Ron Fugate joins Linden as Operating Partner
Chicago, Illinois (March 29, 2021) – Linden Capital Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm focused exclusively on healthcare, today announced that Ron Fugate joined the firm as an Operating Partner. Mr. Fugate will support Linden’s consumer health and wellness sector effort. Mr. Fugate is an accomplished 30-year consumer products veteran CEO with deep expertise in the Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements segment, including time spent running Perricone MD, Renew Life, Yo-Crunch, and Alacer.
Most recently, Mr. Fugate served as CEO of Perricone MD, where he led the transformation of this doctor-founded beauty, skincare, and wellness business in preparation for a sale. Prior to joining Perricone MD, Mr. Fugate served as CEO/President of three privately-owned middle market CPG companies and led them through sales to strategic acquirers. In 2014, Mr. Fugate served as the CEO of Renew Life, a leader in natural digestive care products, where he guided the Company in a $290M sale to Clorox. Prior to that, he served as President of Yo-Crunch, where he launched several new products, expanded retail distribution, and drove the sale to Danone, the world’s largest yogurt company. Before Yo-Crunch, Mr. Fugate served as CEO and President of Alacer, where he helped establish Emergen-C as America’s leading branded vitamin-C supplement and led its ultimate sale to strategic acquirer Pfizer. Prior to Alacer, he held various general management and marketing roles at Zila Nutraceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kellogg Company, and Johnson & Johnson.
“We are excited for Ron to join Linden,” said Linden Co-Founder and Managing Partner Brian Miller. “His considerable experience and focus on driving revenue growth and achieving strategic exits aligns well with our approach to value creation.”
“I look forward to partnering with Linden,” said Mr. Fugate. “During my tenure on the Board of Directors at MeriCal, I have been impressed with Linden’s differentiated model that integrates operating and investment experience with a focus on human capital. I am excited to work alongside the Linden team with the goal of investing in exceptional health and wellness and consumer self-care companies.”
Mr. Fugate holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BS in Business Administration from Juniata College. He currently serves on the Board of Linden portfolio company MeriCal, a leading probiotic contract development and manufacturer, and he formerly served on the Executive Committee of the Council for Responsible Nutrition. He actively supports a range of charities addressing food insecurity and health science research.