I have a passion for helping founders, entrepreneurs, and family-owned business owners with optimizing a sale or recapitalization of their business. I believe that an M&A transaction for a founder or entrepreneur is one life's most important decisions where "good outcomes" are not good enough. I believe that the founder or entrepreneur's needs should be more central to an M&A process than the deal itself. I took the road less traveled to investment banking. I graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Industrial Engineering (I still bleed purple) but knew that my calling was more business than engineering. I came to Colorado in 2005 with my wife, Marisa, and my first job was in real estate finance. I then was the first corporate finance hire at a technology services business, Critigen (now Locana), which was a carve-out of a multi-national engineering firm by a large cap PE fund, Golden Gate Capital. I got the "deal bug" as I realized that working with the PE guys on strategic initiatives and inorganic growth was more interesting to me than routine corporate finance. After I finished my MBA & MS Business Analytics in 2015, I made the leap to SDR. I do feel strongly that my prior experience in an operating company helps me to be a better investment banker. I reside in Centennial, CO with my wife and 3 children. We're more of a summer Colorado family (hiking, rafting, mountain biking, paddle boarding, canoeing) than a winter Colorado family... though as my kids get older they are forcing me to become a better skier. I'm passionate about my faith and am an active member of my church. I love watching college football and care more about my fantasy football team than any real NFL team... calm down CO folks, I do root for the Broncos!