McKinley Management Sells Business Unit to Denali Advisors
Denali in Denali National Park and Preserve.
SteveAllenPhoto999 | Envato
Much as “Denali” became the recognized name in 2015 of the mountain known as McKinley since 1896, McKinley Capital Management is getting a new owner, and Denali is its name. Denali Advisors, an institutional investment management firm, is acquiring the Anchorage-based asset manager. Its parent company, McKinley Management, retains minority ownership.
Alaska Native Leadership
McKinley Capital Management is one part of the McKinley Management family, which also includes McKinley Alaska Private Investment, McKinley Research Group, and McKinley Alaska Growth Capital. The transaction does not affect those business units.
Although based in San Diego, Denali Advisors is led by an Alaska Native corporation shareholder, Bob Snigaroff.
“McKinley Capital and Denali Advisors have known each other for decades and have mutual respect for each other’s business and are looking forward to working together,” Snigaroff says. “We are both ‘quant’ [quantitative]-style investment firms focused on service and innovation, we both have strong performance track records with long-term client relationships, we are both employee-owned and operated, and we both have our roots in Alaska.”
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April 2024
Upon transaction closing by the end of this month, the McKinley Capital team will integrate into Denali Advisors and have the benefit of the combined team’s depth in quantitative research, portfolio management, and trading and operations. Rob Gillam, CEO of McKinley Management, will continue with McKinley Capital as the Chief Investment Officer of Growth Equities.
“The asset management business has become increasingly competitive in recent years, with large scale players squeezing out smaller boutique firms,” says Gillam. “We have a strong team, differentiated products and performance, and loyal clients, but we faced a challenging business environment. This transaction with Denali Advisors will fortify both our businesses well into the future.”
Denali Advisors was founded in 2001 and specializes in managing US and international value equities. It is considered one of the largest Native American-owned asset management firms in the country; Snigaroff is a shareholder in The Aleut Corporation.
Snigaroff believes the acquisition builds on both companies’ synergy. “Our investment strategies are complimentary with little to no overlap because Denali has a value focus while McKinley Capital is a growth manager. We believe this broader offering of products will make the combined business more robust,” he says. Furthermore, “Denali is a minority-owned Indigenous asset manager, which provides access to business channels not currently available to McKinley Capital.”
The McKinley Capital team will continue to work from their Anchorage headquarters.
“I believe this transaction is good for our clients, our staff, and our business,” Gillam says. “I believe it will best preserve the legacy of McKinley Capital while providing a path forward for growth and sustainability by adding assets under management, offering more investment products, and opening new business channels.”
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