Jim Childs
Founder, Childs Capital Partners
Jim graduated from the University of Georgia in 1990 and worked as a CPA at Arthur Andersen until 1993. He attended Harvard Business School from 1993 to 1995, then spent nearly four years at Robinson-Humphrey, then a subsidiary of Salomon Smith Barney, working in investment banking and corporate finance for middle-market business services and technology companies.
In 1999, as chief executive and founder, Jim partnered with the private equity firm Cravey Green & Wahlen to acquire four businesses in the IT staffing and services arena totaling about $120 million in revenues. After the dot-com bust of 2000 and September 11, 2001, the business, like many others, declined in revenue and EBITDA. Jim, along with CGW and Allied Capital, led a restructuring that bought out the commercial lenders at a substantial discount. The company grew back to over $100 million in revenues and was sold in 2004.
In 2006 Jim founded The Intersect Group, an IT and accounting staffing business, with his own capital, assembling a team of operators while serving as chairman and investor. The business grew to approximately $65 million in revenues and $6 million in EBITDA, and in 2017 Jim sold 80% of the equity to MSouth, a private equity firm based in Atlanta. Today Intersect is over $125 million in revenues, Jim retains a minority stake, and he serves on the board.
In 2009 Jim founded CHILDS Advisory Partners, a sell-side M&A boutique focused on selling companies in staffing, consulting, and outsourcing. In 2014, after adding other vertical teams, the firm was named National Boutique Investment Bank of the Year by M&A Magazine. Citizens acquired the firm in 2019, and that same year Jim was named Atlanta's Dealmaker of the Year by the Association for Corporate Growth. He led the M&A division for Citizens from March 2019 to April 2022, and during his tenure the division tripled in annual revenue to over $100 million.
His focus today is helping the next generation of entrepreneurs build bigger, more valuable businesses while keeping ownership of their vision. Together with his co-investors, he offers the experience, relationships, and resources to navigate the inflection points that carry the most consequence, from hiring ahead of demand to acquisitions, capital decisions, and an eventual sale.
Today Jim lives in Atlanta with his wife. He has three children and two step-children, all in their twenties, is an avid pickleball player, and serves on the boards of Marist School, the University of Georgia, and Cristo Rey Atlanta.