BRENT KNUDSEN is Managing Partner and founder of Partnership Capital Growth (PCGA). An entrepreneur at heart, he has a long history of founding, buying, building, advising and successfully selling companies in the areas of healthy, active and sustainable living. From fitness, to organic beverages, to sportswear, Brent and the PCGA team help entrepreneurs find the best capital partners to grow their businesses. They have facilitated a number of significant transactions for a range of clients, including CytoSport, Sambazon®, Surefoot, World Health Club, MonaVie, Gold’s Gym and Planet Organic Health Corp. PCGA has stayed ahead of the curve by building a boutique investment bank with a strategic focus.

Prior to founding PCGA, Brent was one of the original partners at North Castle Partners, a leading private equity firm targeting investments in healthy living and aging. He led the development and execution of EAS, the leading active nutrition brand in the U.S. (sold to Abbott Labs), Red Door Spas, the world’s largest day spa provider, Naked Juice (sold to Pepsi) and multiple other investments in healthy lifestyle companies.

During Brent’s tenure at North Castle, the firm invested approximately $1B in equity with a total enterprise value of over $1.8B. Prior to joining North Castle Partners in 1997, he served as President and CEO of Golfweb (sold to CBS Sportsline); President of US Sports & Mass at Bell Sports (sold to Charterhouse); and President/founder of Full Force (sold to Specialized Bicycle Components).

From 1985 to 1994, Brent served as the original Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Price Club and after helping engineer the $20B merger with Costco, he held that same position in the merged company. During his tenure, the company grew from a retail startup to $20B in revenue.

Brent serves as President of his family’s business, Knudsen Oil & Philgas, whose major operations were successfully sold to Vangas in 1990. From 1983 to 1985, he was a management consultant with Bain & Company, where he focused primarily on health care strategy and mergers & acquisitions.

Brent received a B.A. magna cum laude from the University of Utah, a J.D. from Georgetown Law School, and was a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law & Business Schools. He is a member of the Massachusetts State Bar, currently serves as a mentor and visiting lecturer at the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and is Chairman of the Pepperdine University Seaver College Board of Visitors. He has held various volunteer leadership positions in his local church congregation.

Brent is a passionate athlete and lover of the outdoors. Growing up in the Utah mountains in the winter and California beaches in the summer, he was an avid skier, surfer and athlete, certifying as a ski instructor, achieving nationally ranked status in tennis, and competing in swimming, golf and bike racing. In college Brent focused on distance running and has run over 30 marathons with a personal best of 2:40 (NY, 1982), numerous half marathons and 10K’s.

He has also competed in five Ironman competitions with a personal best of 9:58 (Canada, 1989) and over 40 shorter distance triathlons including the first US Olympic team trials (1990). Brent was an early adopter of snowboarding in 1992 and today enjoys surfing, snowboarding, running, and most importantly, time with his three children and wife of over 28 years.