Robert Michalik is a founder and Managing Director of Kinderhook Industries. Rob started his investment career as an analyst in the M&A group at Morgan Stanley. Following Harvard Business School, Rob joined UBS Capital Corporation, the North American merchant bank of the Union Bank of Switzerland where he provided mezzanine and equity capital both as a lead investor and in partnership with other private equity firms. Prior to Kinderhook, Rob was a Managing Director at Thayer Capital Partners, a middle market buyout fund with over $1.2 billion of capital under management at that time, where he sourced, financed and negotiated private equity investments.

Rob began investing in the waste industry over 20 years ago when he led an investment in IESI Corporation on behalf of Thayer Capital.  Since that time, Rob has invested over $1.0 billion of capital across ten waste platforms covering all aspects of waste collection, treatment and disposal from municipal and industrial to hazardous waste.  Additionally, these companies have completed over 40 add-on acquisitions under Kinderhook’s ownership.

Rob serves on the Board of Directors of ACV Enviro Corporation, Gold Medal Environmental, Circon Environmental, Capital Waste, Chemtron Corporation and EcoSouth Services.

Rob graduated from Yale University and received his MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar.