We actively share the risks and rewards of our clients by investing side by side with them, aligning the interests of the firm with the interests of its customers. We call our approach “Investing in Common.” And, for private and institutional clients alike, it has yielded uncommon results.

This core philosophy of shared risks and potential rewards has consistently guided our actions over the years. Put simply, the principals of SMH buy what their clients buy, putting their own money on the line with clients whenever possible, time and again. Such co-investment, both with our individual and corporate customers, keeps our financial interests directly identified – of course, always keeping in mind suitability – with those of our client base. Investment results, not fees and commissions, drive prosperity at SMH. The same kind of common bond marks our approach to corporate finance. As a result, SMH has raised money for its investment-banking clients every time we’ve said we would.

The upshot: A rare, if not unique, record of success — in funding promising companies; in assisting them in executing strategies and achieving business goals through our advisory services; in creating value for both private and institutional investors.

Our philosophy dates back to the Firm’s founding in Houston, Texas in late 1987. Few mainstream investment firms saw much promise in the Texas market in those dark days, traumatized as the region was by debacles in the energy, real estate, and equity markets. At SMH, however, we believed that the optimism and acumen that had built the region's great enterprises could do so again. In fact, the principals were willing to bet their livelihoods on it.

Since then, the state has rebounded impressively — and SMH is proud to have played its part in the recovery. We’ve done so by offering creative and comprehensive investment banking services to a range of companies and industries, particularly those pursuing a strategic vision of growth through consolidation. By providing institutional investors with timely information on these companies, markets, and potential deals. By focusing also on the needs of high-net-worth individuals, and providing our clients with an uncommon level of access to senior investment personnel at SMH, and to deals involving dynamic, promising companies — access not possible at typical Wall Street firms.

Today, with more than $2 billion in managed money, we’ve become the largest Texas-based investment bank — but our geographic coverage, and our vision, hardly stop at the borders of the Lone Star State. In keeping with the increasingly interconnected nature of the global economy, we’ve broadened well outside the sphere of Texas and the Southwest, with offices in New York City and Garden City, New York; Los Angeles, San Francisco and Carmel, California; Dallas; Denver; Jackson, Mississippi, Timonium, Maryland and Parsippany, New Jersey. Along with Salient Partners & Salient Trust Co. and SMH Capital Advisors, SMH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sanders Morris Harris Group, a Nasdaq-traded financial services firm.

It all adds up to a comprehensive investment vision — and the underlying capital strength to get the job done. For SMH and its clients, Investing in Common has truly meant a wealth of difference.