Investors & Operators

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Ryan Parker, Director of Marketing at Trivest Partners. Trivest has one of the most dynamic marketing schemes in the M&A industry. On this episode, Jordan and Ryan talk about:measuring marketing-led dealshow to think about content in PEthe viability of LinkedIn vs. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter--and so much more.RYAN PARKER joined Trivest in 2019 as its first Director of Marketing. He leads the integration of systems and processes to modernize firm communications, set strategy, improve design facility, and drive data-enabled decision making at the firm level and across the portfolio. Ryan has extensive experience leading creative production and brand development initiatives within real estate, technology, and sports initiatives. Prior to joining Trivest, Ryan held multiple roles in brand marketing, including Group Creative Director of CAA's golf division, a leading sponsorship consulting agency with clients including Bose, CDW, Farmers Insurance, Zurich and the PGA tour. He holds a BA in Economic Geography and an MS in Real Estate, both from the University of Florida.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Jay Jester, Partner at Plexus Capital in North Carolina. In addition to proving that Jay is the most well-read person in history, this episode talks about:the power of a relationship in today’s markethow to make memorable, meaningful connectionslessons learned from entrepreneurial families—and much more.JAY JESTER is a Partner at Plexus Capital. Jay is a member of the senior leadership team and works alongside the other team members to chart the strategy and vision for Plexus. In addition, Jay interacts with investors, assists with sourcing new investment opportunities, and helps oversee the portfolio.Jay is a graduate of the University of North Carolina where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Interdisciplinary Studies. After UNC, Jay was an investment banking analyst with Bowles Hollowell Conner & Company in Charlotte, NC. After BHC, Jay spent eight years as a Partner at Florida Capital Partners, in Tampa where he helped to lead the firm and to build the firm’s business development engine.In January of 2000, Jay joined Audax Group. During his 19 years with the Audax, he served as senior member of the leadership team of Audax Group and Audax Private Equity. Jay focused on deal sourcing and business development, but also served on the investment committee and played an active role in charting the strategy and direction of the firm, contributing to recruiting, training, investor relations, professional development, financing and portfolio operations.Jay is an active member of several M&A and business networking organizations, including YPO and ACG.Jay is originally from Greensboro, North Carolina. Jay and his wife live in Raleigh.

PE has made great strides in the name of D&I—but there’s still so far to go. 51 Labs assembled a panel of incredible women in the M&A industry to share their experiences, reflect on the state of the industry, and offer advice to women at any stage in their private equity career.HOSTSJordan Selleck | CEO & Co-Founder, 51 LabsJing Li-Selleck | Co-Founder, Head of Creative, 51 LabsCaroline Young | Director of ESG, HKWPANELISTSMelanie Brensinger | Managing Partner, Anagenesis Capital PartnersAlexandra Lebenthal | Senior Advisor, Houlihan LokeyMichelle Noon | Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Clearhaven PartnersGretchen Perkins | Partners, Avance Investment ManagementIvelisse Rodriguez Simon | Managing Partner, Avante Capital PartnersAmy Weisman | Managing Director, Sterling Investment Partners

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Leon Brujis, Partner at Palladium Equity. Born in Mexico and raised in Argentina by a Peruvian family, Leon has a number of fresh takes on:feeling like an outsiderthe importance of meeting pressure head-onhow to make an impact on your community—and so much more.LEON BRUJIS joined Palladium in 2007 and serves as a Partner. Previously, he worked for the mergers and acquisitions group at Lehman Brothers. Mr. Brujis serves on the Board of Directors of Palladium portfolio companies Daniel's Jewelers and TransForce and has served on the Board of Directors of Palladium portfolio companies Cannella, Del Real, Pronto Insurance, Raben Tire, Teasdale and Celeritas. Mr. Brujis serves on the Board of Directors of the New America Alliance. Mr. Brujis earned a M.S. in Finance, Economics & Cost Engineering and a B.S. in Operations Research (magna cum laude) at The George Washington University.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Chris and Nik Nikic. Chris is the first athlete with Down syndrome to complete an ironman triathlon. Together, they cover:training for an ironmanthe importance of disciplinestories from the racewhat the future looks like for Chris ...and so much more.A few folks on the podcast may even commit to an Ironman on this episode--listen to hear for yourself.To learn more about Chris and his journey, visit www.chrisnikic.com.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Alexandra Lebenthal, Senior Advisor at Houlihan Lokey, to talk about:how to navigate a career pivotinspiration from powerful womenhow to instill values in young people...and much more.Alexandra Lebenthal has more than three decades of experience in financial services, having joined her family’s business, Lebenthal & Co., in 1988 and becoming President and CEO seven years later. In 2007, after selling the company, she relaunched her own certified woman-owned company as its President and CEO, recognized as a leading woman-owned broker-dealer in corporate capital markets. Over the course of her career, Ms. Lebenthal has received numerous awards and accolades, including being named one of New York's “100 Most Influential Women” by Crain's New York Business in 1999 and one of the “Top 50 Women in Wealth Management” by Wealth Manager in 2009. In 2013, she was named to both Crain’s “Largest Women-Owned Businesses” and “Fast 50” lists. She has served as a board member of The Committee of 200, an organization for businesswomen, and a board member and Treasurer of SIFMA. She also co-founded The Women's Executive Circle in 1996, a women's mentorship program.  Ms. Lebenthal holds a B.A. in History from Princeton University.

