March Madness is now, sadly for this college hoops maniac, over. How did your bracket fare? Busted? I figured as much. I bet you’re glad that you didn’t have real money on the line.
 
So, another college basketball season is behind us, but those of us on Tobacco Road still had some news in the aftermath of the Big Dance. Ol’ Roy Williams decided to retire as coach of my beloved North Carolina Tar Heels. After a few days of speculation, we all learned the powers that be in Chapel Hill decided to keep it in the most vaunted of proverbial families in giving the job to Hubert Davis.
 
There has been considerable discussion about the UNC head coaching position in general as well the specific prospect of Hubert Davis being named to that position. It is general consensus that the UNC job is one of the top 3-4 positions in all of college basketball. It’s a gig that all but a handful of coaches would give anything to have. But the gig went to Hubert Davis, whom, as likable as he comes across, is certainly not considered a top 5 or 10 or maybe even top 50 college basketball coach in the country.
 
Why did one of the blue blood (no pun intended) college basketball programs decide on a person with no head coaching experience that had no other head coaching job offers or even prospects? Why not go after the best coach, the best staff, the best whatever…period?
 
Well, I don’t claim to have any insider information (unlike every other Tar Heel fan, if you know what I mean), but I can offer the perspective of someone who has followed the Heels since I was 6 years old (when Al McGuire, Butch Lee and Marquette made me cry after beating Dean Smith Phil Ford, and Walter Davis — Hubert’s uncle — for the national championship in 1977). 
 
I think UNC hired Hubert Davis because he will be the best fit going forward and he will have the support of the vaunted Carolina “family." He cares about the university, the program, and everyone involved with it. And vice versa. Of course, it remains to be seen how it works out, but if it doesn’t, it won’t be because the effort, the support and the infrastructure isn’t there.
 
So how is this applicable to private company investing? Fair question and I hope that my response resonates. For me, good investing at the end of the day is about working with people who care. It is about investing within the right program. And yes, it is about investing within the right infrastructure. The right fit with the right program…that is the key.
 
At Tidewater Investment Company, that is what we market to our clients, our investors, our partners and our prospects…the right fit with the right program. As much as we consider our stakeholders as family, at the end of the day, we understand the bottom line is about making money. But we endeavor to do it the right way for the right reasons, particularly in considering the long-term interests of everyone involved.
 
We realize that our investment platform is not the right fit (there’s that word again) for everyone. We strongly believe, however, that there are lots of people reading this piece — and otherwise — who should be considering private company investing. We welcome the opportunity to discuss whether or not our program is a good fit for you.
 
P.S. — My bracket was busted before the first weekend was over. Picked a lot of upsets, but the wrong ones…
 
 
About Merrette Moore: Merrette Moore is the Managing Partner of Tidewater Investment Company, overseeing the operations of the firm. Merrette has over 25 years experience working in finance, company management and innovation. He has been involved in over 50 private investments, serving as the lead investment representative for many of these deals. Merrette has participated on the boards of several privately held companies either as the executive chairman, director or an observer.
 
 
About Tidewater Investment Company: Tidewater Investment Co. is a North Carolina investment firm focusing on small company direct investment as well as healthcare venture capital. Tidewater provides unique access to subordinated debt, small company private equity, growth capital, and venture capital investments for high net worth individuals, family offices, and small institutional investors. The firm’s investment platform allows investors the flexibility to invest on a deal-by-deal basis without any upfront commitment of long-term obligation.
 
For More Information, please visit our website: www.tidewaterinvestco.com.
 
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