*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Operations Team members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Meet the team.
At Graham Partners, we value our collaborative community of talented employees, advisors, investors, and portfolio companies. Our senior investment team members have an average tenure of ~22 years together. We aim to support our entrepreneurs and their businesses with unwavering commitment, mentorship from industry experts, and access to resources that promote accelerated growth.
Chris Baird
Chris is a seasoned leader with over 15 years of combined B2B sales and general management experience emphasizing Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) industries. He currently serves as President and CEO of Graham Partners portfolio company, OptConnect, a one-stop-shop provider of managed wireless connectivity solutions. Chris also serves on Graham Partners’ Technology and Innovation Council.
OptConnect, a Utah-based company, is one of North America’s leading managed service wireless connectivity providers and provides a secure and reliable monitored wireless connection to the internet for unattended equipment that is easy, low-risk, and convenient – all supported by superior customer service infrastructure. Today, OptConnect serves an ever-expanding list of industries and markets, including various applications within Retail and Payments, Cash Automation and Security, Agriculture, Industrial, and Energy, to name a few.
Through Chris’ leadership and tenure, OptConnect’s exponential growth has landed the company on the Inc. 5000 list four years in a row. The company has also been named by Mountain West Capital Network to the “Utah 100” for a fifth time, making it one of the 100 fastest-growing companies in the state. Chris is also the recipient of the 2021 “CEO of the Year” award by Utah Business Magazine.
Megan Barsella
Vice President
Megan sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies. Megan is closely involved with Graham Partners’ investments in Velosity and VPET.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
Velosity, Medbio
Susan Bleecher
Accounting Manager, Sponsorship & Philanthropy
Susan oversees accounting and administrative support for sponsorship and philanthropic initiatives, among other functions.
Susan brings over 30 years of experience to Graham Partners. Prior to joining Graham, Susan served as CFO and Treasurer for Winterthur Museum. Previously, she spent nine years with Lancaster Parking Authority, where she held various leadership roles, most recently serving as Deputy Executive Director.
Jeff Buss
Jeff is a seasoned executive with a demonstrated record of building resilient, secure and profitable businesses. With over 30 years of experience, Jeff has held a variety of leadership roles in IT and cybersecurity, currently serving as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Dexian and on the advisory board of Unknown Cyber. He also serves on Graham Partners’ Technology and Innovation Council.
Previously, Jeff served as Global CIO of Nordic Consulting, where he helped the firm double its revenue in just 30 months. At Nordic, he orchestrated the firm’s technology and security portfolio, built its cybersecurity consulting practice, and managed an industry-leading IT and cybersecurity team. During his tenure, he assisted in the acquisition of five businesses, as well as the ultimate sale of Nordic to a strategic buyer. Before Nordic, Jeff was a Managing Director at Ernst & Young, where he served as a cybersecurity advisor to four of the five largest banks in the U.S., ran two national practices, and led a global partnership with Splunk. He grew his team from 4 to 42 in 18 months and helped drive a significant increase in sales in less than 24 months.
Early in his career, Jeff served as a Naval Flight Officer with carrier-based Electronic Attack Squadrons before shifting his focus to IT Operations and Cybersecurity. He operated and defended one of the largest global networks in the world – the Department of Defense Information Network (DODIN) – with over three million users, including the White House, before retiring as a Captain from the Navy. He also served as CTO for cyber development at the Defense Information Systems Agency and Deputy Director of the Center for Cybersecurity Studies at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Chrissie Cangemi
Executive Assistant
Mike Caramanico
Manager, FP&A
At Graham, Mike conducts analyses required to support growth and make strategic, financial and operational decisions within the firm.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Mike worked for IndeVets, a private equity backed supplier of veterinary staffing services, in FP&A. Prior to IndeVets, Mike worked for Teleflex and started his career at Deloitte Consulting, both in FP&A roles.
Ellie Christman
Analyst
As a member of the growth equity team, Ellie sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Eric Ciarlante
Managing Director, Administration
Eric oversees certain aspects of the firm’s operations, works on portfolio analytics, and plays a key role in managing Graham Partners’ communications with its investors and other external relationships. He also serves on the firm’s Valuation Committee. Prior to joining Graham Partners, Eric worked for Hamilton Lane. Previous to Hamilton Lane, he worked for InterBay Funding.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
Creative Mines
Kayla Cicala
Senior Accountant
Kayla provides accounting support across all areas, including reconciliations, financial administration, and cash flow reporting, among other functions.
Sandy Coia*
Business Development Paralegal
Sandy provides support across various business development areas, including managing the end-to-end NDA review process and negotiating with external parties, among other functions.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Sandy spent 31 years at law firm Paul, Reich, & Myers, P.C., where she served as a Paralegal and Office Manager. She also worked as a Paralegal for Paramount Legal Outsourcing.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Accounting and Administration Team members are employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Denise Coulter
Executive Assistant
Joseph Dignazio
Associate
At Graham, Joseph sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Dennis Dunegan
Managing Principal
Dennis sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies. Dennis is closely involved with Graham Partners’ investments in EasyPak, Kinova, Novarc Technologies, and Signifi Solutions. He also serves on the Growth Investment Committee and co-heads Graham Growth’s day-to-day investment activities.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
Novarc Technologies, Signifi Solutions, Kinova, DTI, EasyPak, Acme Cryogenics, Tidel, Desser, Universal Pure
Charlie Falcone
Analyst
Charlie sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Eddie Fitzpatrick
Analyst
Bio in progress.
Matt Franko
Vice President
Matt rejoined Graham Partners in 2022, after having worked at Graham from 2016 to 2019. At Graham, Matt sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Prior to rejoining Graham, Matt spent two years at Gopuff where he supported the company’s growth as part of their Corporate Development organization and also served as a Chief of Staff, among other roles. Before Gopuff, he spent time with Comcast as Manager of Strategic Development, focused on identifying new growth opportunities for the company.
Steven Graham
Chief Executive Officer and Senior Managing Principal
Steve Graham founded Graham Partners in 1988. He serves as the firm’s CEO and Senior Managing Principal, and sits on the firm’s Buyout and Growth Investment Committees, as well as the firm’s Valuation Committee. Steve oversees all the activities of the firm, including investment sourcing, evaluation, monitoring, and divestiture; as well as overseeing the firm’s operations group. Steve established the firm’s long-standing strategy of investing in conversion plays in advanced manufacturing and industrial technology, created its operations-centric focus and its operations team, and developed the broad investment themes and investment criteria that drive the firm’s sourcing and investment activities.
Prior to founding Graham Partners, Steve worked for Goldman, Sachs & Co. in its Investment Banking Division, and for the RAF Group. For the first decade after founding Graham Partners, Steve and his team oversaw corporate finance activities relating to operating interests associated with The Graham Group, managing merger, acquisition, and joint venture transactions for The Graham Group that were completed in Italy, France, Canada, The United Kingdom, Poland, Brazil, and Argentina, as well as major financings and the divestiture of a controlling interest in Graham Packaging Company to a Blackstone Group-controlled fund in 1998. During this period, Steve served as a member of both the Investment Committee and Advisory Board of The Graham Group, as an Officer, Board member, and Management Committee member of numerous Graham Group operating and investment entities, and as the Graham family trustee for trusts that owned direct or indirect interests in various Graham Group entities, a role he continues to serve in today.
Steve has formed numerous charitable entities and supports many philanthropic causes in education, sports, the arts, dance, and health care. Several of Steve’s initiatives are focused upon under-resourced youth, including academic scholarship programs in over ten schools in the Greater Philadelphia region, coupled with numerous programs domestically and internationally supporting youth in sports and dance. Steve also serves on the Advisory Boards of certain unaffiliated private investment funds managed by other general partners, and has in past years served on private equity-related advisory committees for both Dartmouth College’s Graduate School of Business (Tuck) and Williams College, as well as on the boards of certain private schools.
Steve earned his B.A. from Williams College with a double major in Philosophy and English, and his M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. While at Williams, Steve was a three-sport varsity athlete (tennis, track, and skiing), and captain of the downhill ski team. Steve is still active in skiing, tennis, and other sports today.
Victoria (Tori) Hain
Staff Accountant
Tori provides accounting and administrative support for sponsorship and philanthropic initiatives.
Jim Harris
Management Company Controller
Jim is responsible for budgeting and cost controls; adherence to applicable policies, procedures, and internal controls; and compliance-related matters, among other functions.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Jim worked for Citco Fund Services, Inc. specializing in financial and regulatory reporting for leading names within the hedge fund and private equity industry.
Lexie Hausheer
Analyst
Bio in progress.
