Two partners, inside a few Texas companies, for years at a time.
Unlike consultants, we implement alongside your team rather than delivering a report and leaving. Unlike investors, we do not buy businesses and take no ownership. A meaningful portion of what we earn is tied to the results we help create, measured against your own baseline.
The firm at a glance
- Base
- Houston, Texas
- Companies at a time
- Three to six
- Company size
- $3M to $20M in revenue
- Industries
- Mechanical contracting, manufacturing, distribution, trucking, professional services, medical and dental
- Engagement length
- Several years
- Ownership taken
- None
The partners
Two people. Both of them in the building.
Chris Erhardt
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Chris leads business strategy, growth, and owner relationships at Rusk & Co. He has built and scaled companies, advised organizations on operations and AI adoption, and invests in early-stage businesses. He played college basketball in Texas.
Kourosh Ahrari
Co-Founder & Technology Partner
Kourosh leads technology, AI, and automation at Rusk & Co., translating new capabilities into practical systems inside established businesses. He is also founder and CEO of StartPro Corp, a software studio, and holds a PhD in Business.
How the firm is built
Three to six companies at a time.
3–6
Companies we work with at once
The work is on site and hands-on, so the number of companies we can carry is small and stays small. A partner is physically in your business, not reviewing it from Houston between calls.
Engagements run for several years because that is how long it takes for a change to hold after we leave. Part of what we earn is tied to results measured against your own baseline — your numbers, not an industry average.
We take no equity and no ownership. You keep control of your company, and you can end the engagement.
The name
Where the name comes from.
Thomas Jefferson Rusk commanded at San Jacinto, was the first US Senator from Texas, and presided over the 1845 annexation convention; Rusk Street runs through downtown Houston.
It is a Texas name on a Houston street. That is the whole of it — there is no family firm behind it and no third partner named on the door.
What Rusk & Co. is not
- Not a private equity firm. We do not buy businesses and we take no equity.
- Not a broker. We are not paid on the sale of a company and we do not represent buyers.
- Not RUSK haircare. No affiliation with the salon and retail brand of that name.
- Not Rusk Capital Management. No affiliation with the Houston oil-and-gas mineral-rights firm.
Talk to Chris or Kourosh directly.
Houston, and on site anywhere in Texas.