Cembra Holding Company exists to build companies that will endure for generations.
We apply the long-term investment principles practiced by great companies like Berkshire Hathaway, at a scale that allows us to think locally, focus on stewardship, and build lasting relationships.
We partner with owners who care about what happens after they step away—to their employees, customers, and the business they’ve built.
Permanence requires a particular kind of stewardship, rooted in a decentralized team, operating with capital discipline and long-term thinking. Great businesses don’t need to be reinvented every few years. They need stability, smart capital allocation, and patient support.
Our goal is to protect the legacy owners have built and help their businesses continue to thrive.
APPROACH
Our Principles
DECENTRALIZATION – SCRAPPINESS – DISCIPLINE – OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE – LONG-TERM THINKING
MEET THE FOUNDERS
We founded Cembra to create a permanent home for exceptional businesses and help build companies for the next generation. Based in Dallas, Texas, we partner with founders who care deeply about the future of their company and the people who make it successful. Too often, great businesses are treated as financial assets to be optimized and sold every few years. We believe enduring businesses deserve stable ownership, thoughtful capital allocation, operational improvement, and patience.
Chris Warley
Stanford GSB, 2022
SMU Cox School of Business, 2016
INFLUENCES
“My dad spent his career in commercial banking. He was a big company guy. In college, I interned for a serial founder and close family friend named Jim. I loved the excitement I got from working closely with him and feeling like I was part of a team building something great. Jim encouraged me to pursue an entrepreneurial career path. After a decade working for stable companies, I listened to Jim and took the plunge.”
A REALIZATION
“During my career as an investor, I learned two truths. First, alignment is everything. It’s much easier to be successful when everyone is marching toward the same goal. And second, long-term thinking always wins. That’s why I wanted to start a holding company.”
STICKING TO IT
”I’ve been a diehard Atlanta sports fan my whole life. I’ve dealt with heartbreak, blown leads, mockery. People joke that Atlanta sports fans are the most loyal people alive: We stick through thick and thin.”
Christian Coquoz
SMU Cox School of Business, 2016 
THE LESSON
“My in-laws spent their entire lives building a business. When they eventually sold the company to a private equity firm, things changed quickly. Employees were pushed out, operations were consolidated, and loyal customers began to leave. Today they drive past the empty building every day and say their biggest regret was selling to private equity.”
COMMITMENT
”Cembra was created to be the kind of long-term owner my in-laws never had. Our goal is simple: acquire exceptional businesses and give them the stability to grow for decades. We partner closely with management teams and protect what makes the business special.”
THE CRAFT
“I spent the early part of my career in principal investing and investment banking, studying how businesses grow and how value is created over time. Along the way I became fascinated with the world’s greatest companies that quietly compound for decades through disciplined leadership and thoughtful capital allocation. The best companies aren’t built through financial engineering, they are built through patience, alignment, and long-term thinking.”
WORLD CLASS SHAREHOLDERS
Cembra Holding Company is backed by investors who have built enduring businesses and who share our “forever” philosophy.