Alex Fridman is a Managing Partner of The Peakstone Group, where he is responsible for deal evaluation, execution and portfolio management. Alex has executed over 30 private equity and investment banking transactions across numerous industries.
Prior to Co-Founding Peakstone, Alex was a Senior Vice President in Lehman Brothers’ investment banking group focused on originating and executing private equity transactions. During his tenure, Alex evaluated and executed numerous advisory and capital raising transactions across a variety of industries totaling billions of dollars. Prior to that, Alex was in the industrial investment banking group of Banc of America Securities.
Alex serves on the board of Corporate Technology Solutions, Medical Necessities and MMA Warehouse.
Alex has a BS in Finance from Indiana University's Honors Business Program. Stephen Sleigh Managing Partner ssleigh@peakstonegroup.com
Stephen Sleigh is a Managing Partner of The Peakstone Group, where he is responsible for deal evaluation, execution and portfolio management. Stephen Sleigh has 20 years of investment banking experience at Lehman Brothers, Bank of America and Continental Bank.
Most recently, he was Head of Midwest Middle Market Investment Banking at Lehman Brothers (and subsequently Barclays Capital). Prior to that, he was Lehman Brothers' Head of Midwest Leveraged Finance providing financing for leveraged buyouts and corporate acquisitions.
Stephen serves on the board of Corporate Technology Solutions, Medical Necessities and MMA Warehouse.
Stephen started his career as a CPA at Price Waterhouse. He earned his MBA from Duke University School of Business and his BA from Grove CIty College.
Jeff Temple is a Managing Partner of The Peakstone Group, where he is responsible for deal evaluation, execution and portfolio management. Jeff is also a Partner of The ProAction Group, an operational consulting firm which he co-founded in 1995.
Jeff has 18 years of operational experience. At The ProAction Group, he has led over 40 operational diligence projects for private equity transactions. He has also led numerous projects for private equity clients to develop portfolio company growth and improvement strategies, and help prepare companies for exit. Prior to forming The ProAction Group, Jeff worked in consulting, helping middle market companies implement profit improvement projects.
Jeff serves on the board of Coldstream Systems, Corporate Technology Solutions, Medical Necessities and MMA Warehouse.
Jeff has a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois.
Anup Agarwal is a Managing Director at The Peakstone Group, where he is responsible for transaction origination and execution as well as evaluation of principal investments. Anup has more than 14 years of investment banking and corporate development experience and has completed over 30 transactions aggregating approximately $18 billion in transaction value for both US and emerging market clients.
Anup has advised both public and growth-oriented private companies on a number of strategic and financial transactions, including buy-side and sell-side M&A, capital raisings, leveraged buyouts, divestitures and recapitalizations. In addition to U.S. based companies and investors, Anup also has extensive relationships internationally specifically in Asia.
Previously, Anup worked in Lehman Brothers' investment banking division where he evaluated and executed numerous M&A advisory and capital raising assignments for private equity and corporate clients. Anup also worked at Bear Stearns in New York in their investment banking division, as well as with the IL&FS Group in India.
Anup received both a MS in Economics and BS in Mechanical Engineering from BITS, Pilani, India and his MBA from the Darden Business School at University of Virginia, where he was a Tayloe Murphy Scholar.
Tom Dolson Managing Director tdolson@peakstonegroup.com
Tom Dolson is a Managing Director at The Peakstone Group, where he is responsible for transaction origination and execution as well as evaluation of principal investments. Tom has more than 20 years of investment banking, corporate development and private equity experience, primarily focused on technology, telecommunications and business services sectors.
Previously, Tom has been a Partner with the Direct Investment group at Adams Street Partners, where the team managed more than $1B invested in equity capital of privately-held companies, principally in information technology, businesses services, and life sciences. During his career, Tom has invested in 20 privately held growth-stage and venture companies in the areas of communications, wireless, software, internet services and semiconductors.
Prior to joining Adams Street, Tom was Vice President of Corporate Development for Experian and Vice President Strategy for Metromail Inc. Previously, Tom also worked in corporate development for Motorola and as a member of the team that launched Motorola's first data-oriented hand held consumer devices.
Tom started his career in investment banking at PaineWebber (now UBS) and the boutique investment bank of Benedetto, Gartland & Co., where he focused on M&A and raising private capital.
