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MY INVESTORS

"The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing" - Socrates

I've assembled a supporting cast of world-class investors, leaders, and operators to be my cadre of coaches and help ensure I lead the organization effectively. Explore their profiles below: ​

INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS AND ADVISORS

Housatonic Partners
WILLIAM N. THORNDIKE, MANAGING DIRECTOR
Will Thorndike founded Housatonic Partners in Boston in 1994 and has been Managing Director since that time.  Prior to that, Mr. Thorndike worked with T. Rowe Price Associates and Walker & Company, where he was named to the Board of Directors.  Mr. Thorndike is a graduate of Harvard College and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a Director of Carillon Assisted Living, LLC; Lincoln Peak Holdings, LLC; OASIS Group Ltd.; QMC International, LLC; ZircoDATA; a Trustee of The Stanford Business School Trust; WGBH; the College of the Atlantic (Chair); and a founding partner at FARM, a social impact investing collaborative. He is the author of The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success, which received widespread critical acclaim from the likes of Forbes.com and Financial Times, and ranked #1 on Warren Buffet's recommended reading list.
MARK G. HILDERBRAND, MANAGING DIRECTOR
Mr. Hilderbrand has been a Managing Director at Housatonic Partners since 2006 and has more than 20 years of experience in private equity. Prior to Housatonic, he was a General Partner at Onset Ventures and a Vice President at Summit Partners, where he focused on recapitalizations and buyouts of high-growth technology and services businesses. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Management Consultant at Bain & Company.
Mr. Hilderbrand holds a BS from Boston University, a MS from Stanford University, and a MBA from the Harvard Business School. He is a Director of 365 Datacenters, LLC; Circle Graphics, Inc; FIMC; LQ Digital, LLC; HFRI, LLC; Onrad, Inc; QMC International, LLC; Registria Customer Experience, LLC; WCCT Global, LLC; and has served multiple terms as a Board Member for the Harvard Business School Alumni Association.
JOSEPH M. NIEHAUS, MANAGING DIRECTOR
Mr. Niehaus was a Managing Director at Hellman & Friedman before joining Housatonic Partners in 2001. During his twelve-year career at Hellman & Friedman, he was involved in several of the firm's recurring services, media and communications investments including Eller Media, Falcon Cable, and Mitchell International. Earlier in his career, Mr. Niehaus was employed in the Merchant Banking and Mergers and Acquisitions departments at Morgan Stanley & Co.
Mr. Niehaus is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Harvard Business School. He is a Director of Accurate Monitoring; Fastener Distribution Holdings, LLC (formerly Aircraft Fasteners International, LLC); FIMC; ResponseLink; Circle Graphics; 365 Data Centers; HealthWyse; Calo Programs; and ZircoDATA.
Peterson Partners
JOEL PETERSON, FOUNDING PARTNER & CHAIRMAN
Joel is the Founding Partner and Chairman of Peterson Partners. Joel has a long history of successful growth capital investments in a variety of industries. He currently teaches Entrepreneurial Management at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, is the Chairman of the Board of Overseers at the Hoover Institution at Stanford as well as the Chairman of the Board at JetBlue Airways, and serves as a Director of Franklin Covey. He served formerly as Managing Partner of Trammell Crow Company. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.  Joel is the author of The 10 Laws of Trust: Building the Bonds that make a Business Great.