Becky Hayden*
Fund Reporting Manager
Bio in progress.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Accounting and Administration Team members are employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Joe Heinmiller
Managing Principal
Joe, along with the other Managing Principals, shares responsibility for all major aspects of Graham Partners’ investment process, including investment sourcing, structuring, and exiting, as well as working closely with portfolio companies to build lasting value. He also serves on the Buyout Investment Committee and the Growth Investment and Gating Committees.
Joe has primary oversight responsibility for Velosity. He also has joint coverage responsibility for the medical devices and life sciences subsector. Prior to joining Graham Partners, Joe worked for Banc of America Securities in its Healthcare Investment Banking Group.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
Rhythmlink, Velosity, Medbio, Mercer, BrightPet, Desser, HemaSource, Universal Pure, Infiltrator
Will Hesterberg
Senior Associate
Will sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Cari Hills
Director, Talent Management
Cari leads the human capital function, overseeing the firm’s recruiting and talent management initiatives. Prior to joining Graham Partners, Cari spent the past decade as an executive at Accenture in their Global Recruiting organization, where she managed strategic technology initiatives and process efficiency efforts related to recruiting, onboarding, and internship programs. Most recently, she served as Accenture’s Global Recruiting Innovation Lead responsible for defining strategic innovation opportunities, including leveraging the metaverse and blockchain as future recruiting platforms. Early in her career, Cari was a consultant at Accenture in Financial Services and an Assistant Vice President at JPMorgan Chase in Alternative Asset Management. She held other leadership roles at various organizations, including as Managing Director at Newman’s Own Foundation, Director of Operations at the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (membership of over 130 Fortune 500 CEOs), and Executive Director at Lang Lang Music Foundation.
Davide Innocenti
Analyst
Davide sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies. Davide participated in the Graham Partners self-study internship program in 2023.
Andrew Kent
Analyst
Bio in progress.
Matt Kilkenny
Business Development Associate
Bio in progress.
Krista Kissell
Associate
Krista sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Alek Klincewicz
Development Manager
Alek supports the firm’s investment opportunity sourcing activities and is responsible for digital media in a variety of philanthropic initiatives for the firm.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Alek worked as a Digital Marketing Specialist at Acurian Inc., a subsidiary of Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD).
Henry Koch
Associate
At Graham, Henry sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Dan Kurtz
Chief Financial Officer
Dan is responsible for accounting, financial reporting, and related activities. He also serves on the firm’s Valuation Committee. Prior to his current role, Dan was part of Graham’s Financial Operations Team, supporting several of Graham’s portfolio companies to make strategic, financial, and operational decisions.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Dan worked for Universal Health Services, Inc. in their Corporate Development department. Previous to Universal Health Services, Dan worked for Ernst & Young LLP in its Transaction Advisory Services and Assurance Services groups.
Aaron Kuzdal
Analyst
Bio in progress.
Ismael Lahlou
Vice President
Ismael sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Brad LaPoff*
Director, AI Strategy and Implementation
Bio in progress.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Operations Team members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Deonna Lauria
Executive Assistant
Michael Limongelli
Associate
Mike sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Jamie Lockwood
Talent Management Associate
Bio in progress.
Mike Mahoney*
Fund Reporting Controller
Mike is responsible for fund reporting, among other functions.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Mike worked for the Bank of New York Mellon in its Alternative Investment Services, Financial Reporting Group. Previous to BNY Mellon, he worked for Citco Fund Services, Inc.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Accounting and Administration Team members are employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Alicia Margetich
Executive Assistant
Meredith Martell
Senior Marketing Coordinator
Meredith supports the reporting team in its communications with investors and coordinates Graham’s branding efforts.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Meredith worked at Brilliant Graphics in its marketing department. Prior to Brilliant Graphics, she worked at Buzzuto in its sales and marketing department.
Brittany Martin
Director, Sourcing & Operations
As a member of Graham’s Growth Equity team, Brittany is focused on sourcing new investment opportunities and working closely with companies to build value creation. Prior to this role, Brittany was a member of the Firm’s Operations Team, evaluating the portfolio company marketing presence and capabilities, and implementing strategies and process improvements to drive topline growth. Earlier in her career at Graham Partners, Brittany served on the Graham Partners Investment Team where she focused on investor relations and reporting.
Nicole Massimino
Analyst
Nicole sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Colin McAnulla*
Information Technology Specialist
At Graham, Colin provides support for all IT systems, including network administration, software and hardware maintenance, and systems troubleshooting.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Colin spent two years as an IT Service Desk Technician Intern with USLI.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Accounting and Administration Team members are employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Sarah McCauley
Accounting Manager
Sarah provides accounting support across all areas, including reconciliations, financial administration, and cash flow reporting, among other functions.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Sarah worked in accounting for various regionally based companies.
Julia McCormack
Operating Advisor, Finance
Julia has over 17 years of experience in Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), across public accounting, large public, and mid-size private equity backed environments. Prior to joining Graham Partners as an advisor, she most recently served Vice President, Financial Planning & Analysis at Quala, an Advent International portfolio company.
Throughout her career, Julia has served in several leadership roles, including Controller at Jagged Peak, Inc.; Controller and Manager of FP&A at Vogue International (d/b/a Johnson & Johnson, Inc.); Finance Manager at TUI Marine (subsidiary of TUI Travel PLC); and Senior Auditor at Deloitte & Touche, LLP.
Bill McKee
Chief Operating Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, and Managing Principal
Bill serves as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, and Managing Principal. He serves on the Buyout Investment and Gating Committees, the Growth Investment Committee, and the firm’s Valuation Committee.
Prior to the formation of Graham I, Bill was integrally involved with corporate development activities relating to operating interests held by entities associated with The Graham Group – working on M&A transactions completed in Italy, France, Canada, the United Kingdom, Poland, Brazil, and Argentina, as well as major financings, risk assessment and negotiation of many operating contracts and joint venture agreements. Bill also played a key role in the negotiation and structuring of the divestiture of a controlling interest in Graham Packaging Company to Blackstone.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Bill worked for Bear Stearns in its Investment Banking Division.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
Schneller, Abrisa, Dynojet, HB&G, Eldorado Stone, NDS
Jimmy McLaughlin
Analyst
Jimmy helps evaluate new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies. Jimmy was a member of Graham’s SWAG internship program beginning in November 2021, where professional soccer players transitioning to potential careers in business were given the opportunity to gain valuable, real world private equity experience. The internship program was designed for professional soccer players and coaches who volunteer for The SWAG, a local youth soccer program.
Dawn Meyer
Investment Origination Liaison
Max Mezrow
Analyst
Max sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Peter Miller
Analyst
Peter sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Christina Morin
Managing Principal
Christina is a member of the Buyout and Growth Investment Committees, the firm’s Valuation Committee, leads many initiatives at the firm, and has served on the boards of several portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Christina worked for W.Y. Campbell & Company, a division of Comerica. Previous to W.Y. Campbell & Company, she worked for Borders, Inc. in its Strategic and Financial Planning Division and for Goldman, Sachs & Co. in its Investment Banking Division.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
Mercer, BrightPet, Universal Pure, Henry, Abrisa, HB&G, Eldorado Stone
Matt Mushinski
Staff Accountant
Matt provides accounting support across all areas, including reconciliations, financial administration, and cash flow reporting, among other functions.
Rob Newbold
Managing Principal
Rob, along with the other Managing Principals, shares responsibility for all major aspects of Graham Partners’ investment process, including investment sourcing, structuring, and exiting, as well as working closely with portfolio companies to build lasting value. He also serves on the Buyout and Growth Investment Committees.
Rob has primary oversight responsibility for BrightSign, Gatekeeper, Myers EPS, OptConnect, and Taoglas. He also has coverage responsibility for the industrial technology industry subsector.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Rob worked for Investcorp in its Private Equity Group. Previous to Investcorp, he worked for Goldman, Sachs & Co. in its Investment Banking Division, and also previously worked at McKinsey & Co.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
E Tech, Barcoding, Taoglas, BrightSign, Gatekeeper, Myers EPS, OptConnect, Tidel, Henry, Chelsea, SP Industries, Eberle, B+B, TransAxle, Infiltrator, Dynojet, HB&G, Eldorado Stone, NDS
Alyssa Norton
Principal
Alyssa works on portfolio analytics and plays a key role in managing Graham Partners’ communications with its investors and other external relationships. Prior to Graham, Alyssa worked at Permit Capital Advisors as an associate on its client services team.
Stephanie Nyce
Accounts Payable Coordinator
Stephanie is responsible for handling all accounts payable functions, including reviewing and verifying invoices and check requests, tracking expenses and processing expense reports, and monitoring accounts to ensure payments are up to date, among other responsibilities.
