Northwest,Central Arkansas business leaders launch private investment fund

LITTLE ROCK — Former Arkansas Development Finance Authority (ADFA) executive Brad Henry is leading the formation of Natural Capital, a Little Rock-based private investment company focused on investing in regional private investment funds, real estate and operating companies.

For the past five years, Henry served as vice president of ADFA, Arkansas’ venture capital and loan portfolio, with over $120 million in assets.

Henry is co-founding Natural Capital and is responsible for the firm’s day-to-day operations. A trio of Northwest Arkansas business leaders are also co-founders — Brock Gearhart, Marshall Saviers and Todd Simmons. Gearhart is the president and owner of Fayetteville investment advisory firm Greenwood Gearhart Inc., one of the largest independent investment advisory firms in the state. Saviers is president of commercial real estate investment firm Cushman & Wakefield/Sage Partners in Rogers. Simmons is the CEO and vice chairman of Siloam Springs-based Simmons Foods Inc. & Affiliates, a third-generation, family-owned company that has called Arkansas home since 1949.

“The concept for the firm developed over several conversations between the four of us over the past four years,” Henry said. “Just casually talking about [investment] opportunities we see in Arkansas and the heartland. The more we talked, the more it was clear that our investment strategies matched up.”

All of the co-founders are Arkansas natives — Henry and Saviers from Little Rock, Gearhart from Fayetteville and Simmons from Siloam Springs. Henry said Natural Capital is a response to the growing interest in Arkansas investments by other U.S. funds, specifically from the east and west coasts.

Read the full story on the Talk Business & Politics website.