Wilderness gets new shareholders

Wilderness Safaris is not a stock we talk about often. But some recent news from the company resonates with an investment theme I strongly stand by. Good things happen to good companies. And by "good company" I mean a company that strives to improve our planet or enhance human progress.

Wilderness Safaris is the epitome of this theme. They are a safari company with high end lodges in prime wilderness areas around Africa which include the Okavango Delta, Kafue, Hwange and The Skeleton Coast. One of their main goals is to protect the land where they operate. This makes sense because that enhances the experience for guests paying thousands of dollars to stay there. Their holistic approach is to involve the communities who live around those areas. If the surrounding communities benefit, the land and animals will also be protected.



On Thursday it was announced that a consortium of high net worth investors called the Rise Fund have bought a 34% stake in the company. The Rise Fund has some big name investors which include Richard Branson, Bono, Mo Ibrahim, Laurene Jobs and Reid Hoffman.

The nice thing about having wealthy, influential people like that as shareholders is that they are patient and more interested in the long term sustainability of the business and it's ethos. Wilderness have never put profits at the forefront of their objectives. Having said that, they have done incredibly well over the last few years. The share price has tripled in 5 years.

I also believe that a private business like Wilderness will be more effective than a non-for profit because they are driven to create shareholder value and to maintain their own survival. This investment sounds like a good fit.

Although Wilderness is too small for our radar I do like the long term thinking model while at the same time doing good.