AARON GABBART, VICE PRESIDENT
Aaron is a Vice President at Peterson Partners. Prior to joining Peterson Partners, Aaron was the CEO of BenefitGuard, a startup offering a no-nonsense 401(k) to SMBs that was acquired by Health Equity (NASDAQ:HQY).  Prior to joining BenefitGuard, Aaron was a financial economist at the U.S. Treasury in Washington DC. Aaron received an MBA and B.S. degrees from Brigham Young University.
Search Fund Partners
DAVE CARVER, PRINCIPAL
David Carver co-founded Search Fund Partners along with Rich Kelley. He is on the boards of Datum Technologies, FastSpring, Great Bay Software, Grey Heller, PlanetDDS Software, Raptor Technologies, Remarkable Health and StaffOne.
David spent thirty years as an executive in software, technology and related services, and has extensive experience in all phases of business, including M&A, fund-raising, strategy and operations. He was CEO of HiFive Networks, CEO of Hipbone Networks, EVP and GM at Network Associates; COO of Network General, an EIR at Institutional Venture Partners; and an executive in software and services at the Hewlett-Packard Company.
Dave has an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Arkansas. Dave and his wife Julia have two sons, RJ and Sam.
RICH KELLEY, PRINCIPAL
Rich Kelley co-founded Search Fund Partners in 2004. He currently serves on the boards of Pet Loss Center, DCI Caravel Autism Services, RIA in a Box, ISC Water, FMT, Attainia, and MST.
Rich Kelley has been involved in numerous small businesses and start-up companies as an operator, owner, and investor. His varied experience includes: CFO of Score Learning Centers, CEO of San Jose Giants, General Partner of the Stanford Terrace Inn, developer of houses and subdivisions, owner of office buildings and hotels, investor in successful tech start-ups (Coinstar, PLX Technology, Corcept Therapeutics). He has also invested in many limited partnerships, including venture funds, and has been involved as a search fund investor since 1994.
Rich has an MBA from Stanford and a BA from Stanford. Rich and his wife Gina have two children, Riley and Sam. He has served as an elected school board trustee and is active with the Positive Coaching Alliance and Sustainable Conservation as an advisor.
JIM EDMUNDS
Jim Edmunds joined Search Fund Partners in 2008 after running a company sourced through the search fund model. Jim and his partner found and acquired Celebrity Kids Portrait Studios, a leading provider of upscale children’s photography in 2005. Jim served as President and CFO of the company. He currently participates on the boards of Microdea, Neuro International, Consumeraffairs.com, Gogotech, and UCIT Online.
Before launching a search fund, Jim was an Associate at McKinsey & Company in Palo Alto. Prior to attending business school, Jim conducted business development for PetSmart.com, managed a successful political campaign in Texas, and worked in Investment Banking and Equity Capital Markets at Bear Stearns.
Jim holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was named a Siebel Scholar, and an A.B. in History from Harvard University. He is the treasurer of Building Futures Now, a non-profit dedicated to helping high potential students in East Palo Alto. He lives in Menlo Park with his wife Christine, daughters Emiko and Mika, and son Koji.
TODD TRACEY
Todd Tracey joined Search Fund Partners in 2016 after acquiring, running, and successfully exiting HemaSource, a company he sourced through the search fund model. HemaSource is a distributor of medical disposable products to the blood therapies markets and at the time of the sale it was one of the most successful ‘single searcher’ exits. Todd served as President and CEO of the company.
He currently participates on the boards of ComplianceLine, TDR, Detroit Dental, and Elevated Billing Solutions.
Prior to launching his search fund, Todd filled leadership roles in operations, sales, and finance for a variety of lower middle market companies. His broad industry background includes agriculture, telecommunications, web advertising and healthcare. He also worked as a Senior Associate for Mercer Management Consulting (now Oliver Wyman).
Todd holds an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University where he was a Lerner Scholar and the Harry W. Gillies Management & Strategy Student of the Year. He graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with an A.B. in Economics.
TTCER
GERALD RISK