Tom has a BE magna cum laude in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Vanderbilt University and an MBA with honors from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
Eric Dziedzic Managing Director edziedzic@peakstonegroup.com
Eric Dziedzic is a Managing Director at The Peakstone Group, where he is responsible for transaction origination and execution as well as evaluation of principal investments. Eric has over 12 years of investment banking experience, primarily focused on M&A advisory in the Industrial and Consumer sectors. Most recently, Eric was a Senior Vice President in Lehman Brothers’ investment banking division where he evaluated and executed numerous M&A advisory and capital raising assignments for private equity and corporate clients. Eric began his career in the Mergers & Acquisitions group at Banc of America Securities.
Eric holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with Honors from the University of Chicago.
Mark Horita Managing Director mhorita@peakstonegroup.com
Mark Horita is a Managing Director of The Peakstone Group where he is responsible for deal sourcing and evaluation as well as portfolio management. Mr. Horita also coordinates Peakstone’s strategic alliances with professional service firms who serve as trusted advisors to their clients.
Mr. Horita is an experienced operating company CEO having run middle market companies with revenues of $20-$150M for over 13 years. With over 20 total years of professional experience, he brings the best practices of Fortune 500 companies right-sized for middle market implementations.
Most recently, Mr. Horita was CEO/president of several middle market companies where he executed turnaround strategies that in cases increased profits by 10-20% points as well as growth strategies that increased revenues by as much as 100+%.
Mark has expertise in areas including: strategy development, product marketing and guerilla marketing techniques, sales channel penetration strategies, Operational Excellence and manufacturing, S&OP, and strengthening middle market management teams.
Mark earned his BS degree in Industrial & Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan as well as an MBA degree from the University of Michigan - Ross School of Business.
Jay Kemper Managing Director jkemper@peakstonegroup.com
Jay Kemper is a Managing Director at The Peakstone Group, where he is responsible for transaction origination and execution with a focus on the Consumer Space. As the President/CEO of several CPG businesses Jay and his executive management teams have delivered extraordinary results for businesses with a revenue range of $10 million to $425 million dollars. Jay has over 30 years of experience in the fast consumables and marketing services sectors. He is a proven Chief Executive Officer who has led profit and revenue growth for distressed businesses requiring full scale turnarounds/restructuring and healthy businesses poised for accelerated growth.
Jay has broad-based expertise in P&L leadership, strategic planning, M & A, change management, budgeting, business and product platform development, sales and marketing, manufacturing, contract negotiations, operational improvements, quality, and customer service.
He received his Bachelor of Science at Ball State University, Muncie, IN.
Michael Loftis Managing Director mloftis@peakstonegroup.com
Michael Loftis is a Managing Director at The Peakstone Group, where he is primarily focused on transaction origination and execution. Michael has over 15 years of investment banking experience at Barclays and Lehman Brothers across a wide range of verticals within the Industrial industry.
Most recently, Michael was a Director at Barclays and a Senior Vice President at Lehman Brothers' Global Industrials Group where he originated and executed over 40 transactions totaling billions of dollars. Prior to his investment banking career, Michael worked for Mayer Brown in the Corporate and Securities Group. His practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings and corporate governance matters.
Michael earned his J.D. (cum laude) from the University of Michigan Law School and a BA (summa cum laude) from the University of Notre Dame.
David Anderson Operating Partner danderson@peakstonegroup.com
Dave Anderson is an Operating Partner and the Chief Financial Officer of The Peakstone Group. Dave is also the Chief Financial Officer of The ProAction Group, an operational consulting firm which he co-founded in 1995.
Dave has over 20 years of experience helping middle market companies improve operations. Prior to forming The ProAction Group, Dave spent eight years in operational consulting at Arthur Andersen and a boutique firm. Dave also served as the general manager for a client, responsible for strategy, sales, marketing, finance, and operations of a group purchasing organization.
Dave has also been involved in forming several businesses and serves on the board of Coldstream Systems, Corporate Technology Solutions and Medical Necessities.
Dave has a BS in Business Administration and Accounting and an MBA from the University of Kansas.
