Private Equity Fast Pitch

Jonathan Lewis is the Co-founder and Managing Partner at Sheridan Capital Partners. Prior to founding Sheridan, Jonathan was at PNC Equity Partners in Pittsburgh and William Blair Capital Partners in Chicago, and he began his career at mergers and acquisitions boutique, Bowles Hollowell Conner in Charlotte. Jonathan earned a BA with honors in English, French, and philosophy from Furman University and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where he was an MBA Fellow at the Center for Private Equity and Entrepreneurship. Outside of Sheridan, he is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Commonwealth Club, and is civically engaged with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and MetroSquash.

Gary Shields is the Chairman and Managing Partner of Nassau Street Partners, where he spearheads the firm's strategic direction and directly leads all major initiatives. At the helm of the organization, Gary brings a wealth of experience with a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades in investment banking and venture capital. Gary began his career in 1986 at LF Rothschild as a research analyst specializing in TMT stocks. In 1991, he joined the renowned investment bank Robertson Stephens as the Head of Environmental Services Investment Banking. Initially recruited as a Senior Research Analyst, Gary transitioned into the investment banking group, contributing to the firm's legacy as one of the "Four Horsemen" of investment banking. Later in 1991, Gary became Head of Healthcare Investment Banking at The Chicago Corporation, where he drove innovative strategies in one of the most dynamic sectors of the market. In 1995, he co-founded Flemming, Lessard & Shields, a San Diego and San Francisco-based investment bank. As Managing Director, Gary advised hundreds of companies on M&A, divestitures, IPO planning, and capital formation. Gary's expertise extends beyond investment banking into venture capital and corporate governance. He joined the board of Favrille in 2003, a biopharma company focused on immune system technologies, and played a pivotal role in its IPO and subsequent merger. Since 2020, he has served on the board of CureScience, guiding its partnerships and investments in cutting-edge diagnostics, regenerative medicine, and immunotherapy. Today, under Gary's direct leadership, he also serves as a Managing Partner at AvTech Ventures, a San Diego-based investment bank and venture capital firm. AvTech is recognized for advising and investing in emerging growth companies from early stages through IPOs and M&A transactions. His hands-on management approach has built a track record of success in both domestic and international markets. Gary's career reflects a deep commitment to innovation, strategic growth, and delivering exceptional outcomes for companies and investors alike. As the driving force behind Nassau Street Partners, his vision, expertise, and decisive leadership are instrumental in shaping the firm's direction and continuing to provide world-class advisory services to clients. Gary is part of Nasau Street Partners (NSP) and registered with Nassau Street Securities (NSS), a registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/SIPC. All securities-related business and transactions are conducted solely through NSS.

Robert Reifman Managing Director & Co-Head of Industrials, Lincoln International Bobby advises clients on the best approach to maximize their investment returns on businesses they hold in the industrial space. He has significant mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory experience, working on numerous transactions for leading private equity firms, public companies and private and family-owned businesses. His experience includes buy- and sell-side transactions, cross-border advisory, debt advisory and valuations. Bobby extends himself beyond the sale process to develop long-term partnerships with clients and provide value at each step of their investment. Bobby has a deep knowledge of industrial business dynamics and advises his clients regarding changes in regulations, brand competitiveness, manufacturing models and global trends. He leverages his mechanical engineering background to connect with leaders in the industry and has developed trusted relationships. Bobby has strong transaction experience with a broad range of industrial companies, specifically motion control, rubber and plastics, filtration, interconnects, engineered components and systems and tool-related products. Prior to joining Lincoln, Bobby conducted M&A at Morgan Stanley. His diverse experience includes trading in the automated execution division at TradeLink, a quantitative hedge fund, and engineer consulting at Sargent & Lundy. Bobby earned a Master of Business Administration (with Honors) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois.

David Hellier, Partner at Bertram Capital, brings experience from Iomega, Ask Jeeves, and the lab-grown diamond industry. He discusses Bertram’s relationship-driven sourcing engine, technology-enabled growth strategy, founder alignment, and partnership culture. He also explores building careers in private equity, using AI without losing judgment, and improving execution through experimentation and accountability.

Peter Lehman, co-founder of Granite Creek and member of the Investment Committee, has been leading private equity transactions and operating businesses since 1998. Peter leads the Firm's investment operations process as well as oversees the Firm's farmland investment platform, Moraine Farmland Partners. He began his career at Dakota Capital Partners, working with Brian Boorstein. Peter received his B.S. in Organizational Studies from Northwestern University.

J. Patrick Galleher, CEO & Managing Partner of Boxwood Partners and former public company CEO and franchisor, discusses scaling and selling franchised businesses. He talks about franchise-focused M&A, preparing franchisors for private equity, timing exits and choosing partners. Also covers operational fixes, how AI boosts franchisor scalability, and hiring high-performance teams.

Andy Levison, founder and managing partner of Southfield Capital with decades in leveraged finance and private equity. He discusses targeting founder-led, recurring-revenue business services. He explains proprietary deal sourcing and long-term founder relationships. He recounts building tech and AI capabilities to speed add-ons and shares a culture of collaborative decision-making and disciplined scaling.

Carl Jenkins is Managing Director and Group Head of Community Capital Solutions for BMO Financial Group. Using a $3 billion allocation of balance sheet capital, the business unit invests in private funds that support lower middle market companies and community-centric real estate. The business also provides construction loans for multifamily affordable housing. Both equity and debt commitments further the Community Reinvestment Act objectives of BMO in the central and western United States. Equity investments are primarily limited partnerships in conventional private real estate funds and private equity funds licensed by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Sponsors include private investment managers, for-profit developers, not-for-profit organizations and community development financial institutions. Additionally, Carl chairs the board of directors for BMO Private Equity (U.S.), Inc., the BMO subsidiary that originates mezzanine debt and equity investments directly to operating companies. He earned his bachelor's degree in architecture from Washington University in St. Louis and holds an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina. He serves on the board of directors for several organizations, including the Disability Opportunity Fund, Enterprise Community Investment, and the Goodman Theatre of Chicago. Carl also serves on the advisory board of multiple lower middle market private equity and credit funds. Disclosure: Banking products are subject to approval and are provided in the United States by BMO Bank N.A. Member FDIC

Scott Romanoff, co-managing partner of Franchise Equity Partners and former Goldman Sachs partner, talks about discovering franchising opportunities and building permanent, minority capital solutions. He describes why brands like Jersey Mike’s fit their model. He explains underwriting criteria, hiring industry experts, growth plans and how AI and data shape franchise operations.

Anthony Guagliano is a founding Partner at Gallant Capital and is responsible for all aspects of the firm's activities. Prior to founding Gallant in 2018, Anthony was responsible for leading investments at The Gores Group. Prior to joining Gores in 2011, Anthony was a Managing Director with Moelis & Company where he led M&A execution for transactions across various industries including technology, business services, consumer and retail, media, healthcare and biotechnology. Prior to joining Moelis, Anthony was a Vice President at UBS where he led the execution on a variety of assignments, including mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt security underwritings, and other advisory assignments. Anthony also previously worked as the Director of Finance at Nomadix, Inc and was an Analyst at DLJ. Anthony serves on the Board of Directors of all Gallant portfolio companies. Anthony received a B.A. in Business Administration with Honours from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.