Gerald Risk is Vice-Chairman and member of the Board of Directors of Asurion, the world’s largest provider of technology protection services, serving over 250 million consumers globally. Prior to serving as Vice-Chairman, Mr. Risk served as Asurion’s President from 2009 to 2013 and Asurion’s Chief Financial Officer for 10 years prior to that. Prior to joining Asurion, Mr. Risk was an investment banker with Goldman, Sachs & Co. in San Francisco, Hong Kong and New York. Mr. Risk has also worked for Hambrecht and Quist and the private investment arm of Toronto Dominion Capital. Mr. Risk currently serves on the Board of Directors of Carillon Assisted Living, HealthCPA, and QMC Telecom. Mr. Risk holds an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. Mr. Risk also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce with honors from Queen’s University in Canada where he was on the Dean’s List.
JIM ELLIS
Jim Ellis is a Lecturer in Management at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. He is currently teaching two strategic management courses that focus on the early stages of the entrepreneurial process. Jim cofounded Asurion with Kevin Taweel to provide value-added solutions for the wireless communications industry. Jim is and has been a member of a number of boards of directors of private companies including BUILD, Asurion, Service Source Inc., Memento Press, Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, and Southern California Risk Management Associates. . Jim holds an MBA from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree with high honors in economics from Dartmouth College. He is also a recipient of Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award.
KEVIN TAWEEL
Kevin is the Chairman of NEWAsurion. Since co-founding Asurion with Jim Ellis, the company has grown from 40 to 40,000 employees becoming the world’s largest provider of technology protection services, partnering with the world’s top companies and brands and serving over 250 million customers. Prior to founding Asurion, Kevin served as Chairman of Mill River Corporation, an investment company. He also worked with many Fortune 500 companies to develop and execute corporate strategies and financial plans while working in Mergers & Acquisitions for the investment bank Salomon Brothers. He earned an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and holds a Bachelor`s degree in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University. Kevin is also a former recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.
SARA ROSENTHAL
Sara began her career in the fields of health policy research and healthcare management consulting.  After earning her master’s degree in business administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Sara pursued her interest in sustainable building by joining an urban infill developer, where she helped secure over $75 million in acquisition capital to purchase and renovate multifamily buildings along the West Coast.  Sara then served as principal of a Napa-based design build firm focused on green building projects, working alongside the CEO and founder.   In 2010, Sara returned to the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she worked with Stanford faculty and amazing entrepreneurs to develop entrepreneurship case studies, which are taught at the Stanford GSB and top-tier business schools around the world.  As well, Sara co-authored the GSB's Search Fund Study in 2011, 2013, and 2015.   Sara joined TTCER as a Principal in 2017, and she lives in Menlo Park with her husband and three kids. 
WSC & Co
ED WEISIGER JR., CHAIRMAN
Ed Weisiger, Jr. is WSC & Company’s Managing Partner and co-founder. He serves on the board of WSC and is the head of the investment committee that approves each searcher and company investment.
In addition to his role with WSC & Company, Ed has served as President and CEO of Carolina Tractor since 1991. Ed started at Carolina Tractor in 1988 as General Manager of Carolina Tractor’s Engine Division. His responsibilities include overseeing the company’s four divisions, corporate strategy, customer service culture, and day-to-day operations.
Ed is involved in several business organizations such as: NC Trucking Association (Board of Directors); Young Presidents’ Organization (Member and Past Chapter Chairman); Charlotte Chamber of Commerce (Past Chairman); and Southeast Caterpillar Dealer Association (Past President).
He is also community minded and gives back in many ways, such as: Myers Park Presbyterian Church (Elder); Woodberry Forest School (Board of Trustees); Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens (Board of Visitors); Goodfellows Club (Director); and Central Piedmont Community College President’s Council (Member).
Ed holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University at Raleigh and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
BADGE STONE, MANAGING PARTNER
Badge Stone is a Managing Partner and co-founder of WSC & Company and is involved all aspects of the firm’s search fund activities, inclusive of the search, acquisition and operation phases.

