Miami area, stop by to hear Nikola and other industry experts discuss the evolving tower financing landscape. If you have any questions about Grain or our investment professionals check out our website. www.graingp.com

Grain is always exploring ways to foster an inclusive and supportive environment for our employees, especially those in the earlier stages of their career. Leveraging the breadth of knowledge and experience at the Firm, our young professionals Employee Resource Group, Generation Grain (GenG), began hosting Career Fireside Chat events where members can hear from our senior leadership and industry partners. Last month, GenG kicked off the speaker series with Grain Senior Advisor Franklin Raines, retired Chairman & CEO of Fannie Mae with decades of investing and management experience under his belt. Vice President Tanner Goode interviewed Mr. Raines in a discussion of how he successfully navigated challenges and capitalized on opportunities throughout his impressive career. Huge thank you to our Senior Advisor Frank Raines for sharing his wisdom with the young men of GenG. We can’t wait to hear from the next dynamic speaker in this series. Great job Tanner Goode and Nicholas Schulkin for coordinating this insightful conversation. For more information about Grain’s Employee Resource Groups, check out our Responsibility Page. https://lnkd.in/e5tcRzgX

Our belief in the idea that diversity of thought and background has the potential to create long-term value is reaffirmed through the success and deep experience of our diverse team. Currently, diverse professionals represent 60% of our deal team and 60% of the Firm’s senior leadership. As we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we are honored to highlight one of our investment team leaders who embodies our core philosophy. Investment team Principal Jeff Zhou joined the firm in 2020, he has over a decade of experience in media and communications both in investment banking and in corporate development. His unique work experience and interdisciplinary fields of study help make him an integral part of the Grain deal team. As the current co-chair of GenG, Grain’s employee resource group (ERG) fostering the growth of young professionals, and the membership committee lead of MOSIAC, Grain’s ERG supporting diverse professionals, Jeff is committed to championing diversity within our industry and helping shape the leaders of tomorrow. We are proud to partner with him and other Grain leaders as we work together to reach new heights. To learn more about Grain’s diversity, visit our Corporate Responsibility page. https://lnkd.in/e5tcRzgX

Managing Director, Chad Crank, and other members of the Grain investment team are gearing up for this year’s International Telecoms Week - ITW, hosted at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center from May 15th to May 17th. The three-day conference is the world’s largest gathering of executives from across the digital infrastructure ecosystem and we look forward to connecting with our industry peers as we discuss the future of global connectivity. Tomorrow, Chad will join other leading investors on the “2024 Investment Forecast” panel to discuss the current and future investment landscape. Be sure to stop by if you are attending! If you have any questions about Grain or our investment professionals make sure to check out our website. www.graingp.com

If you’re at the Broadband Communities Summit 2024, stop by the "Understanding The Investment Context for Broadband Deployment in the US" panel today at 2pm. Hear Grain Managing Director, Chad Crank, and other leading investors discuss broadband deployment, funding sources, and what’s next for the space. To hear more from Grain's experienced investment team, visit our website.  https://graingp.com/news/

The Grain Management team is headed to Los Angeles to attend the 1st Annual DEIC Power100 Dinner at the Sofitel Los Angeles on May 5th. The Firm is a proud sponsor of the event as DEIC Power100’s mission to create a more inclusive investment management industry directly aligns with our core philosophy and values. We look forward to connecting with other industry leaders next week in California. For more information on Grain’s values-based philosophy and other organizations we support, visit our Responsibility page. https://lnkd.in/e5tcRzgX

Earlier this month, Grain’s Founder & CEO, David J. Grain, joined Hema Parmar of Bloomberg News for a fireside chat at the 6th Annual Diversity Drives Returns Conference in New York City. Every year Bloomberg convenes fund managers, analysts, investment professionals, and allocators for this flagship event to highlight diverse managers in the alternative investment space. David was excited to share his experience founding a leading global investment firm and how his team of experienced, diverse investment professionals has been key to the Firm’s continued growth and success. We want to extend a thank you to Bloomberg for inviting David to share the Grain story. For more information about the Firm and our differentiated approach, visit our website. https://graingp.com/