Michael Orrin
Associate
Mike is responsible for budgeting, forecasting, philanthropic initiatives, and providing analysis on related investments.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Mike worked as a finance manager at CTDI, a regionally-based engineering firm.
Board Directorships:
Current: Creative Mines
Mitchell Parrott
Senior Associate
Mitchell sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Nish Patel
Associate
Nish sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Adam Piatkowski
Managing Principal
Adam, along with the other Managing Principals, shares responsibility for all major aspects of Graham Partners’ investment process, including investment sourcing, structuring, and exiting, as well as working closely with portfolio companies to build lasting value. He also serves on the Buyout Investment and Gating Committees, the Growth Investment Committee, and co-heads Graham Growth’s day-to-day investment activities.
Adam has primary oversight responsibility for EasyPak, KCF, Surgere, and VPET. He also has coverage responsibility for the packaging industry subsector.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Adam worked for Monitor Asset Management and for Monitor Group.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
KCF, Surgere, VPET, ABX, EasyPak, Tidel, Comar, Mitten, Schneller, The Masonry Group
Dalibor Pivcevic*
Senior Advisor
Dado is the Managing Director – Private Equity for Graham Capital and is responsible for origination, evaluation and monitoring of private equity funds and other private market investments. In addition, he focuses on portfolio asset allocation and performance forecasting.
Prior to assuming his role at Graham Capital, Dado served as a Managing Principal of Graham Partners, where he was involved in private equity fund investing on behalf of Graham Capital as well as sourcing new investment opportunities and providing ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ portfolio companies. Previously, Dado was involved with corporate development activities relating to operating interests held by entities associated with The Graham Group – working on M&A transactions completed in France, the United Kingdom, Poland, Brazil, and Argentina, as well as major financings and the divestiture of a controlling interest in Graham Packaging Company to Blackstone.
Josh Pompan
Vice President
Josh sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
Rhythmlink, Woodland Foods, HB&G
Hassaan Rashid
Analyst
Hassaan sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Rob Rourke
Bio in progress.
Courtland Scaccetti
Managing Director, Business Development
Courtland sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Courtland worked for Sixpoint Partners, LLC.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
VPET, Giraffe
Antonio Schiano di Visconte*
Fund Reporting Associate
At Graham, Antonio is responsible for fund reporting, among other functions.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Antonio spent two years with SEI in various Fund Accounting roles.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Accounting and Administration Team members are employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Max Schieferdecker
Associate
Max sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Kevin Schillack
Assistant Controller
Kevin provides accounting support across all areas, including reconciliations, financial administration, and cash flow reporting, among other functions.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Kevin worked at HOPE worldwide in its Accounting Department.
Michael Sheridan
Associate
Michael sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Kedar Shirole
Vice President
At Graham, Kedar sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Previously, Kedar served as an Associate for Baring Private Equity Asia. Prior to that, he worked in investment banking as an Analyst and Associate with Houlihan Lokey’s Industrials Group in New York.
Andrew Snyder
Managing Principal
Andrew, along with the other Managing Principals, shares responsibility for all major aspects of Graham Partners’ investment process, including investment sourcing, structuring, and exiting, as well as working closely with portfolio companies to build lasting value. He also serves on the Buyout and Growth Investment Committees.
Andrew has primary oversight responsibility for Commercial Bakeries and Woodland Foods. He also has coverage responsibility for the consumer / food manufacturing industry subsector.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Andrew worked in private equity for Concert Capital Partners and in investment banking for Adams Harkness, Inc.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
Commercial Bakeries, Woodland Foods, Giraffe, EasyPak, Mercer, BrightPet, Universal Pure, Eberle, B+B, TransAxle
Mitch Solomon
Mitch is a skilled business leader and advisor with executive-level experience across various industries. Mitch has served as President of VDC Research, a technology market research and strategy firm, since 2007. He currently serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, OptConnect.
Previously, Mitch co-founded ProductPOP, a venture capital-backed startup in the adtech space. He also spent two years at advertising agency Organic, Inc., three years as Product Manager at Motorola Solutions, and two years as an Investment Banking Analyst at Merrill Lynch.
Mitch earned his B.A. in Political Science from Northwestern University and his M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Mike Stewart
Principal
Mike sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
E Tech, Barcoding, Rhythmlink, BrightSign, Gatekeeper, DTI, Acme Cryogenics, Desser
Geoff Stewart
Vice President
Geoff sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support for a number of Graham Capital Investments’ portfolio companies.
Prior to Graham, Geoff worked as a private equity advisor and consultant to institutional investors and multinational corporations. Most recently Geoff provided services as an ESG consultant to regulatory advisor Iron Road Partners, which specializes in regulatory matters in the private capital business. In addition, Geoff has held various positions at Third Economy, Inverness Graham, and PJT Camberview.
Rob Stover
Director
Rob is responsible for financial reporting, forecasting, tax planning, and philanthropic initiatives, among other functions. Prior to his current role, Rob was part of Graham’s Financial Operations Team, supporting several of Graham’s portfolio companies to make strategic, financial, and operational decisions.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Rob worked for Icahn Automotive in various roles within its Corporate Development and Finance teams. Prior to Icahn Automotive, Rob worked for PwC.
Mike Sundry
Vice President
Mike works on portfolio analytics and plays a key role in managing Graham Partners’ communications with its investors and other external relationships.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Mike worked for The Carlyle Group and also spent four years with PwC in its Asset Wealth Management Group.
Fred Thiel
Fred is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of operating experience leading companies in the technology, data communications, Internet, M2M, automation, Big Data, digital media and software industries. He has repeatedly driven rapid growth and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in shareholder value. Fred is a respected expert and frequent speaker on the Internet of Things (IoT) and the digital transformations of companies and industries, providing deep technology industry expertise and strategic advice on transformational value creation – the process of generating growth and shareholder value. He has served in various roles, including public/private company CEO, board member, strategic advisor, private equity firm principal and senior advisor/operating partner.
Fred has been an advisor to Graham Partners since 2008 and has served as Executive Chairman of B+B SmartWorx, a formerly-owned Graham Partners portfolio company. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Graham Partners portfolio company OptConnect. Fred is a member of the Gold Pacific Region’s Young President’s Organization (YPO) and incoming chair to the YPO Technology Network. He has also taught as a guest lecturer at the University of San Diego Business School, the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, and the Merage Foundation. Fred attended classes at the Stockholm School of Economics and executive classes at Harvard Business School and is fluent in English, Spanish, Swedish and French.
William Timmerman
Managing Principal
William, along with the other Managing Principals, shares responsibility for all major aspects of Graham Partners’ investment process, including investment sourcing, structuring, and exiting, as well as working closely with portfolio companies to build lasting value. He also helps lead Graham Capital Investments’ (GCI) day-to-day investment activities.
William has primary oversight for ABX. He also has coverage responsibility for the advanced building materials and power management industry sectors.
Prior to joining Graham, William worked for UBS Securities in its Mergers and Acquisitions Group.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
ABX, Creative Mines, Comar, Henry, Chelsea, SP Industries, Abrisa, Supreme Corq, HB&G
Luke Vargo
Senior Associate
Luke sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
Barcoding
Trey Vyas
Associate
Trey joined Graham Partners in 2022. At Graham, Trey sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and also provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Sandra Williamson
Controller
Sandy holds various responsibilities, including human resource administration, budgeting, and accounting support, among other functions.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Sandy worked in various roles within the public accounting industry, most notably with Arthur Young (now Ernst & Young).
Josh Wilson
Managing Principal
Josh, along with the other Managing Principals, shares responsibility for all major aspects of Graham Partners’ investment process, including investment sourcing, structuring, and exiting, as well as working closely with portfolio companies to build lasting value. He also serves on the Buyout Investment and Gating Committees and the Growth Investment Committee.
Josh has primary oversight responsibility for E Tech and Rhythmlink. He also has joint coverage responsibility for the healthcare and life sciences subsector.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Josh worked for Chase Securities, Inc. in its Global Investment Banking Division.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
E Tech, Rhythmlink, Velosity, Medbio, EasyPak, Acme Cryogenics, Desser, HemaSource, Strata, Infiltrator, Line-X/IXS, Dynojet, Exteria
Stephen Wittmann
Vice President
Steve sources and evaluates new investment opportunities and provides ongoing support and oversight for a number of Graham Partners’ current portfolio companies.
Previously, Steve served as a Senior Associate at Fort Point Capital. Prior to that, he spent two years in investment banking as an analyst at Stephens, Inc.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
E Tech, Taoglas, OptConnect
Grace Yagodich
Associate
Grace works on portfolio analytics and plays a key role in managing Graham Partners’ communications with its investors and other external relationships.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Grace worked for PYA, P.C. as a Staff Consultant.
