People

Altus Capital Partners has added Dale Cheney as a new Principal in the firm. Mr. Cheney will be responsible for sourcing and closing new investments and working with Altus’ three partners in managing its existing portfolio. “We are pleased to have an experienced professional like Dale join our Altus team to contribute to our success as a leading investor in the middle market manufacturing space,” said Elizabeth Burgess, Senior Partner of Altus. “Dale will play a key role in cultivating and driving new deal transactions while providing strong support to our portfolio.”

Along with the hiring of Mr. Cheney, Altus has relocated its Connecticut office to Wilton Woods Corporate Campus in Wilton, CT, where Mr. Cheney will be based. The firm continues to maintain an office in Lincolnshire, IL.

Mr. Cheney has over 12 years of experience in private equity and buyout investing, executing over $5 billion of private equity transactions with a focus on niche manufacturing and consumer products. He joins Altus from Citicorp Venture Capital where he was a Principal. Prior to CVC, Mr. Cheney was an Investment Banking Associate in leveraged finance at Goldman, Sachs & Co. and, earlier, a Transaction Services Senior Associate in the Private Equity Group at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Altus Capital Partners invests in corporate divestitures, management-led buyouts and privately held or family-owned businesses with manufacturing operations based primarily in the Midwest and Eastern regions of the United States. Target companies will have at least $5 million of EBITDA and an enterprise value from $30 million to $100 million. The firm has offices in Wilton, CT and Lincolnshire, IL (www.altuscapitalpartners.com).

Quarton Partners, a specialty investment banking firm, has promoted Greg McGowan to Director and Alex Schroeder to Vice President. “Greg and Alex have been invaluable members of our team since the founding of Quarton Partners and have contributed significantly to the firm’s success. Their transaction expertise, hard work and dedication to superior client services are a testament to Quarton Partners’ culture. We are proud to recognize their contributions and are confident they will continue their strong success in their new roles,” said Quarton Partners’ Managing Director André Augier.

Mr. McGowan has spent over ten years advising clients on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and capital raising initiatives. He has advised on over 75 transactions involving private equity firms, public companies and privately held businesses. Mr. McGowan has middle market transaction experience in a number of industries including industrial manufacturing, automotive and energy. Prior to joining Quarton Partners, Mr. McGowan served as a Vice President at W.Y. Campbell & Company where he led a variety of middle market investment banking engagements. He also was an investment banker in the Manufacturing Industry Group at Deloitte Corporate Finance LLC. Mr. McGowan earned a BA in Finance from Michigan State and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Mr. Schroeder has executed numerous investment banking assignments, including sell-side and buy-side transactions, recapitalizations, restructurings and other strategic advisory assignments. Prior to Quarton Partners, Mr. Schroeder worked at W.Y. Campbell & Company advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, private placements and corporate restructurings. Mr. Schroeder graduated from Michigan State with a BA in Finance.

Quarton Partners is a specialty investment banking firm serving privately held and publicly traded companies as well as private equity firms. Quarton assists its clients with mergers and acquisitions, private capital raising, restructurings, valuations, and other financial advisory services. The firm’s principals have successfully completed hundreds of engagements in a wide variety of industries across the US and throughout the world. Quarton Partners is a division of Leonard & Company, Michigan’s largest independent broker/dealer. The firm is headquartered in Birmingham, MI (www.quartonpartners.com).

Bertram Capital has promoted Ingrid Swenson to Partner and Managing Director. Ms. Swenson, the Chief Financial Officer at Bertram, has been with the firm since its inception in 2006 and oversees all of Bertram Capital’s finance, administrative and internal information technology activities.

Ms. Swenson has led Bertram’s finance team’s efforts in support of each of the twenty-two investments made by Bertram Capital since the firm’s first investment in January of 2007. In addition to her finance and administration responsibilities, Ms. Swenson also serves as the firm’s Chief Compliance Officer. Most recently, Ms. Swenson and her team designed and implemented a comprehensive internal compliance program, coinciding with the firm’s registration with the SEC as a Registered Investment Advisor.

“As a founding team member of Bertram Capital, Ingrid Swenson has played an integral role in the firm’s success and has been instrumental in building our world class Finance, Administrative and IT teams,” said Jeff Drazan, Managing Partner. “Ingrid’s well-earned promotion to Partner and Managing Director is a direct result of the unwavering commitment to excellence and tireless work ethic she displays on a daily basis.”
Prior to Bertram, Ms. Swenson was Controller of Mayfield Fund. Previous to Mayfield Fund, she was a Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers in its Life Science and Venture Capital practice. Ms. Swenson currently serves on the board of directors of the West Coast Chapter of the Private Equity Chief Financial Officer Association and is a member of the American Society of Women Accountants. Ms. Swenson earned a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural & Managerial Economics from U.C. Davis and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of California.

Bertram Capital has over $850 million in capital under management and targets investments in lower middle market companies. Industries of interest include manufacturing, technology, business services and health care. The firm is located in San Mateo, CA (www.bertramcapital.com).

