Rooted in History with an Eye Toward the Future
Gaylon Lawrence, Jr. is the owner and active investor of a diversified group of assets and businesses—many of which have been in operation for over a century. Our footprint extends into 48 of 50 states with more than 2,000 employees. Our companies operate in a broad range of sectors from agriculture to wine and citrus, from community banks and insurance to real estate and much more.
The Lawrence Family assets consist of four key holdings:
- Financial Companies & Urban Real Estate
- Coastal Assets
- Mid-America Ag
- Mare Island
Philosophy: Decentralization, Preservation and Celebration
Our focus is on building generational assets through long-term investments, preferring to own and operate businesses with scale. We have the size, complexity and sophistication of a publicly traded company without the bureaucracy. Every Lawrence business operates autonomously due to our belief in decentralized leadership so each business can run independently and build off the solid foundations they’ve established.
We invest in quality businesses, quality people and quality assets in great locations. We maintain the rich history, leadership and management of every company we acquire. Dismantling companies is not part of our DNA nor do we assemble companies for the purpose of going public or for future sale. Every decision we make is based on creating optimal long-term value over a 60-year rolling horizon. Our ambitions have no finish line and are not designed to only strengthen businesses—rather, we help uplift entire communities, provide opportunities for people and improve the quality of life for everyone.
Principles
Our long-term economic goal is to maximize intrinsic business value. We reach this goal by directly owning a diversified group of businesses and assets that generate sustainable cash flow and consistently earn above average returns on capital.
While we are mindful of the accounting, financial and tax impacts of our decisions, we do not allow these consequences to influence our capital allocation decisions.
We use debt strategically and responsibly so that risk is minimized. When we do use debt, we attempt to structure the terms on a long-term fixed rate basis.
We want the strength of our balance sheet to survive the storm.
Acquisitions
We constantly search for new businesses and assets to acquire. We also look at bolt-on acquisitions to the existing businesses and assets we own, if sensibly priced.
We prefer to deploy capital for acquisitions that fit well with our existing businesses and target companies that will be managed by their existing management teams.
Acquisition Criteria
- Large purchases
- Demonstrated consistent earning power
- Businesses earning good returns on equity with little or no debt
- Experienced management team in place
- Simple businesses that we understand