What APEX Is
Allied's dedicated portfolio operations and transformation platform: a team and a system, embedded from the first day of partnership
Why APEX Exists
Great businesses often outgrow their operating infrastructure
Allied invests in founder-led businesses with strong customer relationships, talented teams, and real growth potential.
What these companies often lack is the operating infrastructure and execution capacity to support what comes next: the pricing discipline, financial reporting, technology, and leadership structure that scale requires.
APEX exists for that moment. We bring the operational rigor, the leadership enablement, and the execution discipline to close the gap between where a business is and where it's capable of going.
What Makes APEX Different
Built in, not brought in.
Value creation planning begins before investment and remains embedded throughout the lifecycle.
Hands-on execution, not oversight.
APEX operating partners work alongside management teams, building the kind of collaborative relationships portfolio companies value.
Portfolio-wide learning.
Best practices, operating insights, and functional expertise are shared across the portfolio.
Built for the lower middle market.
APEX addresses the specific operational realities and resource constraints common in founder-led businesses.
The APEX Playbook
Institutionalizing the operational DNA of Allied
APEX operates through a proprietary set of frameworks with one purpose: repeatable value creation across the portfolio.
When one portfolio company works through a challenge, that knowledge doesn't stay siloed. The entire portfolio learns, and every engagement makes the system stronger.
Core Capabilities
Dedicated operating support across the areas most critical to value creation
Through portfolio operations, leadership enablement, and transformation execution, APEX works alongside management teams to support, accelerate, and scale operational initiatives across the portfolio. So the businesses management teams have built can keep getting better.
Commercial Excellence
Pricing & Revenue Optimization
Operational Efficiency
Talent & Leadership
Technology Enablement
M&A Integration
Safety
AI Functional Expertise
Organizational Development
Delivered through dedicated operating partners and curated strategic relationships.
Value Creation Framework
A structured approach to operational excellence
Strengthen the processes, reporting, and systems that management teams rely on to run the business well
- Financial operations → Better visibility and decision-making
- Operational efficiency → Margin expansion
- Technology enablement → Increased productivity
- Process standardization → Operational scalability
Execute strategic initiatives that position businesses for their next phase of growth.
- Technology modernization → Faster execution
- AI implementation → Reduced manual work and greater efficiency
- Organizational development → Increased capacity for growth
- M&A integration → Faster realization of synergies
Develop the people, structures, and operating cadence required to execute consistently.
- Leadership development → Stronger management teams
- Governance frameworks → Greater accountability
- Organizational design → Clear ownership and alignment
- Performance management → Consistent execution
Translate investment theses into measurable outcomes through disciplined execution.
- Commercial excellence → Revenue growth
- Pricing optimization → Margin expansion
- Execution discipline → EBITDA growth
- Investment lifecycle support → Enterprise value creation
APEX Operating Partners
Suzie Smibert
Technology & AI
25+ years leading operational and digital transformation across industrials, energy, waste management, and financial services. Suzie specializes in M&A integration, AI enablement, and ERP modernization.
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Jordan Reber
Leadership
A transformation executive with a track record of turnarounds, exits, and operational overhauls across industrials, equipment, and services. A former U.S. Marine, he leads with a mission-driven approach: clear objectives, accountable teams, measurable outcomes.
Michelle Digilormo
Financial Operations
A CFO with 20+ years in private equity-backed businesses. She has led integrations, transformations, and full-cycle exits-and built the financial infrastructure behind all of them.
Steve Pully
Leadership & Governance
50+ corporate boards. Executive roles spanning CEO, Executive Chairman, and General Counsel. A licensed attorney, CPA, and CFA. Steve brings a rare combination of legal, financial, and operational expertise.
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Gray Nester
Technology & Change Management
CIO of CES Power with 25+ years across technology, operations, and enterprise transformation. Previously CIO of Brown & Brown Insurance. Founder of Nester Consulting, advising boards and executives on enterprise transformation and scalable growth.
DISCLAIMER
The APEX operating partners and any services provided to portfolio companies or Allied funds are subject to applicable agreements and arrangements. Value creation initiatives described herein are illustrative of the types of operational support APEX may provide and are not representative of outcomes for any specific portfolio company. Past operational results are not indicative of future performance. There is no guarantee that any value creation initiative will achieve its objectives, and actual results may vary materially. Operating partners, strategic advisors, and affiliated service providers may provide services to Allied funds and portfolio companies. Certain fees and expenses associated with such services may be paid or reimbursed by the applicable portfolio company or fund.
