Majority Female-Owned Asset Management Firm Fairpointe Capital Reveals Mid Cap Top Picks

November 13, 2018

Brian Washkowiak, CFA, is a Portfolio Manager at Fairpointe Capital, LLC. Mr. Washkowiak is part of the Mid-Cap Investment Team, serving as Co-Portfolio Manager for the midcap strategy, including the AMG Managers Fairpointe Mid Cap Fund, Parvest Equity USA Mid Cap Fund, and institutional and private client accounts. His responsibilities include investment research and portfolio management.

Prior to joining Fairpointe Capital LLC in 2015, Mr. Washkowiak managed a fund at BW Opportunity Partners, LP, focusing on small-cap and midcap investments. He also spent 13 years as a research analyst and portfolio manager at Talon Asset Management, Inc., and was a member of the investment committee. At Talon, Mr. Washkowiak worked with Ms. Zerhusen as an analyst and assistant portfolio manager on the midcap strategy. He started his career at Duff & Phelps, LLC as an analyst in its consulting group. He received a B.A. in finance from Illinois State University.

In this exclusive 2,437 word interview with the Wall Street Transcript, Mr. Washkowiak details his top picks from his current portfolio.

“Here at Fairpointe, we are 100% employee-owned and majority female-owned. And we think there are some differentiators on our team. Thyra Zerhusen is the original architect of the strategy. She created the midcap strategy in 1999, and then, myself, Mary Pierson, Marie Lorden, all are part of that investment team, and we have 28 years of industry experience.”

One example from the recent buy list from Mr. Washkowiak is LKQ.

“We have a position in a company called LKQ (NASDAQ:LKQ). LKQ stands for like, kind, quality. In this market environment, a lot of the auto parts companies, which LKQ is one, have really sold off on concerns about OEM auto demand. What LKQ does is a little bit different. It’s really more of an aftermarket provider. What they provide are alternative parts to the repair and replacement model or market.”

Get more detail on the LKQ investment and others by reading the entire 2,437 word interview in the Wall Street Transcript.