You built something that matters. Let’s build what comes next.
Who We Are
Experience that shows up. Partnership that lasts.
Frontier Gate Partners was founded to partner with an exceptional founder-owned essential service business and help build its next chapter.
After years advising, investing in, and working alongside founder-led companies, Dexter created Frontier Gate to move from the other side of the table into a true partnership with an owner, taking personal responsibility for the business, its people, and what comes next.
Dexter WardFounder, Frontier Gate Partners
Meet Dexter
From advising founders to partnering with one.
Dexter Ward is the Founder of Frontier Gate Partners, which he established to partner with and build an exceptional founder-owned essential service business in the Southeast.
Dexter began his career in banking at Synovus before moving into investment banking at North Point Mergers & Acquisitions, where he advised business owners and management teams on strategic transactions. He later joined Garnett Station Partners, a New York-based private investment firm, where he worked alongside founders and executives to form partnerships, integrate businesses, and grow multi-company service platforms.
Those experiences gave Dexter a deep appreciation for what makes enduring businesses special: great people, trusted relationships, strong cultures, and owners who care deeply about what they have built. He founded Frontier Gate to move from advising and investing to ownership, with the goal of partnering with a great business for the long term.
Read Dexter’s Full StoryWhat We’re Looking For
One exceptional business. Built by its founder.
Frontier Gate partners with established, founder-owned essential service businesses throughout the Southeast.
$1M – $3M+ of EBITDA
Track record of consistent profitability
Essential Services
Critical services customers rely on every day
Founder-Owned
Strong reputation, culture, and customer relationships
Southeast Focus
Focused on attractive markets across the Southeastern U.S.
Our Process
Straightforward. Personal. Built around you.
Initial Conversation
A confidential conversation to learn about you, your business, and what you want the next chapter to look like.
We Come to You
If there is mutual interest, Dexter will come spend time with you and your team to better understand the business firsthand.
Build the Partnership
If we’re aligned, we’ll develop a clear proposal designed around your priorities, including your role, liquidity, employees, and future participation.
Diligence & Close
We’ll run a professional and transparent process designed to minimize disruption to you and the business.
Why Frontier Gate
A partner, not just a buyer.
Personal Commitment
Dexter will personally lead the partnership from the first conversation through the next chapter of the business.
Relevant Experience
Experience executing acquisitions and helping build multi-company service platforms provides a firsthand understanding of what successful growth requires after closing.
Long-Term Mindset
We are building for the long term, with a focus on compounding the strengths of an exceptional business rather than changing what already works.
Flexible by Design
Every owner’s priorities are different. We will work to create a transition that respects your goals, your people, and the legacy you have built.
Our Philosophy
Built to Last
An exceptional business is built over years through sacrifice, trusted relationships, loyal employees and a reputation earned one customer at a time.
Frontier Gate exists to honor that foundation and build upon it, bringing the resources, capabilities and long-term commitment needed to help the business reach its next chapter.
Our goal is to build a company that remains a source of pride for its founder, a place where employees can build lasting careers, a trusted partner to customers and an enduring part of its community.
Start a Conversation
Let’s talk about what you’ve built and what comes next.
Whether you are actively considering a transition or simply thinking about the future, Dexter would welcome the opportunity to listen, learn and understand what matters most to you.