Atlanta, GA (June 3, 2020) – MSouth Equity Partners, an Atlanta-based private equity firm, is pleased to announce the appointment of David F. “Buddy” Bacon, Jr. as Partner to manage its new office in Nashville, Tennesee.

Prior to joining MSouth in April, Mr. Bacon served as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President for American Physician Partners, one of the country’s fastest growing physician practice management firms. Prior to joining American Physician Partners, Mr. Bacon served as Executive Vice President of Business Development for Capstar Bank, where he specialized in healthcare lending. Other leadership roles include CEO of Tractmanager, Inc.; CEO and Co-founder of Meridian Surgical Partners; and several executive-level roles with Medifax, including CEO and Board Member.  Mr. Bacon started his career with LBMC and has more than 25 years of experience working with private equity groups. Mr. Bacon holds a B.S. in Accounting from Lipscomb University.

“As we were looking to expand our presence in the Southeast, Nashville seemed like the ideal choice, with a vibrant economy, low cost of living and doing business, and a well-educated talent pool,” said Mike Long, an MSouth Partner. “As we continue to look to expand our investment in healthcare, Nashville’s position as the nation’s healthcare hub proved appealing.”

“We see a relatively untapped market for a lower middle market firm like MSouth to take advantage of the business diversity, infrastructure, and economic development Nashville has to offer,” said Peter Pettit, an MSouth Partner. “As a native of Nashville with an expansive network of connections and experience in the market, Buddy was the clear choice to head up our Nashville office. His strong healthcare, private equity, and operational background will prove beneficial to our expansion in this important market.”

“Private equity is a relationship-oriented business,” said Buddy Bacon. “I look forward to working within the Nashville business community and building new connections to identify strategic opportunities to bring value to businesses seeking managerial expertise and growth.” 

MSouth Equity Partners is a private equity investment firm that provides equity capital and expertise to support management teams in acquisitions and recapitalizations of lower middle market companies typically valued between $25 and $200 million. Based in Atlanta with an office in Nashville, MSouth invests primarily in the South with a consistent focus on management buyouts of business services, specialty distribution, niche manufacturing, healthcare services, and telecommunications/media companies. With more than $2.2 billion under management across four funds, MSouth is a successor to Cravey, Green & Wahlen, Inc., which was founded in 1984.