One hour wasn’t long enough, so the panel reassembled for PART 2!We cover:Stories from the early days pioneering BDHow sourcing has changed since they beganWhat they hope for the future of BD, BD “from home”, etc. --and we answer tons of questions submitted by attendees from Part 1.HOSTSJordan Selleck | CEO & Co-Founder, 51 LabsDan Lee | Partner, Comvest CreditPANELISTSBob Landis | Partner, Riverside CompanyGlenn Oken | Managing Director, Mangrove EquityGretchen Perkins | Partner, Avance Investment ManagementJay Jester | Partner, Plexus CapitalMark Jones | Partner, River Associates

Jordan assembles a panel of the next generation's BD professionals to talk about:how to differentiate yourself using LinkedIn, blogs, podcasts, videoshow to best manage your personal and firm brandingoutsourcing services to compliment your pillar BD effortswhat BD may look like in 2021--and so much more.PANELISTSCARLOS A. SOTO | Managing Director & Head of BD, Comvest PartnersHEATHER MADLAND | Partner & Head of BD, Huron CapitalJEREMY HOLLAND | Managing Partner of Origination, Riverside CompanyMARK GARTNER | Principal & Head of Investment Development, ClearLight PartnersRYAN GRAND | Principal (BD), HKWSPONSORSourceScrub: a data platform built to empower customers to find, research, and connect with private companies – using data to transform the M&A and private company investment industry

Jordan sits down with José Feliciano, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Clearlake Capital Group, to discuss the importance of giving back, the power of acknowledging the unknown, and the payoff of entrepreneurial ups and downs.José Feliciano is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Clearlake Capital Group, LP. Clearlake is a leading private investment firm that has managed approximately $9 billion of institutional capital since its inception. José is involved in the investment side of the firm, as well as its day-to-day management, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of several Clearlake portfolio companies.José started his career in investment banking in the Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Finance Groups at Goldman, Sachs & Co. Prior to co-founding Clearlake, José was a Partner and member of the investment committee at Tennenbaum Capital Partners, a leading alternative investment management firm, and served as Chief Financial Officer of govWorks, Inc.In 2014, José and his wife, Kwanza Jones, founded the SUPERCHARGED Initiative, a philanthropic grant-making and impact investment organization. Their initiative is focused on creating lasting impact in four key areas: Education, Entrepreneurship, Equal Opportunity, and Empowerment. To date, the organization and its affiliates have made over $40 million in commitments to diversity efforts and over $25 million to organizations focused on education and empowerment. José is also a Board Member of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, which works alongside activists to ensure positive changes in governments and corporations, and sits on the Board of Directors of the Robert Toigo Foundation. The Robert Toigo Foundation is dedicated to promoting the career advancement and increased leadership of under-represented talent.José graduated from Princeton University with a BS in mechanical & aerospace engineering and received his MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.

Jordan sits down with Anna Edwin, Global Head of Talent Development at TPG, to discuss successful talent retention, great talent management, and the importance of strong company culture in facilitating and enabling those practices.Topics include: The intersection of diversity management and talent managementHow to retain top tier talentD&I goals we need to set as an industry--and many more.Anna Edwin, Senior Director, is the Global Head of Talent Development at TPG. In her role, Anna leads the strategy for performance management, talent management and diversity and inclusion. Previously, Anna worked at BlackRock, where she served as the Head of Leadership Development. In this role, she was responsible for all of BlackRock's executive leadership programs. Prior to joining BlackRock in 2017, Anna spent ten years at Goldman Sachs in a variety of Human Resources roles, including serving as a Business Partner for the Technology Division and roles within the Global Leadership and Diversity team and Goldman Sachs University.  Anna earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Deerfield Academy, an independent co-educational boarding school in MA.