The firm was founded in 2002 by Andrew Linbeck, Haag Sherman, Jeremy Radcliffe and John Blaisdell.[6] In 2003, the Sanders Morris Harris Group (SMHG) secured a 50% stake in the firm, and Salient combined its assets with SMHG's Pinnacle Management & Trust Co.[7] SMHG sold its ownership interests back to Salient in 2008.[8] In 2015, Salient was the third largest Houston-area money management firm
ranked by local assets under management at $21.5 billion.[9] That same year, the firm completed its acquisition of Forward Management LLC, reporting a resulting $27.6 billion in combined assets.[10]
In 2012, the firm launched the Salient Risk Parity Index, purportedly the first of its kind for the industry.[11]
In February 2020, J. Philip Ferguson took over as interim CEO following the unexpected death of founder and long-term CEO John Blaisdell. Later that year the board appointed Bill Enszer as CEO. Prior to becoming CEO, Enszer was a managing director with the firm for over 10 years.[12]
In November 2022, Salient Partners was acquired by Westwood Holdings, an investment and wealth management firm based in Dallas.[13]
Media
Dr. W. Ben Hunt, Salient Partners' Chief Investment Strategist is the primary author for Salient's blog and newsletter Epsilon Theory,[14] a site that analyzes market trends through the lens of game theory.[15]