While at WSC, Mr. Stone acquired and operated Perimeter Security Systems (“PSS”). PSS is a leading provider of monitored, electric fences to commercial and industrial customers. Perimeter Security Systems was sold to Electric Guard Dog (Snow Phipps Group, LLC) in August 2016.
Prior to co-founding WSC, Badge served as President of Stone Pump & Trench, an infrastructure equipment rental business. Badge developed and led the execution of a turnaround plan which resulted in EBITDA improvement of 71% in the first 12 months. Badge sold the North and South Carolina operations to National Trench Safety in 2013 and the Tennessee operations to Cross Country Pipeline (Odyssey Investment Partners) in 2015.
Before Stone Pump & Trench, Badge co-founded HeelHorn Partners, a search fund, and worked for VF Imagewear, a Nashville-based division of VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC). While at VF Imagewear, Badge focused on operations, mergers and acquisitions, and internal growth projects.
Prior to VF, Badge worked for McColl Partners and First Union Securities’ M&A Group (formally Bowles Hollowell Conner) as a middle-market investment banker focused primarily on sell-side assignments, private capital raises, and leveraged buyouts.
Badge holds a Business Administration degree with Distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
MACON CARROLL, PARTNER

Macon Carroll is a Partner of WSC & Company. Macon is involved all aspects of the firm’s search fund activities, inclusive of the search, acquisition and operation phases.

