Fortress Investment Group has helped investors for 24 years now, and they continue to do so today. The firm was founded in 1998 in New York City by Wes Edens, Randal Nardone, and Rob Kauffman. It was a private firm that launched on the NYSE in 2007 as the largest private equity firm to trade publicly. Currently, the firm manages more than $45.5 billion in alternative assets in liquid hedge funds, credit, private equity, and traditional assets.
Over the years, the firm has won several awards, including Hedge Fund Manager of the Year in 2014. They have also been named “Management Firm of the Year” and many other titles that make the firm stand out. On February 14, 2017, Softbank expressed interest to acquire Fortress Investment Group LLC, a deal that was completed in December of the same year. Through their investments, the firm has helped rescue companies, such as Theranos from bankruptcy.
There are several portfolio companies under Fortress Investment Group. Over the years, the company has acquired a couple of companies, such as the ski resort Intrawest, Abercrombie& Kent, RailAmerica, and many more. So many other companies have come under the management of the firm, grown into better businesses, and have later been sold at a higher price. The deals have not been without loss and controversies.
Randal A. Nardone and Wesley R. Edens are the co-founders and principals of the New York based Fortress Investment Group. Nardone acts as the CEO of the company while Peter L. Briger is the third principal of the company. Before they founded the firm, Wesley R. Edens was a partner at BlackRock while Rob Kauffman and Randal A. Nardone were managing directors at UBS. They worked with professionals from several other firms to create Fortress and grow it to the giant it is today. Refer to this page for additional information