Vortus Investment Advisors LLC, a Fort Worth-based private equity firm, announced that Luke Brandenberg joined the company as Managing Director. Brandenberg will be a key member of the Investment Team responsible for various stages of the investment cycle including sourcing, structuring, transactional due diligence, monitoring and management.
“Luke is well known in the industry for his relationships, strong financial acumen and high level of performance, and we are thrilled to add him to our leadership team,” said Jeffrey Miller, Managing Partner of Vortus. “He exemplifies the values and integrity that are important at Vortus and his addition illustrates our continued focus on cultivating a preeminent professional team to further position us as a preferred partner for operators and management teams across the nation.”
Brian Crumley, Managing Partner of Vortus, added, “As we continue to grow, our asset-focused investment strategy remains consistent. We believe Luke’s deep industry expertise will complement the strengths of our investment team enhancing our ability to maximize the value of existing investments as well as effectively pursue additional partnership opportunities in the domestic onshore upstream industry. I am confident that Luke will contribute in meaningful ways as we continue to execute on the differentiated Vortus investment strategy.”
After starting his career in investment banking, Brandenberg transitioned to principal investing in 2010 where he has focused on providing growth capital to the independent sector of the U.S. oil and gas industry. Prior to joining Vortus, Brandenberg partnered with Grey Rock Energy Partners to launch a special situations initiative and to lead the deal origination, structuring and relationship management efforts for the new platform. He also spent ten years with EnCap Investments, where he was the primary relationship manager and a key board member on multiple portfolio companies representing a significant portion of EnCap’s equity commitments. Brandenberg began his career in the Energy Investment Banking Group at Raymond James & Associates where he focused on public capital raises, restructuring and M&A advisory work within the upstream, midstream and oilfield services sectors. He graduated with honors from The University of Texas where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration in business honors and finance.