Joseph Yannuzzi*
Information Technology Manager
At Graham, he manages IT systems, including device management, network infrastructure, and cyber security.
Before joining Graham Partners, Joe honed his skillset at Penn Mutual Life Insurance, where he served as a Senior Technician in the IT Department. Prior to Penn Mutual, he was a Jr. Network Administrator for HTH Worldwide.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Accounting and Administration Team members are employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Matthew Barratt*
Financial Operating Associate
Matt works closely with several of Graham’s portfolio companies to support growth and conduct analyses required to make strategic, financial, and operational decisions.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Matt spent six years working at Ernst & Young in the audit and M&A advisory practices.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Operations Team members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
April Blackmore
Operating Advisor, Manufacturing and Lean
April has over 25 years of operations and manufacturing leadership experience in the food, beverage, and agriculture industries. She specializes in operations, manufacturing, continuous improvement/lean, supply chain, safety, engineering, robotics, enterprise resource planning, and is sought out for her expertise in total productive maintenance (TPM), lean methodology, and artificial intelligence.
Previously, April served as VP of Operations at Del Monte Fresh, and has held various operations, manufacturing, quality, and safety roles at other leading businesses such as Quaker Oats, PepsiCo, Nestle, Super Store Industries, Nature’s Bounty, California & Hawaiian Sugar, and Plant Sciences Inc.
Jacquie Boyer
Operating Advisor, Commercial Excellence
Driven by a passion for unlocking growth through structured commercial strategies, Jacquie has a proven track record of leading commercial transformations across diverse industries. Known for “minding the gap” and navigating organizations through change, Jacquie has built a reputation for aligning people, processes, and outcomes to drive enterprise value in Fortune 500 companies, privately held businesses, and private equity.
After serving as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Sensata Technologies, Jacquie shifted to entrepreneurship, founding Metis Commercial Catalysts (MCC). Jacquie currently focuses on steering commercial transformations across Graham Partners’ portfolio companies, with an emphasis on creating value and driving profitable revenue growth.
Rollie Caswell*
Financial Operating Analyst
Rollie works closely with several of Graham’s portfolio companies to support growth and conduct analyses required to make strategic, financial, and operational decisions.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Operations Team members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Jay Dubois
Operating Advisor, Manufacturing and Lean
Jay has over 37 years of global operations experience across various industries including pharmaceutical, food, household industrial chemical, auto, and consumer products. Prior to joining Graham Partners as an advisor, he most recently served as Senior Vice President of Operations with KIK Custom Products, with direct responsibility over the Prestone Products platform.
Jay has served in several senior leadership operational and engineering roles throughout his career, with experience in private equity sponsored environments driving top and bottom-line growth objectives and delivering new products and services through his collaborative approach of engagement and empowerment.
Danielle Durante*
Director, Revenue Enhancement
Danielle is a member of the Firm’s Operations Team. She evaluates portfolio company marketing presence and capabilities and implements portfolio company-related strategies and process improvements to drive topline growth. This includes but is not limited to website and brand development, search engine optimization/pay per click, demand generation, and CRM deployment.
Previously, Danielle built and scaled marketing programs at Glassdoor and Samsara.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Operations Team members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Allison Gosselin*
Director, Environmental, Social and Governance
Allison leads the firm’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) program that seeks to create shared value for Graham Partners’ investors and other stakeholders working across its investment portfolio and internally within Graham Partners. In this role, Allison is responsible for managing the firm’s ESG integration efforts across investment processes. Allison’s main areas of focus include implementing a systematic approach to assessing the firm’s businesses’ environmental impact and determining the impact a changing environment has on the firm’s businesses’ risk profiles; developing profitable strategies to reduce environmental risks at both the firm and portfolio company levels; and driving communication surrounding progress on all ESG activities. She also serves on the Buyout and Growth Gating Committees.
Previously, Allison served as Director of Sustainability and Engineering at ARAMARK Leisure. During her nine-year tenure, she worked with functional and operational executive leaders to develop a comprehensive sustainable operations program to be applied across ARAMARK Leisure’s businesses and developed an operational suite of tools to support a common Environmental Management System (EMS) across a 61-site portfolio, among other functions. Prior to ARAMARK, Allison served as a Project Manager for both ERM and Lockheed Martin.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Operations Team members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Sarah Kolansky*
Director, Health and Safety
Sarah supports the firm’s work on environment, health, and safety (EHS) matters across its investment portfolio.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Sarah was an Associate in Climate Change and Sustainability with ICF, where she worked with local and federal government agencies, as well as with external clients, on various ESG initiatives.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Operations Team members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Brad LaPoff*
Director, AI Strategy and Implementation
Bio in progress.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Operations Team members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Chris Lawler
Senior Advisor
Chris is a Senior Advisor with over 20 years of private equity investment experience. As a former Managing Principal of Graham Partners, he shared responsibility for many major aspects of Graham Partners’ investment process, including investment sourcing, structuring, and exiting, as well as working with portfolio companies to build value. Chris also served on Graham Partners’ Flagship and Growth Investment Committees.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Chris worked for NationsBanc Montgomery Securities (now Bank of America Merrill Lynch) in its Financial Sponsors Group. Before NationsBank, he worked for First Fidelity Bank (now Wells Fargo) and for Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation in its Commercial Banking Group.
Debra Martino*
Senior Operating Partner, Tax & Controls
Debbie joined Graham Partners in 2021. At Graham, Debbie is responsible for evaluating and implementing portfolio company tax planning strategies across the federal, state, and local tax areas for both direct and indirect taxes. She also provides operational finance support, assists with the formulation and implementation of tax strategies for M&A transactions, and is responsible for the communication of tax changes to key stakeholders.
Previously, Debbie spent almost six years as Assistant Vice President of Tax Planning and Advisory for Lincoln Financial Group. Prior to that, she was Director of Tax at Berwind Corporation and worked for over 15 years in Public Accounting for two of the largest accounting firms serving multi-national clients and Fortune 500 companies. Additionally, she is currently an Adjunct Professor at Villanova University.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Operations Team members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Julian Mason
Operating Advisor, Manufacturing and Lean
At Graham, Julian provides general management support on operations, supply-chain, and organizational improvement for Graham Partners portfolio companies. He has over 28 years of experience in international operations, supply-chain, business acquisitions & integrations, services, and product management. Julian has worked in the aviation, power generation, industrial controls, and oil & gas industries.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Julian was the Vice President of Manufacturing Operations for Evolution Engineering, a Calgary based oil & gas technology company specializing in harsh environment drilling telemetry. While at Evolution, Julian led an international team and supported the growth of a high technology product and service business. Julian’s focus was on driving out costs, improving product reliability, and scaling the business and operations processes to meet market demands. Prior to Evolution, Julian worked at General Electric for 25 years in a variety of leadership roles and industries. Julian started his career with GE in its Manufacturing Management Program.
Julia McCormack
Operating Advisor, Finance
Julia has over 17 years of experience in Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), across public accounting, large public, and mid-size private equity backed environments. Prior to joining Graham Partners as an advisor, she most recently served Vice President, Financial Planning & Analysis at Quala, an Advent International portfolio company.
Throughout her career, Julia has served in several leadership roles, including Controller at Jagged Peak, Inc.; Controller and Manager of FP&A at Vogue International (d/b/a Johnson & Johnson, Inc.); Finance Manager at TUI Marine (subsidiary of TUI Travel PLC); and Senior Auditor at Deloitte & Touche, LLP.
Clemente Micara-Sartori
Senior Operating Partner
Clemente is involved in deal flow creation, deal review, due diligence, as well as development of new investment ideas for the firm and management of Graham’s Investment Theme Program. He currently has coverage responsibility for the general industrial industry sector.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Clemente cofounded and operated BreadVentures, Inc., a regional manufacturer and distributor of high-quality bakery products sold primarily to foodservice companies, supermarkets, and specialty food stores. He is an entrepreneur who has owned and operated manufacturing businesses and has also had prior experience in investment banking, leveraged buyouts and consulting. Clemente started his career at Chemical Bank (New York, NY) as an associate in a newly formed M&A/Investment Banking group. Subsequently, he joined Westfield Capital Corporation (Greenwich, CT), an LBO firm focusing on lower Middle Market transactions.
Chris Newman*
Senior Operating Partner, Operations & Planning
Chris works closely with the investment team, industry experts, and management teams coordinating resources to drive financial, operational and product development performance at portfolio companies.
