Jeff Giles is the Senior Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Garden City Companies, where he leads the investment team and oversees all aspects of investment strategy, capital allocation, deal origination, structuring, and negotiation. A people-focused leader, Jeff also guides the firm’s investor relations and marketing efforts, serves on the investment committee, and works closely with portfolio company leadership on M&A and strategic initiatives.

Previously, Jeff served as executive vice president, corporate development for Core & Main (NYSE: CNM), a leading specialized distributor with a focus on water, wastewater, storm drainage and fire protection products and services. As a member of the executive leadership team, Jeff led the company’s M&A and strategic planning efforts and played a key role in Core & Main’s successful IPO in July of 2021.

Over his career, Jeff has led or participated in more than 60 acquisitions, totaling more than $2.5 billion in enterprise value. In his seven years at Core & Main in March 2018, he completed more than 40 acquisitions, deploying over $1.7 billion of capital. Prior to joining Core & Main, he served as director of corporate development for Barry-Wehmiller Group, a St. Louis-based global supplier specializing in capital equipment manufacturing, where he was instrumental in Barry-Wehmiller’s acquisition-driven growth, which helped double the company’s annual revenue to almost $3 billion during his tenure from 2013 to 2018. Previously, Jeff was vice president and director of business development at Bertram Capital, a leading lower middle market private equity firm based in northern California. Earlier in his career, he worked with corporate leadership on business development and strategic planning at Emerson.

Jeff earned an MBA from Washington University’s Olin Business School and a bachelor’s degree in business from Wake Forest University. In 2015, he received the distinguished 40 Under 40 Emerging Leaders Award from The M&A Advisor. Jeff is active in the community, serving on the board of trustees at City Academy, the ACG St. Louis Advisory Board and as a member of the board of directors of the Missouri chapter of Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF). He previously served on the board of trustees at Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School. Jeff and his wife, Christina have three adult children, William, Charlie and Anna.