Interview with Anthony Milewski, Founder of The Oregon Group

Anthony Milewski has two passions: the outdoors and investing. At any moment you might find him skiing in France, fly fishing in Alaska, white water rafting in Oregon, or wide awake in the middle of the night analyzing news releases and financial statements.

Anthony realized early on that a truly rewarding career needed to include following his passions. But how to do this? As a Fulbright scholar, he spent time in the former Soviet Union and saw firsthand the changes brought about by the privatization of vast swaths of the regional economies. He also noted the great potential in building companies on the back of these changes and, for a time, was employed by Renaissance Capital in Moscow, Russia, working with entrepreneurs and natural resource companies. Upon graduating from the University of Washington, with a MA in international studies and a JD in law, he took a job at New York-based Skadden, Arps where he became immersed in commodity transactions. Anthony would later transition from Skadden to Firebird Management in New York where he worked in the Global Macro funds.

Anthony’s time at Firebird had a profound impact on his investment style. He realized that you can “get a call right” but the “timing wrong”. Investing, as much as anything, is about understanding the themes and ideas that shape our world, environment, and capital markets. It was this realization that helped to shape his views on identifying themes, thinking about liquidity, and ultimately making successful investment decisions. No one ever lost money selling for a gain! After leaving Firebird he went on to work with other major funds as a C-level executive specializing in global origination and investment processes. This time cemented his views on risk mitigation and liquidity.

After years in the asset management business, Anthony realized it was time to strike out on his own. Along with his business partner, Justin Cochrane, he founded and took public several companies. To dat