Prior to Graham Partners, Chris had over 25 years of Federal Government service, beginning his career as an enlisted U.S. Navy SEAL and then continuing as a Paramilitary Operations Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. He retired from the CIA as a Senior Intelligence Service Executive. During his career at the CIA, he served in field assignments and held several field commands as well as multiple senior leadership positions at CIA Headquarters, including Chief of the CIA’s largest overseas Station. He also served as Executive Assistant to the Director of Central Intelligence (DCIA), was assigned to the Department of Defense as Deputy Commander of a Combined Joint Interagency Task Force, and held other senior roles with global responsibilities in both traditional areas and war zones. He has extensive experience managing complex multi-organizational programs with global reach.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
OptConnect
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Operations Team members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Mike Pozielli*
Senior Financial Operating Associate
Mike works closely with several of Graham’s portfolio companies to support growth and conduct analyses required to make strategic, financial, and operational decisions.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Mike worked for Innovheart, a next generation medical device company, as its head of finance. Prior to Innovheart, Mike worked for Deloitte in their Audit and Advisory practices.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Operations Team members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Jeff Smith
Senior Operating Advisor, Human Capital
Jeff brings to this position over 25 years of progressive human resources experience ranging from the factory floor to the C-suite. At Graham Partners, he plays a leadership role across a broad array of human capital operations inclusive of organizational development, ascension planning, recruitment and retention, and training.
Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources for FedEx Ground, leading a team of over 600 HR professionals in the development and deployment of strategic human resources efforts for over 130,000 employees. Prior to FedEx Ground, Jeff held senior human resources leadership roles at companies spanning transportation and logistics, metals, and food industries including as SVP of Human Resources and CHRO at RTI International Metals, Inc. (transitioned to a division of ALCOA), Senior Manager of HJ Heinz’s HR Transformation Team at Kraft/Heinz, and Group Employee Relations Manager at AllSteel Inc. (a division of HON Industries). While the majority of Jeff’s career progression has been in human resources, he has had the opportunity to take on cross-functional assignments in operations, safety, sales, product development, and supply chain management. Additionally, Jeff currently serves as an Advisory Board Member for the non-profit disaster relief organization, Team Rubicon.
Earlier in his career, Jeff served over 15 years in the United States Army (active and reserve). He served as an Army Aviator, where he piloted the Cobra Attack and Blackhawk helicopters, as well as a Flight Safety Officer. He started his military career serving as a member of the 5th Special Forces Group, and was also awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding achievement and service.
Daniel Soroka*
Senior Operating Partner, Supply Chain and Real Estate
At Graham, Dan provides general management support with an emphasis on supply chain, real estate and procurement related matters across Graham Partners and its portfolio companies. Dan has over 27 years of experience in purchasing, six-sigma quality analysis, operations, real estate and management. He has expertise in leading and developing global teams, process improvement, negotiations, and project management, in domestic and international locations. He also serves on Graham Partners’ Buyout Gating Committee.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Dan was a director at Ingersoll Rand Company (Trane Technologies), a $13 billion global diversified firm providing products, services and solutions in climate control, transportation and industrial tools. While at Ingersoll Rand, he focused on indirect spend and real estate, globally. Dan led the integration of strategic sourcing and delivering synergy savings from all spend categories after Ingersoll Rand acquired Trane. Previous to Ingersoll Rand, Dan was a general manager at Delta Airlines in its Sourcing Division. Prior to Delta Airlines, Dan worked for GE, where he held various supply chain/operations positions in the US and Mexico and also worked as a Corporate Auditor in Italy. Earlier at GE, Dan was in the manufacturing management program.
Past and Present Board Directorships:
ABX, Myers EPS, OptConnect, EasyPak, Eberle
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Operations Team members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Kate Tetreault*
Environmental, Social and Governance Analyst
Kate supports the integration of the firm’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy across the investment process and within the existing investment portfolio. Kate’s main areas of focus include implementing a systematic approach to assessing companies’ environmental impact, determining the impact a changing environment has on the companies’ risk profiles, developing profitable strategies to reduce environmental risks at both the firm and portfolio company levels, and managing communication surrounding progress on all ESG activities.
Previously, Kate served as Assistant Project Manager at Arcadis in the remediation business line. During her four years at Arcadis, she designed remediation systems for soil, groundwater, and air contamination and oversaw the development of technical manuals and reviews for regulatory compliance (EPA, NJDEP, DEP PA).
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Operations Team members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
Nathan Vrabel*
Financial Operating Associate
Nathan works closely with several of Graham’s portfolio companies to support growth and conduct analyses required to make strategic, financial, and operational decisions.
Prior to joining Graham Partners, Nathan worked as an Audit Associate for KPMG.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Operations Team members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and coordinates the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Accounting and Administration Team members are employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
*Designates 3rd party contractor, not an employee of Graham Partners, Inc.
Senior Advisors
Donald Graham
Donald Graham
Senior Advisor / Industry Specialist -
Packaging, Building Products and Capital Equipment
Don is the founder of The Graham Group, an alliance of industrial businesses and investment management firms, each of which traces its roots to a design engineering firm founded in Central Pennsylvania by Don in 1960 in the basement of his York County farmhouse.
The Graham Group’s three legacy industrial businesses, Graham Packaging, Graham Engineering, and Graham Architectural, operate globally and collectively generate several billion dollars in annual revenue. The Graham Group has also spawned multiple independent investment businesses which today manage several billion dollars in internal capital for Graham and 3rd party capital for external institutional investors. Graham Capital manages an endowment-style portfolio of investments in marketable securities and alternative investment funds for The Graham Group, while also overseeing Graham Engineering and Graham Architectural. Graham Partners and Inverness Graham are independent Registered Investment Advisors, managing committed capital under private equity structures for institutional investors, including leading university endowments, charitable foundations and pension funds. Graham Software Development and Striker Partners manage internal Graham Group capital and make direct investments in a variety of sectors, including software development/information technology, healthcare, education and sports.
Don earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering & Business Management from the University of Michigan, where he remains actively involved on a philanthropic and volunteer basis. Don was inducted into the University of Michigan Engineering Honorary Societies; Pi Tau Sigma and Sigma Rho Tau. Don currently serves on the President’s Advisory Group for the University, founded the University’s Graham Sustainability Institute, and serves as an active volunteer in several areas including the University’s College of Engineering and Athletic Department. He has also received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from both York College of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan and is an Honorary Penn State Alumnus.
A committed supporter of educational, community, cultural and environmental projects, Don has funded programs at many other institutions, including Dartmouth College and York College of Pennsylvania (including the Graham Business School and the Graham Innovation Scholars Program), Penn State York (including the Graham Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership Studies), the University of Pennsylvania (including the Penn Museum), the York YMCA’s Graham Aquatic Center, and Burke Mountain Academy (including the Graham Family Endowment).
Don has been active in many professional groups including the Young Presidents Organization, Chief Executive Officers, World Business Council, American Business Council, and the Recycling Advisory Council, and has served on numerous corporate and philanthropic boards including chair of the Board of Trustees of the Mpala Foundation in Kenya, which is involved in a health clinic, school, research center, ranch, and wildlife conservancy. He is a member of the Plastics Hall of Fame and recipient of Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Plastics Engineers.
Don is married with five children and seventeen grandchildren.
Peter Linneman
Peter Linneman
Senior Advisor
Dr. Peter Linneman is the founding Principal of Linneman Associates, KL Realty and American Land Funds and is the Albert Sussman Emeritus Professor of Real Estate, Finance and Business Public Policy at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He was a member of Wharton’s faculty for 35 years, founding Wharton’s Real Estate Department and the Zell-Lurie Real Estate Center. He is the founding co-editor of The Wharton Real Estate Review and has published over 100 articles during his career.
Dr. Linneman is widely recognized as a leading strategic thinker and investor, and has been cited as one of the 25 most influential people in real estate by Realtor Magazine, as well as one of the 100 most powerful people in New York real estate by the New York Observer. He is a highly sought-after speaker, appearing as the keynote speaker at numerous major industry conferences.
His quarterly research publication, The Linneman Letter, has been perhaps the most highly regarded publication in the real estate industry for over a decade. His book, Real Estate Finance and Investments: Risks and Opportunities, has been adopted at over 150 leading universities and is the leading primary reference source in real estate finance and investment.
He has served as Senior Managing Director of Equity International Properties, Vice Chairman of Amerimar Realty and the Chairman of the Board of Rockefeller Center Properties. In this latter capacity, he led the process of foreclosing on its Japanese owners and the successful sale of Rockefeller Center in 1995. He also served on the board of directors of public and private companies.
Dr. Linneman holds both Masters and Doctorate degrees in Economics from the University of Chicago.
