About Me
With a background spanning finance, business leadership, and investment strategy, Patrick Walsh has spent many years working with companies seeking steady growth and stronger long-term value. He is based in Palm Beach County, Florida, and is the founder and CEO of PW Partners, a value-oriented investment firm he started in 2012.
PW Partners focuses on small and mid-cap companies. Through the firm, Walsh works on business improvement, capital planning, and strategic direction. His investment management experience includes a notable focus on the restaurant industry, where he has held several leadership and board-related roles.
Walsh’s work has been featured in publications such as Barron's, Forbes, the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. His past clients and business affiliations include TMPL, Palm Beach Sports Club, Town Sports International, and Famous Dave's of America. Outside his work, he enjoys cooking, fitness, literature, and travel.
Current Roles & Duties
PW Partners
Patrick leads PW Partners from Jupiter, Florida. As CEO, he manages the firm’s work with small and mid-cap companies and helps guide its investment approach. The firm is built around long-term value creation and uses operational strategy, capital allocation, and corporate planning to support portfolio companies.
Since its founding in 2012, PW Partners has developed a reputation for careful decision-making and knowledge of specific business sectors. Walsh is responsible for major areas of the firm’s work, including enterprise finance, corporate strategy, and capital allocation.
His professional background includes mergers and acquisitions, hedge funds, investment banking, and equities. These areas have helped him evaluate companies, support business changes, and identify ways to improve value.
In 2018, Ernst & Young named Patrick, founder and CEO of PW Partners, Entrepreneur Of The Year. This recognition reflected his work in entrepreneurship, investing, and company leadership.
Empire Holdings and Investments
Patrick Walsh also serves as CEO of Empire Holdings and Investments. The company is a diversified holding firm headquartered in Palm Beach County, Florida. It operates through subsidiaries in different markets and pursues investment opportunities across Florida and the United States.
Walsh joined Empire Holdings and Investments in 2020. In this role, he oversees the company’s corporate structure and works with its flexible investing model. The company focuses on long-term value across different industries rather than a single business area.
Through his work with PW Partners and Empire Holdings and Investments, Walsh has been connected to clients such as TMPL, Palm Beach Sports Club, and LIV.
Career History
Patrick began his career in 1998 at Prudential Capital Group and Prudential Securities. As an investment analyst, he worked in commercial property and publicly traded real estate investment trusts.
After six years at Prudential, Walsh joined Deutsche Bank. He spent several years there as vice president of investment banking. His role at the German multinational bank and financial services company added to his experience in finance, banking, and investment transactions.
Walsh later moved to Illinois to work with a well-known hedge fund. In that position, he specialized in long-short equity. He then joined PWK Partners in Chicago, where he served as a managing partner.
In 2012, Walsh left Chicago and moved to Florida. That same year, he founded PW Partners in Jupiter. From his Florida base, he continues to work with clients across the country, including TMPL, a luxury health club brand in New York.
Academic Background
Wesleyan University
Patrick Walsh attended Wesleyan University in Middlesex County, Connecticut. Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts university founded in 1831 under the Methodist Episcopal Church.
At Wesleyan University, Walsh studied economics. He also took part in college athletics, competing in both baseball and football.
Boston College
A back injury ended Walsh’s sports career and led him to transfer from Wesleyan University to Boston College. Boston College is a private Jesuit research university in Massachusetts, where Walsh was raised by his parents.
Founded in 1863, Boston College has a campus in Chestnut Hill, six miles west of downtown Boston. Walsh graduated from the college with honors and earned a degree in accountancy.
Columbia University
Walsh later earned a Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He also completed further investment education through Columbia University.
At Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business in New York City, he completed the Executive Value Investing Program. Economist and professor Bruce Greenwald taught this program.
Associations & Memberships
Patrick has served in a range of board and leadership roles throughout his career. He has been a member of the board of directors of BJ's Restaurants, Inc., and has served as chairman of the board of Town Sports International.
He has also held board, chair, and committee roles with Del Taco Restaurants, Inc. and Famous Dave's of America. These positions connect closely with his experience in the restaurant industry and his broader work in corporate strategy.
In 2015, Nation's Restaurant News named Walsh to its Power List. The Power List recognized the 50 most influential people in the restaurant industry that year.
Walsh holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation from the CFA Institute. The designation is awarded to professionals who complete the three-part CFA Program and pass the related exam. The program includes investment tools, portfolio management, valuing assets, and wealth planning.
Personal Life & Interests
Patrick Walsh was born in San Diego, California, and grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. His parents were New England natives. His mother was a school teacher, and his father was a naval officer.
Today, Walsh lives and works in Jupiter, Florida, in Palm Beach County. Jupiter is known for its beaches and Old Florida feel. Outside the office, he spends time on fitness, cooking, reading, and traveling. His interest in literature has remained a part of his life for many years. As his career continues, his work through PW Partners and Patrick Walsh Empire Holdings remains focused on investment, operations, and patient value creation.