Two Operators. One Mission.
We left the boardroom to do something that matters. Acquire one great business and dedicate our careers to growing it.
Why We're Doing This
We come from very different backgrounds. James is a reserved, strategic thinker from a family of Detroit entrepreneurs. Thu Ra came to America from Burma as a teenager, became a citizen while working in a factory in Ohio, and has never met a person he didn't want to talk to. We met at a top-tier consulting firm working on a project together and became great friends.
We both saw the same problem. Every day, business owners face a choice that few people understand the weight of. They've spent 20, 30, sometimes 40 years building something real. And when it's time to step back, the options aren't great. Private equity buys and sells on a 3-7 year clock. Strategic acquirers absorb companies into parent organizations where names and cultures disappear.
We knew we had to leave our careers to do something about it. Paradosi Partners is our answer: a permanent home where your employees keep their jobs, your customers stay served, and your company's name lives on. Run by two people who treat it like the only business that matters. Because it will be.
That's what we're here to do: receive your life's work with the seriousness and care it deserves.
James Penz
Co-Founder & CEO
Personal Roots
James grew up in Detroit in a family of entrepreneurs and business owners, surrounded by people who built things with their hands and took pride in what they created. That upbringing shaped everything about how he thinks about business: real people, real jobs, real impact. A reserved, strategic thinker by nature, James is most at home building AI and digital tools that transform how businesses operate. When he's not working, you'll find him playing guitar. Music has been a lifelong passion.
Credentials
James studied Economics at Michigan State University, earned a Certification in Artificial Intelligence from MIT, and is a certified AWS practitioner. He spent a decade at leading global consultancies, rising to the level of Senior Manager. His expertise spans AI and automation, operational strategy, and performance optimization for major manufacturing companies.
Operational Proof
James has spent his career in the trenches of business transformation, not writing reports about it, but doing it. He's led performance improvement programs, built AI automation practices, and helped companies modernize their operations from the inside out. He understands what it takes to grow a business because he's done the hard work alongside the teams that run them.
Personal Mission
James believes that the businesses that built America's middle class deserve better than a PE fire sale or a corporate rollup. He's dedicating his career to proving there's a permanent alternative: one where the previous owner can step back knowing their employees are in good hands and their legacy is in good hands.
Thu Ra
Co-Founder & COO
Personal Roots
Thu Ra came to America from Burma as a teenager, chasing the American dream. He became a U.S. citizen while working in a factory in Ohio, and never forgot what that experience taught him about hard work, opportunity, and the people who keep businesses running. Thu Ra has never met a stranger. He has an internal obligation to connect with every single person he encounters, a quality that makes him an extraordinary operator and partner. Outside of work, he's visited over 100 zoos around the world.
Credentials
Thu Ra earned his MBA with Highest Honors from Yale School of Management, an MS in Supply Chain from Case Western Reserve University with a 4.0 GPA, and a BA in Economics and Psychology from Cornell College (Phi Beta Kappa). His education at three elite institutions gave him the analytical foundation and strategic perspective he brings to every business he touches.
Operational Proof
Thu Ra began his career at a mid-sized manufacturing firm, rising to Director of Supply Chain and Logistics. He architected a supply chain system that scaled the company from $80 million to $160 million in revenue. At top-tier consulting firms, he sharpened his skills in integration strategy, supply chain network optimization, and rapid cost reduction. But Thu Ra is also a born entrepreneur — he's founded and grown a healthcare logistics company and a consumer food brand, both culminating in successful exits. That combination of corporate scale and entrepreneurial grit is the foundation of everything he brings to Paradosi Partners.
Personal Mission
Thu Ra is driven by a belief that the best businesses are built on trust and a genuine commitment to the people who show up every day. As someone who has both built and scaled businesses, he has a unique empathy for the sacrifice and pride that every business owner feels, and a deep commitment to honoring that legacy in the company Paradosi Partners acquires.
Our Philosophy
We preserve what works before changing anything.
Before introducing anything new, we spend months learning why things are the way they are. Every process, every relationship, every ritual in your company exists for a reason, and we want to understand it deeply before touching it.
We invest in people first, processes second.
The best technology and the best processes in the world mean nothing without great people. We develop talent, create growth opportunities, and build a culture where your employees can do their best work.
We make decisions for the long term, not the next quarter.
Our investors are former entrepreneurs and family offices who think in decades, not quarters. Combined with our own capital, we have the freedom to make decisions based on what's right for the business five and ten years from now.
Straight talk, always.
We say what we mean and mean what we say. No jargon, no hidden agendas, no surprises. The relationship between buyer and seller should be built on honesty from the very first conversation.
Why We're Different
Before starting Paradosi, we spent our careers inside manufacturing and distribution companies — not advising from the outside, but doing the work. We've scaled operations, rebuilt supply chains, and modernized businesses from the shop floor up. We know what it takes because we've done it.
That hands-on experience is why we're not just writing checks. We're operators who roll up our sleeves and work alongside your team. A CEO we worked with called us his "special ops team" — and that's exactly how we approach every business we run.
"It is rare to see this combination of technical competency and demonstrated knowledge of a client's business."
— Senior Partner at a leading global consultancy
What Changes When We Take Over
Nothing you don't want changed. And everything that's been holding the business back.
Your legacy stays intact
Your name stays on the building. Your people keep their jobs. Your reputation in the community doesn't change. The only thing different is who's writing the checks.
Your team gets the tools they deserve
That equipment upgrade they've been asking for. The systems that would make their jobs easier. The training they need to grow. We fund it all — because investing in your people is how we grow the business.
AI finds your next 20 best customers
We build intelligent systems that identify companies who need exactly what you sell — across every state and market you could serve. Your sales team stops chasing and starts closing.
The ideas you never had time for — we execute them
Every owner has a list. The new product line. The market two states over. The quoting process that takes days instead of hours. We bring the capital and horsepower to finally make it happen.
Learn How We Work
Understanding our acquisition process is the next step. We've made it as transparent as possible, because you deserve to know exactly what to expect.
Learn More About Our Approach