Fred Thiel
Fred Thiel
Fred is a seasoned executive with over 25 years of operating experience leading companies in the technology, data communications, Internet, M2M, automation, Big Data, digital media and software industries. He has repeatedly driven rapid growth and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in shareholder value. Fred is a respected expert and frequent speaker on the Internet of Things (IoT) and the digital transformations of companies and industries, providing deep technology industry expertise and strategic advice on transformational value creation – the process of generating growth and shareholder value. He has served in various roles, including public/private company CEO, board member, strategic advisor, private equity firm principal and senior advisor/operating partner.
Fred has been an advisor to Graham Partners since 2008 and has served as Executive Chairman of B+B SmartWorx, a formerly-owned Graham Partners portfolio company. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Graham Partners portfolio company OptConnect. Fred is a member of the Gold Pacific Region’s Young President’s Organization (YPO) and incoming chair to the YPO Technology Network. He has also taught as a guest lecturer at the University of San Diego Business School, the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, and the Merage Foundation. Fred attended classes at the Stockholm School of Economics and executive classes at Harvard Business School and is fluent in English, Spanish, Swedish and French.
Industry Experts
Industrial Technology
Brand Elverston
Brand Elverston
Industry Expert
Brand brings over 20 years of experience in the asset protection space and served for over 11 years as a Field Artillery Officer in the U.S. Army. He currently serves as a Senior Consultant for PERFORM Alliance, a retail strategy consulting firm, as well as a Principal at Elverston Consulting, LLC. He also currently serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, Gatekeeper.
Previously, Brand spent 21 years working for Walmart, where he held various loss prevention and asset protection roles. Over the years Brand has presented at countless conferences around the world on topics ranging from corporate strategy and technology to leadership principles and industry trends.
Brand earned his B.A. in criminal justice from the University of Alabama and went on to earn his M.B.A. from Oklahoma State University.
Bill Foley
Bill Foley
Industry Expert
Bill is a creative executive leader with over 25 years of lighting and electrical industry experience and a track record of success in business turnaround and optimization. He is recognized as an industry expert and known for his strategic vision, marketing acumen, product development, and application expertise. Bill currently serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, Myers EPS.
Throughout his career, Bill has held leadership positions with major lighting conglomerates such as Cree, Eaton/Cooper and Hubbell. His roles have encompassed full functional P&L responsibility, as well as marketing, brand management, product development, customer service and business development functions. Bill is founder and President of Creative Epicenter, a business services consultancy catering primarily to the lighting and electrical industry.
Bill holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Architectural Engineering and Architecture from The University of Kansas with an emphasis in illumination and electrical systems. In his free time, Bill supports philanthropies including Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, Habitat for Humanity, the University of Kansas department of Architectural Engineering, and the Duke University Career Center.
Gina Gallo
Gina Gallo
Industry Expert
Gina is a strategic executive recognized as an early pioneer and influencer in the Mobile Managed Services (MMS) sector. With over three decades of experience, Gina most recently spent 15 years as President and CEO of Stratix Corporation, where she helped transform the company from a local value-added reseller into the largest pure-play B2B managed mobile services provider in North America. During Gina’s tenure at Stratix, she led the company through two rounds of private equity ownership. She currently serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, Barcoding.
Previously, Gina spent over 12 years with Motorola (formerly Symbol Technologies), where she held VP and GM roles and led the Enterprise Commercial Sales team. Gina began her career at Xerox, subsequently entering the technology space with leadership roles at both MAI Basic Four and GRiD Systems.
Gina earned her B.A. in Business Administration from Bryant University.
David Galuska
David Galuska
Industry Expert
Bio in progress.
Landon Garner
Landon Garner
Industry Expert
Landon is an experienced marketing executive with a demonstrated history of success in the IoT industry. Landon currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer of Kajeet, a leading IoT connectivity services provider serving thousands of schools, healthcare providers, government organizations, and other customers. He currently serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, Taoglas.
Throughout his career, Landon has held various executive-level marketing roles within the IoT space. He has served as Chief Marketing Officer for KORE Wireless, Taoglas, and Ingenu.
Landon earned his B.S. in Marketing Communication from Brigham Young University, Idaho and his M.B.A. in International Business from the University of Hawaii’s Shidler College of Business.
John C. Horn
John C. Horn
Industry Expert
John is a proven Internet of Things (IoT) Executive and Leader. Having built successful companies and teams for over 18 years in the Connected Ecosystem, John has been recognized as an M2M Pioneer, a Most Admired CEO, and by INC. Magazine as a top ten speaker: “Who Will Wow Your Crowd.” Currently, John sits on multiple company and community boards and enjoys being able to help others reach their goals. John serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, OptConnect.
Previously, John served as President of RacoWireless and CEO of Ingenu. John believes that the right group of people build profitable companies and has been able to maintain a core team of leaders through different companies for nearly two decades. Whether it was building the first IoT Team at T-Mobile, growing RacoWireless to a highly respected industry leader, or building a new global brand, creating the right culture and empowering the right people is what makes the difference.
John received his B.A. in Political Science from University of California, Davis.
Gary Landry
Gary Landry
Industry Expert
Gary has over 28 years of technology industry experience. Most recently Gary served as the President and CEO of Tidel, a former Graham Partner’s portfolio company that provides secure cash management and loss prevention solutions to the retail industry. During his five year tenure at Tidel, he led two successful Private Equity sales transactions. He also currently serves on the Advisory Council for two Graham Partners portfolio companies — Gatekeeper and OptConnect.
Previously, Gary was President of Brink’s – U.S., a worldwide leader of secure logistics and cash management solutions for over 22 years. The last four years at Brink’s, he served as Executive Vice President – International, where he led acquisition teams and negotiated joint ventures across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Karl Langhorst
Karl Langhorst
Industry Expert
Karl brings 40 years of experience in retail crime and loss prevention. He currently works as an Adjunct Professor for the University of Cincinnati’s School of Criminal Justice, where he instructs on retail loss prevention and corporate security. He currently serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, Gatekeeper.
Karl also currently serves as a Senior Advisor at Alto USA, where he worked previously as Executive Vice President and Vice President of Innovation. Karl has also held senior loss prevention-related roles for The Kroger Co. and Safeway. Prior to Safeway, he served as Deputy Sheriff and Deputy Constable for the County of Dallas, Texas.
Karl earned his B.A. in Political Science from The University of Texas at Arlington and went on to earn his master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Indiana Wesleyan University. He is board certified as a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) by the American Society of Industrial Security a Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI) awarded by the Center for Interviewer Standards & Assessments and Loss Prevention Certified (LPC) by the Loss Prevention Foundation.
Michael Lawler
Michael Lawler
Industry Expert
Bio in progress.
Jeff Matthews
Jeff Matthews
Industry Expert
Jeff has nearly 35 years of experience in the fintech industry, including 20 years in Senior executive positions with two leading global corporations. He also serves as the Chairman of Grant Victor Cares, a non-profit organization working to improve education in Kenya, Africa. Currently, Jeff is the CEO for Grant Victor LLC, one of the largest providers of financial self-service kiosks in the country. He also serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, OptConnect – a business that he helped start.
Prior to his current positions, Jeff served as Chief Customer Officer (Sales & Account Manager) for Consona Software Solutions, a global technology company based in Seattle Washington. He began his career in fintech at American Express, where he led a number of initiatives around electronic payments.
Jeff earned his B.A. in Accounting from Weber State University. He and his wife Rachel reside in Holladay, Utah.
Fred Purches
Fred Purches
Industry Expert
Fred brings over 14 years of experience to Graham Partners portfolio companies. Fred previously served as an Advisory Council member for former Graham Partners portfolio company, Tidel, and currently serves on the Advisory Council for portfolio company, OptConnect. He is also the Head of Product at EnergyBot, a Dallas-based tech start-up.
Fred began his career at Brink’s, where he grew from the U.S. General Manager to the Global Vice President for Products and Technology Solutions. While there he was responsible for implementing new procedures that lead to a 20% annual growth and 30% improvement of operating margins, and later a 200%+ revenue increase from $97 million to $200 million. Fred then moved on to Vice President of Product Management at MoneyGram International and Head of Product at Solera, Inc.
Fred earned his B.S. in Marketing from Southern New Hampshire University, and his M.B.A. in Finance and International Business from the NYU Stern School of Business.
Scott Schwalbe
Scott Schwalbe
Industry Expert
Scott is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience building teams in the IoT, Contract Manufacturing, and Advanced Materials industries. Scott is currently the CEO of Rochester Precision Machine. He also serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, OptConnect.
