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OUR STORY
An unlikely idea
brought to life.
John Harbert once said, “The Harbert story is one of continuous beginnings, an ever-expanding middle, and
so far, no end. That said, it’s worth noting that we have been precariously near the end more than once.”
Harbert Management Corporation’s beginning came in 1993 — when 34-year-old Raymond founded the
firm with a $3 million loan from his father. At the time, it was pointed out to him (on numerous occasions)
that an undertaking of this kind had never been attempted in the state of Alabama — and that neither he nor
any member of his original team had ever managed (or even worked for) an investment management firm.
With U.S. offices from New York and Atlanta to Dallas and San
Francisco — as well as London, Madrid and Paris — Harbert
Management Corporation (HMC) today manages money in eight
distinct strategies. “We’re confident in our belief,” says Harbert,
“that our clients are investing in a firm with considerable financial
sophistication and global reach.”
Even as he seeks outside investment, Harbert remains committed to The
Merchant Banking model — in which the firm is driven by making savvy
investments, rather than client fees. To keep the firm’s interests aligned
with those of its investors, he and his partners always have skin in the
game. “Together, we own approximately 11% of the assets under manage-
ment across the firm.”
FIRM FOUNDATIONS
“HMC,” Harbert notes, “was built on four core principles about
how to invest in a proper and disciplined fashion. Principles we
maintain to this day.”
During our first quarter-century, the current HMC -sponsored strategies have averaged an aggregate
annual 14.4% return, compared with 9.5% for the S&P 500 index for the same period.
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