As the visionary behind Thrive Five, it should come as no surprise that Matt Sherstad’s path has been atypical. Starting out in restaurant management, then working in marketing at Vail Resorts, Matt’s entrepreneurial drive eventually led him to found Fortress Building Products, where he served as CEO for 20 years.

At Fortress, Matt inspired product innovation leading to an ever-increasing product portfolio with 50+ patents, created a global sourcing model, and scaled the business to over $150M in revenue with sales on 5 continents. He also led the successful growth and eventual sale of the previously acquired business, OZCO Building Products (sold to Hillman Group/CCMP Capital Advisors). Matt continues to serve as Chairman of the Board for Fortress where he provides regular support as a sounding board for long range strategy, direction and planning.

At Thrive Five, Matt’s responsibilities include looking forward at markets, innovation, and the economy to find opportunities that lead or participate in disruption, as well as ideating, drafting business plans, and kicking-off new ventures. When he’s out of the office, Matt and his wife stay busy chasing their two boys and he enjoys doing anything active, adventurous, or adrenaline-pumping.

Prior to co-founding Thrive Five, Matt Johnson spent twenty years operating and investing in middle market companies. He was the CEO of EarlySense, a Tel-Aviv based medical device company. During his tenure, Matt oversaw the growth of the business until its eventual sale to Hillrom (now Baxter), where its technology is now the standard of care.

Additionally, Matt served as the CEO of both CareCycle (sold to Jordan Healthcare) and HealthBridge (sold to CareTeam), and also worked as a Managing Director for Sowell & Company, where he spent several years overseeing healthcare investments. Having led several companies through periods of rapid growth and exit events, Matt brings a meaningful depth and breadth of experience to Thrive Five, as both an operator and investor.

Matt is an SMU alum, where he serves on the Executive Board of Dedman College. When he’s not working, he enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with his wife and five children.

Before joining Thrive Five as a co-founder, Kyle served as the CFO for MEG Healthcare, a solutions provider of complex claims for physicians and medical facilities. There, he navigated the founder-owned business through organic and inorganic growth initiatives and recapitalizations.

Kyle was also the CFO for a large portfolio company of Partners Surgical, a private equity sponsored management company focused on acquiring, developing and managing multi-specialty ambulatory surgery centers and hospitals across the United States. Prior to that, he launched his career in the audit practice at Deloitte and in the transaction advisory practice at Riveron Consulting. Having spent several years facilitating buyouts, growth capital and exits across the investor spectrum, coupled with executive operational roles in between, Kyle brings invaluable experience and insight to the Thrive Five team.

Kyle is a proud graduate of SMU, where he studied accounting at the Cox School of Business, and the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned his Masters in Accounting from the McCombs School of Business. When he’s not in the office, you can find him golfing, coaching one of his kid’s soccer teams, and spending time with his family.

As Director of Portfolio Advisory Services, Greg transitioned to this role from our portfolio company, Fortress Building Products where he served as CFO for 12 years. Greg brings seasoned experience to Thrive Five in the areas of business transition related to structure and growth, financial leadership, strategic planning, budgeting and forecasting, operational oversight and management of FPA, Accounting, Human Resources and Technology, business process improvement, M&A due diligence and transition and systems integration.

Greg’s previous role as CFO of Fortress Building Products was instrumental in scaling the company’s financial and operational model to enable it’s growth from $15M to $150M+ business with omni-channel sales on 5 continents consisting of wholesale, retail, ecom, and commercial while being supported by global supply chain sourcing. This included the successful growth and eventual sale of the previously acquired business, OZCO Building Products (sold to Hillman Group/ CCMP Capital Advisors).

Greg is a licensed CPA in the State of Texas and educational background includes a BBA and MSA from the University of North Texas. He has been blessed with his wife Pam of many years since their University of North Texas days. Greg enjoys spending time encouraging others in their faith through Bible study and discipleship and participates with various ministries in an advisory capacity. He can also be found running and working out on a regular basis trying to keep up with the Matt, Matt and Kyle!

Emma Muehlenbrock joins Thrive Five as the Office Manager after graduating from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Science, and a certificate in Youth Development. Emma also completed an internship at the Breckenridge Recreation Center (Breckenridge, CO) where her role involved organizing team events, managing the daily operations of youth programs, and ensuring the smooth running of youth operations at the facility. These responsibilities taught her to stay organized, ensure accuracy, pay attention to details, and handle multiple priorities at once. She is excited to gain more experience in streamlining office processes and contributing to a well-functioning and harmonious workplace. Outside of work, Emma enjoys running, traveling and cooking. She also enjoys playing tennis and spending time with her family!