Previously, Scott served as CEO of Nimbelink, a leading IoT company, which he founded. Scott has a history of building organizations that drive profitable growth with deep knowledge in setting go-to-market strategies and developing sales processes and teams. Scott has held senior roles in operations, business development, and sales in both public and privately held businesses.
Scott sits on various non-profit boards and earned his M.B.A. from Cardinal Stritch University. Scott also served 20 years in the U.S. Navy as a cryptologist and a leader in recruiting.
Mitch Solomon
Mitch Solomon
Mitch is a skilled business leader and advisor with executive-level experience across various industries. Mitch has served as President of VDC Research, a technology market research and strategy firm, since 2007. He currently serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, OptConnect.
Previously, Mitch co-founded ProductPOP, a venture capital-backed startup in the adtech space. He also spent two years at advertising agency Organic, Inc., three years as Product Manager at Motorola Solutions, and two years as an Investment Banking Analyst at Merrill Lynch.
Mitch earned his B.A. in Political Science from Northwestern University and his M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Al Uszynski
Al Uszynski
Industry Expert
Al is an experienced executive with over 25 years of experience in the lighting industry. He is the Principal of inside.lighting, an online media company that provides valuable resources to lighting industry professionals. Additionally, Al offers strategy consulting for select clients, and most recently served on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, Myers EPS.
Al has held several management roles with leading lighting companies including CEO of Traxon Technologies, a division of Osram; Area Vice President at Cooper Lighting Solutions; and VP of Sales and Marketing at NICOR, Inc. Al also served as an Adjunct Professor at Drexel University, instructing courses on Professional Selling and Public Speaking.
Al earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Villanova University and went on to earn his M.B.A. in Management from Hofstra University.
Ross Young
Ross Young
Industry Expert
Ross is an operations executive with over 35 years of experience. Most recently, Ross spent four years as Chief Executive Officer of Movilitas (now Engineering Industries eXcellence, a division of the Engineering Group), an SAP Consulting and Software as a Service (Saas) business utilized by clients across global supply chains. Ross currently runs his own M&A consulting business, Emblem, and serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, Barcoding.
Previously, Ross spent 12 years as CEO of Peak Technologies, Inc., a supplier of digital supply chain, factory automation, and retail solutions. During his tenure at Peak, Ross led the company under two private equity sponsors. Prior to Peak, Ross spent over four years as an Operations Executive for Platinum Equity, a global private equity firm specializing in mergers, acquisitions, and operations across various industries. He also spent 16 years with Racal Datacom, based in the U.K., where he held various roles including Director and General Manager of EMEA.
Ross earned his bachelor’s degree in Physics from University of Hull, where he was also a member of the university’s rugby team.
Consumer & Food
Danny Beard
Danny Beard
Industry Expert
Danny has over 25 years of experience in the packaging space and currently serves as President of Packaging Specialists, a private consulting business focused on flexible packaging for hard to hold products. He currently serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, ABX.
Previously, Danny served as Commercial Director at Schoelle Corp, Business Manager at American Packaging Corporation, and Account Manager at Printpak. Danny frequently presents and moderates at various industry-related events such as Global Pouch Forum, Aseptipak, PET Strategies, FISPAL, and Food Packaging Technology Summit, and has authored several industry-focused publications.
Danny earned his B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
John Bennett
John Bennett
Industry Expert
Bio in progress.
Stephen Catling
Stephen Catling
Industry Expert
Bio in progress.
Tom Coffman
Tom Coffman
Industry Expert
Tom brings over 30 years of experience in the packaging space. He is currently the Managing Director at Polaris Packaging Group where he provides consulting and film development services to the flexible packaging industry, and also has experience in the sales, service, upgrade, and repair of multilayer coextrusion lines for blown and cast films. Tom currently serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, ABX.
Tom has held numerous relevant senior and executive positions throughout his career at packaging companies including Handgards, Inteplast, Winpak, Sealed Air, and Alcan Packaging. He is intimately familiar with ABX management and operations, having assisted in the selection and installation of ABX’s equipment as well as having assisted in the development of ABX’s film portfolio since shortly after its founding.
Tom earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Mathematics from Michigan State University, and also received his master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from Nuclear Power School at the Division of Naval Reactors. Tom also holds a master’s degree in International Relations (Soviet/Eastern European Affairs) from the University of Maryland.
Roger Davidson
Roger Davidson
Industry Expert
Bio in progress.
Hector Echaniz
Hector Echaniz
Industry Expert
Bio in progress.
Anthony Ferris
Anthony Ferris
Industry Expert
Bio in progress.
Jonathan Gardner
Jonathan Gardner
Industry Expert
Jonathan is a proven expert in global sourcing and supply chain management, with almost 20 years of experience. He currently serves as Principal and Founder of J. Gardner Group, a boutique consultancy dedicated to growing EBITDA for middle market businesses through better deal-making, strategy, resilience, and relationships. Jonathan also most recently served on the Advisory Council for former Graham Partners portfolio company, Mercer.
Previously, Jonathan served as Chief Procurement Officer for Albertson’s Companies. Prior to this, he spent nine years at Starbucks, where he worked his way up to Vice President of Global Sourcing. Jonathan also served as Global Sourcing Manager for Dell for almost seven years, and served as Senior Manager of Sourcing for General Motors for five years before that.
Jonathan earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of South Carolina, where he graduated cum laude. He went on to earn his J.D. and International M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina with concentrations in Corporate Law, Business Associations, Tax, Portuguese language, and International Business.
Jay Kline
Jay Kline
Industry Expert
Bio in progress.
Brien Kumbalek
Brien Kumbalek
Industry Expert
Brien brings over 25 years of food manufacturing experience in engineering, operations management, and continuous improvement. He currently serves as the President of BK Engineering and Consulting, a firm that helps food manufacturing and food packaging companies support growth initiatives while reducing costs and improving processes.
Prior to BK Engineering and Consulting, Brien spent 12 years at Bay Valley Foods, serving as Plant Manager, Engineering Director, Senior Director of Operations, and Senior Director of Engineering, respectively.
Brien earned his B.S. in Engineering Mechanics and Astronautics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Peter Martin
Peter Martin
Industry Expert
Peter is a senior operating executive with years of broad-based executive, M&A, sales & marketing, operations, and financial management experience. Peter has a demonstrated history of leadership in strategy development, market share growth, and strategic acquisitions. He is the Founder of Fair Meadow Consulting and brings extensive industry expertise to Graham Partners’ portfolio companies. He currently serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, VPET.
Previously, Peter served as the President and CEO of Cosmetic Essence Innovations, a leading contract manufacturing solutions provider for the beauty care market. Prior to that, Peter served as President and CEO of Captive Plastics, a manufacturer of blow-molded and injection-molded plastic products for the food, health care, spirits, and personal care markets, where he led the firm in several strategic acquisitions and integrations. Peter began his career with Continental Can Company where he held several positions in sales & marketing in the company’s metal can and plastics operations.
Peter earned his B.A. from Colgate University.
Beth Muscato
Beth Muscato
Industry Expert
Beth has over 30 years of experience leading manufacturing organizations in the packaging space. She currently serves as Board Director and Advisor for Unipharma LLC and PPC Flexible Packaging. Beth also currently serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, VPET.
Previously, Beth served as President and CEO for Plastic Industries, Inc. for over eight years. She has held several other senior leadership positions throughout her career at Graphic Packaging International, Associated Packaging Technologies (part of Sunoco Products), and Sweetheart Cup Company (part of Dart Container).
Beth earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University.
Ari Powell
Ari Powell
Industry Expert
Ari is a lawyer turned entrepreneur with over 25 years of owner/operator leadership experience within the food industry. His breadth of expertise includes business strategy, culture development and deployment, entrepreneurship, product sales and marketing across multiple channels, manufacturing operations, process optimization, and more. Ari most recently served as CEO of Giraffe Foods, a previous Graham Partners portfolio company, for 25 years, after founding the company in 1997.
Ari earned his B.A. in Psychology from McGill University and his L.L.B./J.D. from University of Toronto.
David Randall
David Randall
Industry Expert
Dave has over 20 years of experience in the plastic packaging industry. Most recently, Dave served as CEO of D&W Fine Pack, where he led the integration and consolidation of seven regional packaging companies into a large, nationwide packaging leader. Prior to Dave’s retirement in 2016, D&W Fine Pack was awarded Turnaround of the Year by the Turnaround Management Association. Dave currently serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio companies, EasyPak and VPET.
Dave began his packaging career in 1992 as CFO of Liquid Container LP, a manufacturer of plastic containers for the food and consumer products industries. He became President and CEO in 2006 and remained in that role until Liquid Container was sold to Graham Packaging in 2010. Prior to Liquid Container, Dave was a Senior Manager in the Chicago office of Arthur Andersen & Co. where he provided audit, tax and consulting services to mid-sized businesses in a variety of industries.