Prior to joining WSC & Company, Macon served as VP of Operations at Griffin Brothers Companies, a diversified family of companies with operations throughout the Carolinas. Griffin Brothers Companies’ core businesses are in the construction and demolition landfilling, real estate development, hospitality management, tire and automotive repair industries. Macon focused on the C&D landfilling and the property and hospitality divisions, where he was tasked with implementing operational efficiencies in addition to business development.
In addition to his role at Griffin Brothers Companies, Macon managed a closely held private investment fund, CFH, LLC. As a managing principal of CFH, LLC the fund invested in a broad range of asset classes including, financial services, cloud computing technology, healthcare services, self-storage, commercial and healthcare real estate.
Prior to Griffin Brothers Companies, Macon worked as an investment banking analyst for Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Financial Institutions Group. While at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Macon focused on business development companies, asset management firms and closed end funds.
Macon holds a B.A. in Global Studies with a concentration in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.B.A. from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

INDIVIDUAL INVESTORS AND ADVISORS

Craig Burr
Craig Burr was a founder of Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co., a private investment firm. Mr. Burr's career has been devoted almost exclusively to venture capital and private equity activities, having founded Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co. in 1979. Previously, Mr. Burr was a Partner at TA Associates. In addition, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of the New England Venture Capital Association and currently serves on the Board of Directors of several private companies. 
Mr. Burr received his Bachelor's Degree, cum laude, from Harvard College and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School ​
Matthew burr
Matthew Burr is a general partner at Matland Capital, where he is responsible for a hedge fund portfolio and is also active in making private investments. He previously worked at Cambridge Associates, where he was a hedge fund analyst and also assisted universities, foundations, and high net worth families with asset allocation, investment manager selection, and market research. 
Matthew Burr received his BA, cum laude, from Harvard University, and has a master's degree from Duke University in Environmental Management. ​
Tom Cassutt
Mr. Cassutt has made more than 130 investments in search funds. He is also the CFO of American Security Products, a leading manufacturer of high-security safes. From 1984 to 2011, Mr. Cassutt was Co-President of Nelson Nameplate Company, a manufacturer of membrane switches and product identification based in Los Angeles, California. From 1978 to 1984, he was the Controller of Bristol Corporation, the parent company of 10 manufacturing entities.
 
Mr. Cassutt currently sits on the boards of American Security Products, Columbia Sanitary Products, Dynamic Growth Dental, and Positive Coaching Alliance. He received a Bachelor of Physics Degree in 1982 from the University of California, Irvine, where he was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate. In 1986, he received an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar and the recipient of the Alexander A. Robichek Award, given each year to the top student in finance.

Neil Chheda
Neil is an entrepreneur-turned-investor. After founding and building several businesses without raising traditional venture capital, he was inspired to build the kind of firm he would have wanted to partner with—one that would help build companies, rather than just place bets on them, with the voice of an experienced entrepreneur. Neil has focused on making this vision a reality as a cofounder of Romulus Capital.
At Romulus, Neil leads investments in technology-enabled companies across sectors and stages. He focuses on helping founders work through critical company-building tasks, including attracting great talent, designing and building great products, acquiring first customers, and raising capital for continued growth. Companies Neil has founded or in which he has invested at the seed stage have raised over $1 billion of capital, generate over $1 billion in revenues annually, employ thousands around the world, and are packed with innumerable war stories. He aims to bring the best of this experience to every founder he backs.
Prior to Romulus, Neil advised some of the world’s largest healthcare and financial institutions at McKinsey & Company, built products that have since reached hundreds of millions of users at Zynga, founded and successfully sold a healthcare technology and services business, and established an investment firm focused on acquiring and growing B2B businesses in traditional industries.
When he’s not with entrepreneurs, keeping Neil on the ground is a challenge—he is an avid scuba diver and pilot. Neil received an A.B. in Political Science from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He and his wife, Prapti, live in downtown Boston.
Bob Dahl
Bob Dahl is a Managing Director and co-founder of WRD Capital, a venture capital firm serving out of Connecticut. Bob was also a founding member of Arrowhawk Capital Partners, an investment management firm which manages a multi-strategy, institutionally-focused fund. Prior to his involvement in Arrowhawk Capital Partners, Bob spent seven years as the head of Global Healthcare for the Carlyle Group, a leading private equity firm with over $50 billion of equity under management, where he was responsible for the firm's investments in the healthcare field.
​Bob also served as co-head of healthcare investment banking in North America at Credit Suisse First Boston. Earlier in his career Bob was a CPA for Price Waterhouse. Bob received a B.A. in economics from Middlebury College and later an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Jay Davis
Jay Davis is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Vector Disease Acquisition, LLC (VDA).  With his business partner Jason Pananos, Davis has built a recurring revenue services company through organic growth and acquisition.  As the CEO, Davis has been responsible for the overall management and strategy of the company, including developing a sales force, integrating multiple acquisitions, and improving the financial management of the company.  During Davis’ tenure as CEO, VDA has experienced 35% annual growth in revenue.  Prior to VDA, Davis founded and managed Nashton Partners, an investment firm focused on acquiring and operating a business in the lower middle market.  Before founding Nashton Partners, Davis worked as a consultant for Stockamp and Associates, where he consulted large academic medical centers on their revenue cycle.  Davis has a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a bachelors degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa.
David Lazier
Mr. Lazier is a private investor who has made more than 130 investments in search funds. He is also the president of American Security Products, a leading manufacturer of high-security safes. From 1984 to 2011, Mr. Lazier served as Controller, Vice President of Sales and then Co-President of Nelson Nameplate Company, a manufacturer of membrane switches and product identification based in Los Angeles, California. From 1982 to 1984, he worked as an engineer for IBM Corporation. 
 
