William S. Price III
William S. "Bill" Price III | |
|---|---|
| Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, investor, vintner |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Known for | Founding partner and partner emeritus of TPG Capital |
William S. "Bill" Price III is a prominent American entrepreneur, investor, and vintner. He is recognized as a founding partner and partner emeritus of the private equity firm TPG Capital, previously known as the Texas Pacific Group.
Early life and education
Price was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Hawaii. He obtained his bachelor's degree from Stanford University in 1978, followed by a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 1981.
Career
Following his graduation from law school, Price began his career at the Los Angeles-based law firm Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher in 1981, where he focused on corporate securities transactions. In 1985, he transitioned to Bain & Company, eventually becoming a partner and co-leading the financial services division.
He held a brief tenure as vice president of business development and strategic planning at GE Capital before co-founding the private equity firm Texas Pacific Group (now TPG Capital) in 1992 alongside David Bonderman and James Coulter. Their inaugural significant acquisition was the leveraged buyout of Continental Airlines in 1993.
Price was instrumental in TPG's portfolio, contributing to investments such as Beringer, Petco, Ducati, and Grohe. In 2006, he reduced his involvement with TPG to concentrate on personal business endeavors, particularly in viticulture.
He currently owns Classic Wines, LLC and Price Family Vineyards, LLC, holding stakes in properties including Durell Vineyard, Gap's Crown Vineyard, Walala Vineyard, Kistler Vineyards, Three Sticks Wines, and Lutum. Price chairs the board of Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery and served as chairman of Kosta Browne from 2009 until 2015.
Personal life
Residing in Sonoma, California, Price is married and has three children.
In 2020, he supported Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema by offering her a one-week paid internship at his Sonoma winery and organizing a fundraiser benefiting her campaign as well as a leadership PAC for moderate members of Congress.