AGP is led by operators who have built and scaled industrial businesses across construction, energy, technology, and capital markets, and who bring that experience to every family-owned company AGP acquires.
Benjamin Krall is Founder and Managing Partner of American Gridwork Partners and brings more than 15 years of experience across industrial construction, entrepreneurship, investing, and operational leadership.
Benjamin is the Founder and former CEO of Urban Umbrella, a construction safety and infrastructure company he founded in 2016 and led for nearly a decade. Under his leadership, Urban Umbrella transformed sidewalk protection in New York City, introducing the first new sidewalk scaffolding system in more than 50 years and becoming the first alternative sidewalk-shed system written into the New York City Building Code.
Benjamin grew the company from a New York concept into a scaled specialty construction platform serving many of the world’s most prominent brands, property owners, hotels and contractors, including Apple, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Dior, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., Saint Laurent, Burberry, Balenciaga, Fendi, Nike, The Plaza Hotel, Ritz-Carlton, The Peninsula, Rockefeller Group, Brookfield Properties, Boston Properties, Hines, Turner Construction, Skanska and AECOM. Today, Urban Umbrella has completed more than 450 projects across 22 markets in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with its distinctive structures continuing to line the streets of New York City. Now operated by Benjamin’s former CFO, Urban Umbrella remains a profitable and growing company within the industrial construction industry.
Prior to AGP, Benjamin built a successful investment career at Compound Ventures, an early-stage technology fund with more than 100 investments across Palo Alto, Tel Aviv and New York, and managed investments for a family office focused on acquiring family-owned energy businesses.
Benjamin began his career as an attorney and also has experience in sports law and scouting for the NHL.
Grant E. Stark is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of American Gridwork Partners and brings more than 20 years of experience in capital allocation, investment diligence, operations, and public policy.
Grant is a Chartered Financial Analyst and has spent his career investing across public and private markets, with deep experience in infrastructure, energy, technology, transportation, and industrial manufacturing. He previously served as a Partner at CapWealth Group, where he co-managed public and private investments across $1.6 billion of discretionary assets under management and deployed nearly $400 million into strategic investments tied to grid modernization, energy infrastructure, and the GenAI revolution.
Grant also co-founded VMAC Holdings, a national transportation-as-a-service fleet owner that successfully exited to one of New York's largest private taxi portfolios. As Chief Operating Officer, he helped scale the company alongside Via Transportation, which later completed its IPO in 2025.
Earlier in his career, Grant worked as an Investment Research Analyst at Fairholme Capital Management, a multi-billion-dollar investment firm, where he executed investment strategy across deep value, distressed, and special situation securities.
At AGP, Grant supports acquisition diligence, capital allocation, regional operating strategy, and portfolio company growth, with a focus on helping family-owned infrastructure businesses scale with discipline.
Spencer Beattie serves as Director of Operations for American Gridwork Partners, where he supports portfolio company execution, business development, post-acquisition integration, and operational growth.
Spencer brings more than 10 years of experience across civil engineering, construction operations, field execution, and business development. He has spent his career helping infrastructure and construction services businesses improve operational performance, strengthen execution, and scale effectively.
Prior to AGP, Spencer was an early employee at Urban Umbrella and later served as Director of Operations and Business Development, where he supported field operations, customer development, and expansion initiatives. He is also an entrepreneur, having owned and operated a construction services business in Vermont.
At AGP, Spencer works closely with founder-operators and management teams across the portfolio to support integration, growth planning, operational discipline, and long-term value creation.
Spencer holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Vermont, with additional academic focus in Business Administration and Mathematics.
Philip Terhaar is the Founder and CEO of PMT Site, where he leads company strategy, operations, client relationships, and growth across Middle Tennessee.
Phil brings nearly 20 years of experience across heavy civil, site development, and infrastructure construction. Prior to founding PMT, he built his career with major contractors including Walsh Companies and Superior Construction, gaining experience across complex projects, field execution, and large-scale construction operations.
Phil founded PMT Site in 2020 after relocating to Middle Tennessee with his family. Since then, he has led the company with a focus on disciplined execution, responsive service, and long-term client relationships.
Phil earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Construction Management from Missouri State University, where he also played Division I football as an offensive lineman.
At PMT, Phil remains actively involved in the business, working closely with clients, field teams, and partners to deliver high-quality site construction services across the region.
Ross Hyland is Chief Executive Officer of Lark Electric, AGP’s commercial and industrial electrical platform serving Kentucky and the surrounding region. Ross leads the combined Lark, Patterson-Westbrook, and May Electric operations, overseeing electrical construction, industrial maintenance, service, power distribution, controls, and automation across the platform.
With deep experience inside the manufacturing, food processing, and heavy-industrial facilities that define Western Kentucky, Ross is focused on scaling the platform’s industrial automation capabilities and recurring-service revenue as customers modernize for the next generation of manufacturing.
At Lark, Ross partners closely with the AGP investment team to expand the platform through both organic growth and add-on acquisitions, extending Lark’s footprint across Kentucky, Tennessee, and surrounding markets.
