We had the pleasure of speaking with William Knowles, founder of Denver, Colorado-based WMKI Group, about managing concentrated, high-conviction portfolios with minimal turnover.

William discussed his investment philosophy, security selection process, approach to portfolio construction, and selected investment case studies.

William’s competitive advantage as an investor stems in part from his long-time role as a business operator. He serves as chief operating officer of Maroone USA, where he is responsible for driving overall business profitability of the six-franchise Mike Maroone Automotive Group.

This conversation is available as an episode of Invest Intelligently, a member podcast of MOI Global. (Learn how to access member podcasts.)

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About:

William Knowles is the Founder and Portfolio Manager of WMKI Group. He has a unique background spanning both investments and operations for family office clientele. The duality of this experience offers a distinct advantage in evaluating investment opportunities through an owner-operator mindset.

William joined Maroone USA in early 2017 to help launch an automotive retail organization as well as assist the Principal with a broad range of investment opportunities. He serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the Mike Maroone Automotive Group, which has grown to six franchises. William has responsibility for profitability, strategic initiatives, and talent acquisition/development of the retail operations and works on every level of acquisitions – from sourcing to underwriting and execution.

In addition to his responsibilities as COO of the Mike Maroone Automotive Group, William has assisted the broader family office capital with numerous investments, including real estate and private equity fund commitments, select public equities, and direct minority investments in private entities. William is also an Advisory Board Member for PEAL Capital Group, a private equity firm focused on North America, Western Europe, and the UK.

Prior to joining Maroone USA, William was an Investment Specialist for BMGI, the investment firm for Bill & Melinda Gates and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust. At BMGI, he was a generalist with an emphasis on value-based principles. With a focus on public equity investments, William’s investment coverage spanned numerous geographies, sectors and special situations with an emphasis on high quality corporate governance.

A native of Los Angeles, California, William graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a BA in Economics and MA in Finance. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation as well as an MBA from Duke University, The Fuqua School of Business.