About PEMM
One of the single, most important decisions in an entrepreneur’s journey is to make the decision to bring on a capital partner. Whether you are looking for capital to grow, acquire, recapitalize or looking for a management buyout, there are so many questions that you will have. So many emotions and so many thoughts running through your mind. We know because we experienced all of them first-hand. Once you make that decision, the next question is who do you partner with and what are my options?
PEMM Capital is a different type of Private Equity firm. PEMM Capital is a team of Entrepreneurs that have a single, fundamental belief of learning from experiences. Our team consists of true, successful entrepreneurs and operators in North America who have experience building their own companies from the ground up. We “get our hands dirty” because that is where the REAL business challenges are rooted. We will work closely with your executive team, and/or any level of your business to make your goals come to life! We enjoy bringing our experience and challenging your business.
Now, let’s not kid ourselves, operator experience is great and very important, but so is the CAPITAL! Another fundamental difference of PEMM Capital is that we build a custom model to achieve the goals of your business on your schedule. Our capital comes from our own family office and other high-net worth individuals who believe in the Entrepreneurial journey. A group of likeminded individuals who trust their capital and back PEMM with any engagement we are involved with. Why? They believe in what we do and how we get involved to support the business! This gives us the flexibility to build a custom model that is not tied to a timeframe or a fund.
The partners at PEMM Capital — entrepreneurs and operators who have built companies from the ground up.
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Sonny contributes his success with the involvement of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), Young Professionals Organization (YPO), and Tiger21 which helps entrepreneurs lead and grow through peer-to-peer learning and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Outside of work, Sonny is a husband and father of two young boys. One of his favorite things to do is listen to EDM (aka ENERGY) music.
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
As an entrepreneur, innovator, and pioneer in the pre-packaged fresh food industry, Bret has been recognized for his steadfast and strategic leadership guiding companies through hyper-growth and private equity mergers and acquisitions. Focused on employee engagement, coaching, mentoring, and celebrating colleagues’ successes, he is uniquely positioned as Managing Partner and Co-Founder of PEMM Capital to support companies reach their potential.
Bret is a graduate of The Ohio State University and currently lives in Chicago, IL with his wife Tammy and two children. He enjoys spending time with his friends and family hiking out west and kayaking on the lake.
Managing Partner
Carson Victor Conant founded Mediafly in 2006 partnering with a team of brilliant and driven individuals, which grew into a leading enterprise software company, pioneering Revenue Enablement for some of the world’s largest companies.
Under Carson’s leadership, Mediafly has achieved remarkable growth and success. The company has been ranked ten consecutive years in Inc. Magazine’s “5000 Fastest Growing Companies.” Carson’s vision and dedication have established Mediafly as a trusted partner for enterprises seeking innovative solutions in Revenue Enablement.
Carson’s entrepreneurial roots run deep. As a third-generation entrepreneur, he was raised in a family that pioneered the self-improvement industry in the 1960s and 1970s with the Nightingale Conant Corporation. His father, who currently runs the company, has transformed it from a traditional media business into a modern enterprise distributing on-demand and online content. Growing up in this environment, Carson learned invaluable business skills and embraced the self-improvement ideals of early founders like Earl Nightingale and Napoleon Hill. These principles are embedded in his personal and business mentality, forming the DNA of Mediafly.
Carson’s entrepreneurial journey is complemented by his personal life, where he finds inspiration and motivation. His wife, Latané Conant, a brilliant marketing executive and thought leader, currently serves as the CRO of 6sense. Together, they navigate the challenges of their careers while raising their two boys, who each embody a unique blend of their parents’ personalities and drives.
Carson’s story is a testament to the power of entrepreneurial drive, the influence of a supportive and visionary family, and the impact of strong, values-driven leadership. His journey continues to inspire those around him, as he leads other companies and entrepreneurs toward new heights and greater achievements.
Managing Partner
Gary Schafer is the CEO of SmileMD, a healthcare services company delivering office-based anesthesia to dental practices across nine states. The company works with hundreds of dental offices and serves tens of thousands of patients a year, many of them children on Medicaid who would otherwise wait months for a hospital OR slot, if they got care at all.
The economics are what he finds most compelling. Treating a child in their dentist’s office rather than a hospital operating room costs the system a fraction as much, happens much faster, and is a better experience for the family. That alignment — where the lower-cost option is also the better one — is rarer in healthcare than it should be, and it’s why he considers the mission worth pursuing.
Gary came to SmileMD several years ago, when it needed stabilizing. He and his team rebuilt key parts of the business model, and the company has more than doubled since, with the strongest growth still ahead of it.
His career has been a pattern of taking on businesses at inflection points — across healthcare, insurance, HR services, and technology. In the middle of that run he spent time at McKinsey, working with Fortune 500 clients on strategic and operational problems in financial services, manufacturing, and insurance.
