Theodore Clark on operator experience
From An Operator-turned-PE Investor's Take on How to Originate More Deals, Playbook with Ted Clark · · Raw Selection
“Having been an operator and now an investor gives you empathy for management: you understand the practical challenges of running a middle‑market manufacturing business. We like to align with management as partners — providing capital and advice rather than coming in to run the business.”
On , Theodore Clark, Strategic Advisor at FULLER (H. B.) CO, spoke about operator experience during An Operator-turned-PE Investor's Take on How to Originate More Deals, Playbook with Ted Clark on Raw Selection.
About Theodore Clark
Theodore Clark, a strategic advisor at Fuller H B and partner at Iron Path Capital, has discussed his career trajectory from a high school–educated shipping clerk to a chief executive officer and private equity investor. In a December 2024 podcast, Clark described starting in 1973 as a shipping clerk at a sealants and adhesives factory, working his way up to CEO, and later leading a company from a $30 million enterprise value to a sale to H.B. Fuller for nearly $1.6 billion. He has stated that private equity "has helped democratize the ability for somebody who is really good at something but doesn't have a lot of their own money to partner with somebody to build something really great." Clark has emphasized the importance of specialization in middle‑market private equity investing and the value of operator experience in deal origination. He has said that developing relationships with investment bankers is critical to avoid missing deals, and that his firm focuses on sectors such as healthcare, life sciences, and chemicals and materials. Clark has also commented on public policy, stating that "so much emphasis on college" overlooks the "massive pool of potential leaders" without four‑year degrees, and has noted that H.B. Fuller's acquisition of Royal Adhesives provided access to emerging markets and a broader set of technologies.