'A unique spot'

Investor and entrepreneur Mario Garcia Jr., CEO and managing partner of Tampa-based Validus Group Partners, recently came across a rather unusual buying opportunity: To get back a unit his firm sold last year for $80 million.

Even better: Validus Group acquired the broker-dealer affiliate, Validus Strategic Capital Partners, from the original buyer, New York City-based RCS Capital Corp., for $5 million.

Validus Strategic Capital Partners has two units, SC Distributors and Strategic Capital Advisory Services, which both focus on alternative investment advice and services. The new deal, announced Dec. 3, was a pleasant surprise, Garcia tells Coffee Talk, given Validus Group initially sold the unit to RCS Capital in August 2014.“Did we sell these companies with the idea of buying them back?” asks Garcia. “No. We thought we sold two great business that were only going to get better.”