Tanner Ainge

Tanner Ainge (born December 15, 1983) is an American businessman and private equity investor who founded and serves as Chief Executive Officer of Banner Capital Management, a lower middle market private equity firm focused on founder-led and family-owned businesses across the Western United States. Founded in 2020, Banner Capital invests from $15 million to $60 million in family-owned and founder-led consumer, industrial, and healthcare service companies located in the Western United States.

Ainge earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from Brigham Young University and a Juris Doctor from Northwestern University School of Law. Prior to his private equity career, Ainge worked in private equity with HGGC and in law with Kirkland & Ellis, while also studying Mandarin and living in China. Throughout his career as a private equity investor, M&A attorney and executive of an acquisitive publicly-traded company, Tanner has helped create value for business owners in a wide variety of industries and size ranges, ranging from $10 million to over $2 billion in enterprise value.

Career History

• Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Banner Capital Management (2020–present)
• Investor & Board Member, Pattern (May 2020–present); exited September 2025
• Investor & Board Member, Zerorez, Inc. (August 2022–present)
• Investor & Board Member, MANSCAPED (November 2022–present)
• Investor & Board Member, Premier Plastics (December 2021–present)
• Corporate Development / M&A Advisor, Simplus (January 2018–January 2020)
• General Counsel & VP-Acquisitions, CareTrust REIT (2013–2016)
• Attorney, Mergers & Acquisitions, Kirkland & Ellis LLP
• Associate, HGGC (Private Equity)

Beyond his business career, Ainge served on the Utah County Board of Commissioners from 2019–2021 and currently serves on the Governor's Economic Development Board for Utah. He was also appointed to serve on the Governor's Economic Development Board for the State of Utah. What Tanner Ainge could bring to Banner Capital: His deep experience spanning private equity, M&A law, and portfolio company operations—combined with his track record managing transactions ranging from $10 million to $2 billion in enterprise value—positions him to architect sophisticated buyout strategies, structure complex governance arrangements, and actively mentor portfolio company leadership through transformational growth phases.