Deal Market Update - 2021

Prior to joining Five Points Capital in 2005, Brent was the Fund Executive of Charlotte Angel Partners (CAP), an angel venture capital fund located in Charlotte, North Carolina, that has invested in a variety of privately-held companies. Prior to forming CAP in mid-2000, Brent spent 13 years in investment banking with Raymond James and Interstate/Johnson Lane (later Wachovia Securities) where he specialized in raising capital and mergers and acquisitions for healthcare and financial services companies. He began his career with Bank of Boston where he specialized in senior debt and mezzanine financings for Cable TV and publishing companies. He recently served on the ACG Global Board of Directors as the Director at Large for Charlotte, NC.

Outside of work, Brent serves as a Board Member and the Treasurer for the Greensboro Farmers Market. He also enjoys boating and kayaking with his family on Lake Norman.

Brent received an MBA with a concentration in finance from the Wharton School of Business, and a BA in English  from North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

John Lee manages Griffin’s Commercial, Industrial and Services Group. He has 25 years of experience providing merger and acquisition advisory services, private placements of debt and equity capital, and management buyout advisory services for middle market companies in a wide range of industries. His experience includes sourcing, initiating or managing numerous investment banking transactions for middle market business and government services, consumer and industrial manufacturing, distribution, and technology companies.

Prior to joining Griffin, John was a Principal with Horizon Partners Ltd., a private equity investment company that acquires middle market companies in leveraged buyout transactions. Previously he served as a Director with the investment banking arm of Berwind Financial Group, L.P. He has been a featured speaker or co-chair at numerous conferences on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance.

John received an MBA from The College of William and Mary and a B.A. in Economics and English from Lehigh University. He is the past President of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), Philadelphia Chapter. He holds Series 79, 7 and 63 licenses from FINRA.

Stephen joined Topspin in January 2008 and is a member of the investment committee. Stephen brings over 20 years of investing and operating experience and was instrumental in building the infrastructure and the success of Topspin Consumer Partners' private equity business. During his tenure with the firm, Stephen has covered a wide range of consumer-focused industry verticals with significant experience in specialty retail, health, and wellness and juvenile products.

Stephen began his career with Bain and Company, where he focused on business services and manufacturing firms. Following his tenure with Bain, Stephen left to support the executive leadership team of Spherion Corporation during a multi-year turnaround.

Stephen received his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering with highest honors from Georgia Institute of Technology in 2000, where he was a President's Scholar, and received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2007, where he was a George F. Baker Scholar, and helped support the Chair of the Finance Department in the development of a new course focused on private equity finance. 

Ron Kerdasha is a Managing Director/Regional Group Head with Fifth Third Business Capital, the asset-based lending group of Fifth Third Bank. Ron has over 35 years of experience in sourcing, structuring, and closing senior debt financings related to acquisitions, recapitalizations, turnarounds, and general refinancing.

Prior to joining Fifth Third in 2019 as part of its acquisition of MB Financial Bank, Ron was a key member of a senior team that established Cole Taylor Business Capital in 2008, which eventually merged into MB Financial and became MB Business Capital. Previously Ron was a Senior Vice President with LaSalle Business Credit, a division of LaSalle Bank. In addition to his role as a provider of senior debt, Ron is part of a team at Fifth Third that manages limited partner relationships with a group of Small Business Investment Companies.

Ron is a long-time member of the Commercial Finance Association, the Turnaround Management Association, and the Association for Corporate Growth. He is past president of ACG Maryland, served on ACG’s Global Board of Directors, and was chairman of ACG InterGrowth conference in 2004.

Ron holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Delaware and an MBA in Corporate Finance from Fordham University