Fenwick Brands | Who We Are

We’re consumers, operators, investors and brand builders but most importantly, partners.

Who We Are

Our journey with brands is driven by our cumulative experiences, not just capital. We understand the inflection points of building consumer brands and bring the know-how to navigate in a dynamic landscape. We build brands that last.

Our team, culture and brand lens are intentional. We’re selective because we prioritize partnership and shared strategic alignment.

Melissa Baker

Founding Partner

Elizabeth Stewart

Partner

Nina McKinney

Associate

Jennifer McGraw

Executive Assistant /
Office Manager

Advisors

Benny M. LaRussa Jr.

Chairman

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Eleni Shipp

Operating Partner

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Jamie Gronowski

Advisory Partner

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Matthew Dent

Advisory Partner

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John Goldasich

Advisory Partner

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Heath Hood

Advisory Partner

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“Great brands come from great people.”

Fueled by a passion to elevate diversity in consumer investing along with an unconventional operating-centric playbook, Melissa launched Fenwick Brands in 2015, where she serves as Founding Partner.

Prior to Fenwick, Melissa spent her 20+ year career as an operator, successfully growing and exiting challenger brands and remains energized by the founder’s journey. Her industry experience is diverse, having been on the front-line of entrepreneurial brands to leading and managing private equity backed and publicly traded companies to acquisition. Irrespective of size, category or market opportunity, Melissa embodies a passion for brands on the cusp of breakthrough and is personally committed to rolling up her sleeves with founders and management teams to unlock unrealized value.

Melissa Baker

Founding Partner

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“Our investment lens is rooted in following and being present with our consumer.”

Driven by consumer businesses and value creation, Elizabeth brings a balance of broad investment acumen and a hands-on, strategic growth mindset to Fenwick. Seeing an opportunity to transcend the traditional investing role, she partnered with Melissa for the firm’s inaugural fund. Elizabeth was drawn to Fenwick’s unique and highly relevant vantage point in the rapidly evolving consumer growth equity landscape. Elizabeth has spent her entire career evaluating, invested in, and advising businesses. She has a keen eye for identifying success factors and mitigating operational obstacles to drive growth and is passionate about supporting brands as they pursue consumer loyalty.

Elizabeth Stewart

Partner

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“Being focused on both people and the numbers—that makes a great business.”

Energetic, diligent and always looking for the next disruptive idea, Nina grew up in a family of entrepreneurs and deeply understands the challenges they face. With comprehensive expertise in accounting and finance, Nina is passionate about making a difference and bringing valuable insights to the Fenwick team and its brands. Whether it is providing support to a portfolio company, evaluating consumer trends or performing due diligence to evaluate new opportunities, Nina adds significant value in the seams.

Nina McKinney

Associate

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“Our team is family.”

Jennifer is the glue that keeps the team informed, diligent and operating at a high capacity. She plays a critical role at Fenwick supporting project management, brand research and investor relations. Jennifer is also an avid brand explorer, seeking products and brands that enable her to live a more wholesome and full life.

Jennifer McGraw

Executive Assistant /
Office Manager

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Benny M. LaRussa, Jr.

Chairman

Fenwick’s differentiated approach was born out of Benny’s family roots in the retail grocery industry, his passion for consumer investing and a desire to bridge an operating gap with emerging consumer brands. Benny has owned, operated and sold a wide array of businesses and currently serves as the CEO of Sterling Capital Management, a multi-asset holding company.

Eleni Shipp

Operating Partner

Eleni is passionate about consumer behavior and connecting brands to consumer needs. She is a brand strategist who has a tenured 30-year career working with leading brand strategics including P&G, Disney, Nestle, Pepsi Co., Kraft, Heinz, Estée Lauder, as well several other fortune 500 companies. Eleni is currently serving as VP of Marketing for Lemi Shine, a Fenwick portfolio company.

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Jamie Gronowski

Advisory Partner

Jamie is a 30+ year veteran in the sales and marketing agency industry and has been a trusted partner and advisor to Fenwick since the inception. Well-known in consumer circles, Jamie serves on several CPG boards and contributes to philanthropic work. He brings a wealth of commercial knowledge to Fenwick and an innate understanding of what it takes to successfully scale brands.

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Matthew Dent

Advisory Partner

Matthew has spent the entirety of his dynamic 20+ career building, growing, and cultivating the largest privately held Pepsi Bottler in the nation—the Buffalo Rock Company. His keen insight and experience with manufacturing, operations, supply chain, sourcing and product development initiatives is highly valuable to Fenwick and our portfolio brands.

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John Goldasich

Advisory Partner

John is a seasoned advisor to growing consumer businesses. He is a partner at Arlington Capital Advisors, a boutique consumer-focused investment bank. Adept in helping companies capitalize on their potential, John acts as a significant resource to the Fenwick team and our portfolio brands.

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Heath Hood

Advisory Partner

Heath brings over a decade of Supply Chain-related expertise to Fenwick and our brands. Heath’s results-oriented approach and his extensive experience in managing capital projects has equipped him to drive efficiencies and cost savings from the ground up. Building strong relationships and leading cross-functional teams enables Heath to do what he does best – translating strategy into execution for our portfolio brands.

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