The Riverside Company has hired Jamie Kiggen as President of the global private equity firm.  Mr. Kiggen’s responsibilities include chairing the Riverside Cabinet (composed of the Co-CEOs, Fund Managers and the COO), working closely with senior investment executives, leading new product development, supporting the work of the Investor Relations team, assisting with human capital management, representing Riverside at select events and providing investment expertise on select transactions.  Mr. Kiggen will be based in Riverside’s New York office.

“Bringing in a President is a decision we’ve been mulling over for years, particularly as the demands of our positions continue to grow as we’ve emerged as the leading global private equity firm focused on the smaller end of the middle market,” said Stewart Kohl, Riverside Co-CEO.  “Jamie is an exceptional talent, and we’re confident he’ll help us take Riverside to its next phase of success.”

Mr. Kiggen brings more than 25 years of experience, most recently as Senior Managing Director at Blackstone, where he headed up their cleantech venture capital effort while also playing a senior technology investment role in their private equity group.  Prior to that, he was at AllianceBernstein, where he managed a global research and investment team focused on emerging sciences and technologies and launched a late-stage venture fund. Earlier in his career, he was a top-ranked research analyst at DLJ, where he also served as Director of Technology Research.  Mr. Kiggen started his career as an entrepreneur in the software industry, and worked at McKinsey and Wellington before moving to Wall Street. He has a BA and an MBA from Harvard.

“The addition of Jamie adds a tremendous talent, in addition to a layer of sophistication for our organization,” said Béla Szigethy, Riverside Co-CEO.  “The private equity industry is maturing and evolving. Like other leading institutional private equity firms, Riverside needs to find ways to become even more efficient and effective. Jamie will do just this, thereby helping make us a better company and allowing Stewart, me and the entire Riverside leadership team to spend greater time focusing on potential and existing portfolio companies, helping to drive portfolio performance and visiting with key stakeholders, including investors, sellers, portfolio company managers, deal sources, the press and public policy makers.”

The Riverside Company is a private equity firm focused on the smaller end of the middle market (“SEMM”).  Riverside specializes in investing in SEMM companies (those valued up to $200 million) and partners with management teams to build companies through acquisitions and value-added growth.  Since 1988, the firm has invested in 280 transactions with a total enterprise value of more than $6 billion. The firm is headquartered New York with additional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and London (www.riversidecompany.com).
 
“I’ve known and respected Béla and Stewart for years, and Riverside has earned a great reputation,” said Mr. Kiggen. “I’m looking forward to being part of the firm’s continued growth and success.”

CapX Partners has announced the promotion of Richard Bollinger to the position of Managing Director.  Mr. Bollinger’s responsibilities at CapX include business development, underwriting, and portfolio management within the West and Southwest Regions of the United States.

Mr. Bollinger joined CapX in 2002 in Chicago as Vice President and Controller. In 2005, he was promoted to Director and opened the San Diego office, CapX’s first satellite office.  “Richard took a risk in joining CapX Partners ten years ago and we appreciated his belief in our long term vision and strategy.  It has been a pleasure to work with him and have a hand in Richard’s development into the well rounded investment professional that he is today,” said Jeffry Pfeffer, CapX Managing Partner.

Mr. Bollinger started his career at KPMG, where he performed audit and attestation services. He is a CPA and graduate of Southern Methodist University.

CapX Partners is an equipment financing and secured mezzanine fund focusing on transaction sizes of $2 million to $15 million for private equity and venture backed portfolio companies.  CapX is investing out of its $200 million fourth fund.  Sectors on interest include manufacturing, distribution, service, technology, and healthcare service industries with an emphasis on revenue producing fixed assets.  The firm was founded in 1999 and has offices in Chicago, San Diego and New York (www.capxpartners.com).

Ropes & Gray has added Matt Richards as a new partner in its private equity practice. “Matt’s demonstrated credibility with leading Chicago-based private equity sponsors and his experience with complex, cutting-edge deals makes him a great addition to our private equity practice,” said Ropes & Gray Chicago managing partner Jim Lidbury. “We are excited that he is joining the firm as we continue to build the services we provide clients in Chicago and throughout the Midwest.”

Mr. Richards was formerly a partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago. He has worked with many Chicago-based private equity sponsors in structuring, negotiating, and closing an array of acquisition, financing and restructuring transactions. He also regularly counsels clients on governance, compliance, and reporting issues.

“I am thrilled to join the elite private equity team at Ropes & Gray,” said Mr. Richards. “The firm’s global reputation for excellent work in the private equity practice first attracted me to Ropes & Gray. The strength of the Chicago team and its focus on collaboration and client service made my decision easy.”

Mr. Richards is the 14th partner to join the firm’s 39-lawyer Chicago office since it was founded in 2008.  Ropes & Gray has consistently been ranked one of the world’s leading law firms for private equity.  Law360, the online outlet for legal news and analysis, named Ropes & Gray’s private equity group “Practice of the Year” for 2011 based on the firm’s work on a number of significant deals.

Ropes & Gray is a global law firm with more than 1,100 lawyers and professionals.  The firm provides clients with execution of their transactions from offices in London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Silicon Valley. The firm’s specialties include private equity, M&A, finance, investment management, hedge funds, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation, securities litigation and government enforcement (www.ropesgray.com).