Dave earned a B.S. in Agriculture and Accounting from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive). He currently resides in suburban Chicago.
Skip Rosskam
Skip Rosskam
Industry Expert
Skip brings over 50 years of food technology experience to Graham Partners’ portfolio companies. Currently, he is the CEO of White Space – the Right Place, LLC and most recently served on the Advisory Council for former Graham Partners portfolio company, Mercer.
Previously, Skip was the President and COO of David Michael & Co., a leader and innovator in the food flavor industry for more than 100 years. Skip held this role since 1990 and was responsible for R&D, global business development and strategic business development and marketing, among others. He began his tenure with David Michael & Co. almost 40 years ago as the Eastern Regional Sales Manager.
Prior to David Michael & Co., Skip was the Director of Marketing with Enterprise Paint Company and with the Lincoln Mint. He began his career in sales and marketing with the Gillette Company in 1968. Throughout his career, Skip served in various roles on the Flavor & Extract Manufacturers Association.
Skip earned his bachelor’s degree in Communications from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
Gary Schachter
Gary Schachter
Industry Expert
Gary has over 35 years of experience in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry. His specialties include food manufacturing, marketing, sales, and business development across a wide range of products in the retail, industrial, and food service channels. His core competencies are general management for branded, private label, and custom manufacturing. Gary most recently served on the Advisory Council for former Graham Partners portfolio company, Giraffe.
Currently, Gary is the CEO of Pinnacle Peak Consulting Corporation, a management consultancy focused on strategic planning, marketing, sales, operational performance, and organizational design principally for the food and beverage industry. Most recently Gary served as the Vice President / General Manager of TreeHouse Foods. Gary has held management positions at Nestle, Kraft and Unilever as well.
Gary earned his B.S. in Business from Arizona State University.
Medical Devices & Life Sciences
Srini Conjeevaram
Srini Conjeevaram
Industry Expert
Srini is a global executive and strategic leader in healthcare. Srini currently serves as Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Treasurer for Penumbra, Inc., a global healthcare company focused on innovative therapies that address challenging medical conditions in markets with significant unmet need.
Previously, Srini spent six years at SC Capital, a healthcare fund that he founded. At SC Capital he identified, evaluated, and proposed healthcare investments to family offices and select fund groups. Prior to that, Srini was a General Partner at Galen Associates, a late-stage venture capital investment firm investing exclusively in healthcare. Over his 15 years at Galen, Srini reviewed 1,200 investments, worked with 59 portfolio companies and was deeply involved with 15, and served on four boards. Prior to Galen, he was an Associate at Smith Barney Harris & Upham. Srini began his career at General Motors Corporation designing aircraft engines.
Srini is an Advisory Board member of Stanford Center for Asian Research and Education (CARE), a premier leader in Asian health research on a global scale. He previously served on the board of Gilda’s Club, a not-for-profit charity focused on free emotional and social support for cancer patients and families.
Srini earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Madras University in India. He also earned his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and his M.B.A. in Finance from Indiana University.
Srini is based in San Francisco and Miami. His personal interests include tennis, golf, photography, and travel.
Phil Ebeling
Phil Ebeling
Industry Expert
Phil Ebeling is a medical device executive with substantial experience in operations and new product development. He currently serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, Velosity.
Phil previously worked for Abbott Laboratories (formerly St. Jude Medical) as VP, Chief Technology Officer – Cardiovascular and Neuromodulation Division following the sale of St. Jude Medical to Abbott. Phil was responsible for an organization of 1300 R&D employees at 19 global locations. He was also responsible for 250 regulatory affairs personnel, while leading critical new technology discussions with FDA and various, global notified bodies. His division had its own technology development, including electrical and non-electrical human implantables (Class III devices), and various engineering disciplines (Software, Hardware, Firmware, Electrical, and Biomedical). Prior to that he held the role of Senior Vice President, R&D – Cardiovascular and Electrophysiology Division (CATD). Prior to joining St. Jude Medical in 2008, he spent over 12 years at Boston Scientific where he held numerous positions starting as an engineer and ultimately becoming their Director of Program Management and Risk Management. Prior to Boston Scientific, he worked at Rexam Flexible Packaging in product development and engineering.
Phil has a Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of St. Thomas. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. He is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers and holds patents relating to Multi-Cord Extrusion Manufacturing Techniques for Catheter Members, Chemical Bonding Technique for Angioplasty Catheter Assembly Operations and Procedural Sheath Adapter for Vascular Closure Device.
Joe Fleischhacker
Joe Fleischhacker
Industry Expert
Joe Fleischhacker is a medical device industry expert with over 40 years of experience. He was most recently owner and CEO of Lake Region Medical, which was founded in 1947 by Joe’s father. Joe currently serves on the Advisory Council for Graham Partners portfolio company, Velosity.
The Fleischhacker family grew Lake Region Medical into a global leader in the development and manufacturing of medical devices, supplying the world’s largest medical device companies with minimally invasive delivery solutions. The company was sold to Accellent in 2014. Accellent, then a Kohlberg Kravis Roberts portfolio company, renamed the merged company Lake Region. At the time of the transaction, Lake Region had operations in the United States and Ireland employing approximately 1,800 people.
John Heinmiller
John Heinmiller
Industry Expert
John Heinmiller worked as a senior executive at St. Jude Medical from 1996 until its merger with Abbott in 2017, most recently serving as an Executive Vice President overseeing the business and reporting directly to the CEO. From 1998 to 2012, before becoming EVP, John served as Chief Financial Officer of St. Jude Medical. During his time at St. Jude Medical, John negotiated and executed 20 acquisitions with aggregate purchase prices of approx. $9B. John was instrumental in negotiating St. Jude Medical’s $31B merger with Abbott. At the time of the merger, St. Jude had ~$6B in revenue and employed 18,000 people across the globe.
Prior to St. Jude Medical, John served on the Board of Directors and as Vice President of Finance and Administration at Daig Corporation, a designer and producer of disposable catheter devices that was acquired by St. Jude Medical in May 1996.
John currently serves on the Board of Directors of Fairview Health Services. Fairview is a nonprofit organization that operates the University of Minnesota academic medical center as well as 10 community hospitals, 6 ambulatory care centers, over 65 specialty clinics, 4 long-term care facilities and other related health services facilities. Fairview has approximately 32,000 employees and in 2018 is expected to have approximately $6B in total revenue.
Ray Newkirk
Ray Newkirk
Industry Expert
Bio in progress.
Scott Thome
Scott Thome
Industry Expert
Bio in progress.
Other Functional Specialists
Bob Woellner
Bob Woellner
Functional Specialist - Environmental
Bob brings over 30 years of experience in environmental risk management to the Graham Partners portfolio companies. He is currently the President of QUEST Environmental and QUEST Management International, environmental consulting companies that specialize in industrial hygiene and risk management.
Prior to joining QUEST, Bob held numerous senior environmental risk management positions with consulting, insurance, laboratory and geotechnical companies. He has significant experience in environmental risk assessment and management, environmental insurance, analytical services and the development and implementation of environmental management systems.
Bob holds a bachelor’s degree in Geology from Middlebury College and a M.S. degree in Marine Geology and Geophysics from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
The Operations Team provides consulting services to the portfolio companies of the Graham Partners funds and, in certain instances, to the funds themselves. The Operations Team is comprised of certain full-time employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC), as well as various operations executives who operate as 3rd party contractors. The most active such 3rd party contractors are listed on this page. Costs and expenses of the Operations Team are borne directly or indirectly by the Graham Partners funds, and reflect pass-through expenses provided at cost, while its costs are intended to be at or below market rates. See footnote denoted by an asterisk on this page, and for further information please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
*Designates employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC). GPOC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graham Partners, Inc. that provides consulting services and the operations consulting and other services provided by operations executives, industry experts, consultants and outside firms to the Graham Partners portfolio companies, funds, affiliates and other entities. With the exception of personnel designated as employees of GPOC, all Technology and Innovation Council members are 3rd party contractors who are not employees of Graham Partners, Inc. For further information regarding GPOC, please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.
The Technology and Innovation Council is part of the Operations Team, which provides consulting services to the portfolio companies of the Graham Partners funds and, in certain instances, to the funds themselves. The Operations Team is comprised of certain full-time employees of Graham Partners Operating Company (GPOC), as well as various operations executives who operate as 3rd party contractors. See footnote denoted by an asterisk on this page, and for further information please refer to Part 2A of Graham Partners, Inc.’s Form ADV, available on the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.