A podcast dedicated to the people and ideas of the Middle Market, hosted by Andy Greenberg and Charlie Gifford.
Scott Markman, MonogramGroup
Scott Markman is founder/CEO of MonogramGroup, a Chicago-based firm that for nearly 40 years has advised private equity firms and their portfolio companies on brand development and execution. Much discussion around a core Middle Market Musings theme – the quest for differentiation in an industry organized around capital -- the ultimate commodity. A defining moment early in Scott’s career – being part of the team that came up with ”Antares Capital” for GE Finance. From there, we chart Scott’s and Monogram’s evolution from a focus on brand at the GP level to the firm’s current primary activity – development and execution of brands for portfolio platforms and their add-on acquisitions. Scott’s youthful affection for the great Baltimore Orioles teams of the 1970s leads him and the hosts through a baseball wormhole.

For the past 15 years, I’ve been an investment banker and a publisher of M&A data. This combination has afforded access to a lot of information on deals. But information alone is not insight. The tagline for this podcast is “people and ideas of the middle market.” Each time out, we ask our guests to share a fresh perspective, to reflect on issues beyond what is on their schedule for the day, and to be good sports with two guys who—as my kids say, “think they are funny.” We hope you find these interviews worth your time.

I’ve worked in the Middle Market for more than twenty years. Over that time I have met some extraordinary people, each with a unique story to tell. While we all know that the world doesn’t need another podcast, Andy and I are hopeful that you’ll enjoy listening and learning about each individual profiled. Half business, half human interest, half insightful, half irreverent. Yes, that’s lots of halves to cover. And aiming to do so in around 30 minutes of time. We hope you will give it a listen, and let us know what you think.