Early Life and Education
Byron David Trott was born on December 2, 1958, in Springfield, Missouri, and raised in Union, Missouri. He excelled in academics and sports, playing baseball and football at the University of Chicago. Trott received an A.B. from the University of Chicago in 1981 and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 1982. He was the 1981 recipient of the Amos Alonzo Stagg Medal, awarded to the senior male student-athlete with the best overall record for academics, athletics, and character.
Rise to Success
Trott's career began in 1982 at Goldman Sachs as a stockbroker. He joined the investment banking division in 1988 and worked under future U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Trott rose through the ranks to become Vice Chairman of Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs, advising wealthy families and closely held companies on significant deals. In 2009, he founded BDT & Co., a merchant bank, which later merged with MSD Partners to form BDT & MSD Partners.
Key Business Strategies
BDT & MSD Partners focuses on providing advice and capital to family- and founder-led companies. The firm's strategy emphasizes long-term investment horizons and a deep understanding of its clients' needs, managing over $60 billion in assets. BDT & MSD Partners aims to create value by serving and adding value to family-run businesses.
Philanthropy
Byron Trott and his wife, Tina, are actively involved in philanthropy. They founded the rootEd Alliance in 2018, which places college and career advisors in rural schools. In 2021, they signed The Giving Pledge. In July 2024, Trott and his wife pledged $150 million to the Small Town and Rural Students College Network (Stars) to aid prospective students from rural areas.