Alex Mazer '07
Relentlessly pursue until complete. Observe or study closely. Seek out promising ventures.
These are a few characteristics of a bird dog, and attributes that have led Alex Mazer to be a successful entrepreneur and founder of The BirdDog Group.
“The Grateful Dead got their name by opening up a random page in a dictionary and picking the first word they saw. That’s not how I did it. The term bird dog is pretty well understood—hungry, opportunistic, eager—the name has stuck, people like it.”
Alex recognized his entrepreneurial drive early on. In high school, Alex began his own printing services company and as a student at University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business, he was a member of the Entrepreneurship Club, assisting in hosting speakers and events on campus.
When asked what led him to establish The BirdDog Group, he said “[It was] unplanned, and I didn’t have many connections at the time, but it seemed like as good a time as any to start a company.”
Upon graduation from Richmond, Alex returned to Beijing to work and continue studying Mandarin. After a year abroad, he left to pursue a professional opportunity with an organization in Chicago. A short time later, the organization was bought by a private equity firm. Alex left the company on a Friday and began The BirdDog Group the following Monday. That was two years ago.
Alex is the sole employee of The BirdDog Group, which provides liquidity solutions for banks and manufacturers on distressed assets. “I’ve had a pretty good run so far, met a lot of people, been involved in some interesting transactions all over the country, selling and liquidating businesses, even flew on a partner’s private plane to look at a deal last month, have learned a lot,” he says.
Alex has not stopped learning and exploring since his time at UR. Originally from Baltimore, Md., Alex was attracted to Richmond because of the opportunity to receive a business degree from a respected institution. He took advantage of the school’s highly ranked international business program, and spent a semester studying abroad at Hong Kong University in China. “I had some really interesting encounters and meetings there,” he says.
One of his favorite memories as a student is an opportunity he had to connect with a local alumnus. Inspired by all the pizza delivery cars he saw driving on campus, Alex believed an on-campus fast food restaurant would be successful, and asked the alumnus, a prominent individual involved in the industry, to meet and discuss his idea.
While the fast food idea never came to fruition, another opportunity did. “He told me to go throw a concert at school. He would pay for it. So I brought a Led Zeppelin cover band on campus. It was a big success and a great chance to have a unique interaction with a proud, successful, generous alumnus,” he says. This meeting and relationship has remained with Alex as an example of how alumni remain valuable and connected to Richmond.
Currently pursuing an MBA at Kellogg along with managing The BirdDog Group, Alex’s busy lifestyle leaves little time to enjoy pickup sports and his guitar. However, for the time being, Alex doesn’t mind his consuming life of business and education. As a true bird dog, Alex’s immediate plans are to continue advancing his career, and get back to his alma mater the next chance he gets.