Doug Blanchard is an Operating Partner of The Peakstone Group where he is responsible for deal evaluation and portfolio management. Prior to forming Peakstone Group, Doug spent six years as a Principal with The ProAction Group, an operational consulting firm, where Doug continues to serve as an advisor applying his leadership skills and experience on numerous client engagements in various areas of business operations, including all aspects of lean enterprise management, business and operations strategy, sales and operations planning, quality systems, new product development, cultural change and organizational development.
Prior to joining The ProAction Group, Doug worked for Lexington Home Brands as Executive Vice President of Operations, where he was responsible for a $450 million division with 15 plant locations. Prior to that, Doug worked for Emerson Electric, where he had P&L responsibility for a $300 million division. Doug also has experience at Darling Store Fixtures, Tenneco Automotive, and Goodyear Tire and Rubber.
Doug has deep experience in key operational areas, including Lean management, manufacturing operations, operations strategy, sales and operations planning, and organizational development.
Doug has a BS in Industrial Engineering and Management from the University of Akron.
Wes Dearbaugh is an Operating Partner of The Peakstone Group where he is responsible for deal sourcing, evaluation, and portfolio company advisory work. Wes is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Technology Solutions.
Wes is an executive experienced in building value by consolidating fragmented industries. He has completed over 30 acquisitions and managed the long-term integration and growth of the combined companies. Prior to Corporate Technology Solutions, Wes was President and Chief Operating Officer of FinishMaster, a publicly traded distributor of automotive paint and body shop supplies. While at FinishMaster, Wes completed over 20 acquisitions of small businesses and built a unified company with over $350 million in revenues. Wes was also President of ATC Distribution Group where he led the organization through several acquisitions to become North America’s largest transmission parts distributor. Prior to joining ATC, Wes was a partner with an independent distributor of Cummins diesel engines and parts.
Wes has a BS in Mathematics from Findlay University and an MBA from Bowling Green State University.
Tim Van Mieghem is an Operating Partner of The Peakstone Group, where he is responsible for deal evaluation and execution. Tim is also a Partner of The ProAction Group, an operational consulting firm which he co-founded in 1995.
Tim has 20 years of experience helping middle market companies improve operations. Tim has particular experience in manufacturing, sourcing, logistics, inventory management, and related operational areas. Tim is also the author of Implementing Supplier Partnerships and numerous articles on sourcing and logistics.
Prior to forming The ProAction Group, Tim worked in operational consulting at Arthur Andersen and a boutique supply chain consulting firm.
Tim serves on the board of Coldstream Systems, Corporate Technology Solutions and Medical Necessities.
Tim has a BS in Accounting from Marquette University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Daniel Fuhrman is a Senior Advisor at The Peakstone Group, where he is responsible for transaction origination and execution with a focus on the Industrial Space including specialty manufacturing, diversified industrial, automotive, aerospace, professional and business services, and other industries. Mr. Fuhrman has over 25 years of experience in private equity transactions, corporate development, M&A advisory services, and strategy consulting.
Recently, Mr. Fuhrman has advised clients on numerous M&A transactions and has also led several buyouts and turnarounds of specialty manufacturing companies, with an emphasis on serving customer needs and growing revenues while transforming operations through lean manufacturing techniques. He also co-founded a software company and a sports venue products company.
Previously, Mr. Fuhrman was Vice President of Strategic Planning at MascoTech, Inc., a $2 billion manufacturing company where he completed numerous acquisitions, joint ventures, and technology licensing transactions with a focus on international expansion. Mr. Fuhrman also performed corporate and business unit strategic planning.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Fuhrman was a Vice President and Partner of LEK Consulting, where he advised on strategy and M&A projects in pharmaceuticals, health care, medical products, and specialty manufacturing. Prior to LEK, Mr. Fuhrman performed strategy consulting at Bain & Company. Mr. Fuhrman began his career as an Industrial Engineer at General Motors Corp.
Mr. Fuhrman holds a Master of Science in Management degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering, conferred With High Distinction, from Wayne State University.
Tim Trela is a Senior Advisor at The Peakstone Group. Tim has over 30 years of business leadership in operations and information technology management which includes serving as VP of Supply Chain and CIO for Inland Steel / Arcelor Mittal and practice leader for EDS.
Chris Wojcicki is a Senior Advisor at The Peakstone Group. Chris has over 20 years of accounting and business consulting experience as a Partner at Rozovics and Wojcicki.
