Thurston Group Team

Mr. Haynes founded Thurston Group in 1986 and has been responsible for establishing the investment philosophy and culture of the firm. He works with our portfolio companies as a board member and is involved in setting strategic direction. His broad experience over decades in operations, corporate development and executive management in a broad range of industries has been the foundation of Thurston’s approach to investing and portfolio company management. Mr. Haynes is a proactive investor who has repeatedly helped management teams accelerate organic growth, improve profitability and execute acquisitions. Over his career, Mr. Haynes served as CEO of American Communications Services, InvenGen, Billing Services Group, HealthPort, Pinnacle Dental, South Georgia Dental Management, U.S. Endo Partners and National Dental Healthcare REIT. Currently, Mr. Haynes serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for seven different companies (Smiles Dental, U.S. Oral Surgery Management, South Georgia Dental Management, U.S. Endo Partners, E78 Partners, National Dental Healthcare REIT and U.S. Orthopaedic Partners). Mr. Haynes started his business career at Merrill Lynch and subsequently worked at Lehman Brothers as an investment banker. In addition to his work with Thurston, Mr. Haynes is active in a number of civic and charitable causes and has served on the executive committees of the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation and the University of Chicago Brain Research Foundation.