Mark Gaffin, Cfa, Caia Email & Phone Number

Northbrook, Il, Us

SLS Capital Advisors is a boutique investment bank headquartered in Chicago. Our singular focus in financial advisory is on the unique challenges and opportunities facing middle market firms across the United States. Through the deep financial, industry, and consulting experience of our firm’s partners and affiliates, we employ both breadth and depth of perspective to drive unique, actionable insights and results for firms evaluating corporate options, including Mergers & Acquisitions, and those seeking strategic options for growth. Representative services include:• Managing effective Sales Processes and Exits, involving sophisticated buyers, including strategic purchasers (operating companies), financial buyers (private equity groups, family offices, etc.) and operator-to-operator transactions• Deploying capital resources through prioritized organic growth and buy-side M&A programs• Unlocking profit potential and effectiveness through business portfolio rationalization and divestiture• Leading domestic and cross-border acquisitions • Direct investing through family office and private equity platforms• Driving robust, thorough value-added commercial due diligence, including valuations and strategic evaluationsWith a guiding principle of long-term value creation, our clients are able to maximize options for their destinies — whether that is organic expansion into adjacent markets; tapping into appropriate external capital sources to provide liquidity, diversification, and growth capital; or realizing a return on a long-run investment in a company through partial or complete exit. Our Partners have been engaged in complex, value-added projects in Europe, North America, and Australia — and bring that experience directly to our middle market clients, employing our experience and resources to create pragmatic, actionable, fact-based advice. But in the end, we are always measured by the results we create for our clients.

Northbrook, Il, Us

• Lead and execute client engagements for The Gaffin Group, an independent consulting firm that draws on a multi-disciplinary approach and deep experience to bring robust, fact-based solutions to leading middle market operating companies and private capital investors. The firm’s clients include operating companies in value-added manufacturing, media, technology, financial services, etc.; investment banks; private equity firms; commercial banks; and select value-added service providers. Consulting services include:• Strategy – formulation of breakthrough client strategies encompassing both organic and inorganic (M&A) components that capitalize on the unique competitive advantages and resources of the specific client • Corporate Finance – work directly with executive management teams to extend clients’ competitive advantages through an insightful, impactful corporate finance function (includes CFO advisory, treasury/capital markets, strategic budgeting, and valuation projects, etc.)• Mergers & Acquisitions – engaged on both buy-side and sell-side projects including commercial due diligence for acquirers and preemptive, value-enhancing programs for sell-side teams.• Operations Rationalization and Performance Optimization – projects include complexity reduction, organizational design/decision making effectiveness, operating expense rationalization, and product line profitability reviews; typical client goals: to improve free cash flow to enhance internal funding capacity, improve valuation multiples, and improve exit options• Corporate Development – design end-to-end solution for clients seeking to execute on M&A strategies to add capabilities, geographies, and customer segments to growing business portfolios; activities include search/screening, due diligence, structuring/negotiation, closing, and post-merger integration programs• Business Analytics – design and develop analytical tools for clients that capture the critical ‘vital few’ metrics and levers.

Lead all aspects of Equity Sponsor Group for a $79 billion regional bank. Direct bank-wide initiatives to drive incremental revenue and earning assets through programs that differentially position Bank for winning leveraged finance opportunities with equity sponsors. Initiative drivers include: New Business Development – Originate deal flow by developing and managing close relationships with private equity sponsors, junior debt partners, investment banks, and a network of referral sources. Group’s origination efforts drove increase of Bank’s market share through a valued-added process of delivering compelling deal economics, operating flexibility, and increased certainty to close for PE constituents. The Group tripled PE relationships and saw 400% increase in new business opportunities encompassing deals with over $1.2 billion in debt capital opportunities in first nine months of program roll-out.Underwriting and Structuring – Key deal team provider of strategic assessment, deal screening, underwriting, and due diligence on PE-related transactions – including buyouts, leveraged recapitalizations and growth M&A. Conduct, train and oversee all enterprise valuations analyses for the Bank. Lead role in internal credit approval process for proposed transactions from origination through execution. Engage with portfolio company management, lawyers, 3rd party financial advisors, etc. Program resulted in over $500 million of credit screened and qualified financing opportunities in first year.Portfolio Management – Evaluate portfolio company strategic/financial plans and performance outcomes versus investment theses to proactively identify potential weakness or underdeveloped opportunities – work with PE sponsors on corrective actions where needed. . Enterprise Risk Management – Develop policies and procedures that promote effective risk management, including written risk objectives, risk acceptance criteria, and risk controls.

Buffalo, New York, Us

Director and Head of Second Lien Group • Selected by Bank leadership to develop business case for second lien product group; subsequently appointed by bank management to lead the group upon its founding. Direct all aspects of Second Lien Group in Bank's Debt Capital Markets area, including business development, underwriting, deal documentation/closing, and post-close account management. Second Lien portfolio grew by over 150% in first two years.Special Consulting• Appointed to serve in consulting capacity to Bank’s Special Assets Group leading negotiations and restructurings on large distressed transactions with complex capital structures and multiple creditors and equity investors. Included serving on advisory boards and on Official Unsecured Creditors’ Committees. Incremental recoveries across 15 deals worked exceeded $20 million.

Boston, Ma, Us

Case Team Leader (Boston, MA) Conducted commercial due diligence on over $3 billion in transactions for financial buyers during rotation with firm’s Private Equity practice, including screening and evaluating opportunities through highly-leveraged market and company analyses, customer evaluation and interviews with industry expertsDeveloped post-merger integration efforts including actionable business unit strategies through process that employed:Business Definition – Developed framework for management to evaluate current performance shortfalls. Defined and measured capability gaps versus key industry success factors, competitors’ performance benchmarks, and from key customer expectations; Designed corrective plan with prioritized initiativesMarket Segmentation – Used business definition to size market opportunities where company could be defensibly competitive; the resulting fact-based business unit plan drove growth double the market rateConsultant (Sydney, Australia and Boston, MA.) •Led three workstreams on critical turnaround cases at major retail and manufacturing clients in Australia – developing expedient short/medium term turnaround action plans, including communication plans for public equity markets and to credit providers where needed. Example of impact included $17 million savings on $80 million in operating expenses across three subsidiaries and corporate headquarters in first year•Led re-organization teams at financial services and pharmaceutical companies, using proven tools for efficient, decision-based organization design (e.g. RAPID) to streamline structures; yielded expense savings of 15 to 20%, improved execution against business unit objectives, and reduced key-personnel turnover

•Co-led asset acquisition and market expansion team; key success was complete development of major new market from initial evaluation to the delivery of Term Sheets on over $175 million in real estate asset acquisition opportunities in less than 4 months, met Board-mandated targets in one-half the allocated time•Developed all industry studies, competitor analyses, and asset valuations in new and existing markets for investment banking community, private investors and firm’s partners•Constructed and ran valuation models used in all acquisition opportunities

Mba, Finance, Strategy

Bba, Finance