Mr. Lazier currently sits on the boards of American Security Products, Columbia Sanitary Products, Datum Technologies, and Gogotech. He has previously served on the boards of Glendale Memorial Hospital Foundation, the San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University.


Tyler Levin
Tyler is a Principal at H.I.G. Capital, where he focuses on making private equity investments in growth oriented companies across a range of industries.  He is responsible for all aspects of the investment process, including deal sourcing, transaction structuring, and execution of post-closing growth and operational strategies.  Prior to joining H.I.G. Capital, Tyler was a Vice President at Ares Management, where he helped lead private equity investments in a variety of industries including healthcare services, business services, and industrials.  Previously, Tyler was a private equity associate at Leonard Green & Partners and an investment banking analyst at Citigroup.

Tyler earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in Applied Economics & Management from Cornell University, summa cum laude.

Tim Ludwig
Tim Ludwig is Managing Partner at Ohana Capital, a private equity firm that invests in search funds and profitable lower middle-market companies. Prior to founding Ohana Capital, Mr. Ludwig was President of a privately-held, commercial real estate company where he oversaw projects totaling over $150 million in value and led teams in asset management, acquisitions, and dispositions. Mr. Ludwig also served in a junior executive role at a middle-market manufacturing business, worked in business development at a venture-backed start-up, and began his career as a consultant with Arthur Andersen Business Consulting. He holds a BA from The College of Wooster (Phi Beta Kappa, honors) and an MBA from the Ross School at the University of Michigan, where he was a student member of the Wolverine Venture Fund.
Hal Mottet
Harold (Hal) Mottet is a successful CEO and Board Leader, and has led the profitable growth of operating companies through both organic growth and mergers and acquisitions. Organic growth strategies involved executing operational excellence through continuous improvement, improving the customer focus of organizations, and developing new products and production capabilities through capital investments. Mottet has also used mergers and acquisitions, along with targeted private equity investments, to grow companies, both as CEO and as a Member of Boards of Directors.
In 2016, Mottet successfully sold Empire Packaging and Displays, a Los Angeles manufacturer of corrugated retail packaging, to Smurfit-Kappa of Dublin, Ireland. Mottet purchased Empire in 2007 and grew it organically, improving it’s capabilities, operations and practices, and then sold it for a multiple of original investment. Mottet operates a family investment office, with equity investments in about 25 small to mid-market companies.
Before purchasing Empire, Mottet started a plastics recycling firm, Environmental Logistics Company, which was successfully merged into NW Polymers in Molalla, Oregon. In addition, he has developed several pieces of commercial real estate, including the factory buildings currently occupied by NW Polymers. Mottet also invested in and as CEO, he led American Security Products, a privately owned steel safe manufacturer, as it successfully fought off a Steelworkers Union organizing campaign and modernized it’s manufacturing leadership practices. Prior to that, Mottet turned around a struggling manufacturing division of a large forest products company, leading it from loss to profit.
Hal has an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, along with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Forestry from the University of Washington.
Michael O'Connell
Michael F. O’Connell is the Senior Managing Director at M2O, Inc. He oversees the assessment of investment opportunities and reviews the ongoing performance of portfolio companies. For most of his career, Michael was President and Managing Director of Anhalt, O’Connell & Steffanci Inc., a Los Angeles-based investment management firm with almost $1 billion under management. 
In 1992, Michael purchased the National Lines Bureau, a ship mooring company operating at the Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors, the largest (combined) commercial port in America. This initial, successful investment prompted many more and Michael soon shifted his focus from investment management to venture capital. Today, he leads M2O with a portfolio of more than 40 companies. 
Michael also sits on the board of American Biosurgical Inc., Veri-Tax, and Yates & Associates Insurance. Michael holds a B.A., with high honors, from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School
M-K O'Connell
Michael-Kevin (M-K) O’Connell joined M2O, Inc. as a Managing Director in 2009. He is responsible for sourcing and reviewing new investment opportunities as well as monitoring the performance of portfolio companies. 
Prior to joining M2O, M-K was a Manager with L.E.K. Consulting. During his tenure there, M-K led project teams across a diverse range of industries and business issues. His projects included the strategic due diligence of a $1 billion building materials company, the development of a customer contact and support strategy for a legacy airline, the strategic realignment and long-term plan for a major Los Angeles attraction, and the strategic due diligence of a leading equipment supplier to solar cell manufacturers. 
Before L.E.K., M-K worked in commercial real estate as the Director of Research for CB Richard Ellis in New England. M-K also sits on the board at Origo Commodities Management and is an advisor to Veri-Tax and Yates & Associates Insurance. 
M-K received his B.S, magna cum laude, from Boston College and his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he was the recipient of the Thomas P. Gerrity Leadership Award for achieving “excellence in both academic and co-curricular pursuits.”
Jason Pananos
Jason Pananos is the President of VDA, LLC a holding company for Vector Disease Control International (VDCI) and SOLitude Lake Management. Pananos and his partner Jay Davis first acquired VDCI in 2011 through the search fund they formed in 2008 called Nashton Partners.
Prior to forming Nashton Partners Jason worked at United Technologies Corporation where he held roles focused on finance, strategic planning, and acquisition activity. Jason obtained a Master in Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School and a BBA in finance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Pananos is an active investor in privately held business in the lower middle market.
  
Andrew saltoun
Andrew is the CEO of Integra Partners, a healthcare services company acquired in 2011. Prior to acquiring Integra, Andrew held roles at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker and Vestar Capital Partners as an investor for the multi-billion-dollar private equity fund. Andrew is an active investor in entrepreneurial, growth companies including Bonobos, Axial Markets, and numerous search funds and their acquired businesses. He is a board member of Integra Partners, Light Wave Dental, Datacor, and the Brooklyn Museum. Andrew received a bachelor degree in business administration from Emory University and an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
Sean Slovenski
Sean Slovenski is President of Population Health at Sharecare, the digital health company helping people manage all their health in one place. Slovenski joined Sharecare in this role after successfully architecting the company’s July 2016 acquisition of the Population Health business of Healthways, where he had served as President of Population Health Services since January 2016.
Prior to Healthways, Slovenski served as CEO for Care Innovations, where he successfully led the company for three years. Before Care Innovations, Slovenski served as Segment Vice President of Humana’s Health and Productivity Solutions business group. In this role, he led hundreds of employees across four industry-leading wellness businesses, uniting them behind a common vision while bolstering Humana’s expertise in total population health and wellbeing.
Prior to joining Humana, Slovenski was Co-Founder and CEO of Hummingbird Coaching Services, widely considered the industry leader in online coaching and behavior management. Sold to Humana in 2010, Hummingbird Coaching Services grew out of Slovenski’s development and delivery of the MyHealthCoach.com online personal coaching product, one of the nation’s first large-scale wellness efforts and telephonic health coaching product lines servicing Fortune 500 companies.
Earlier in his career, Slovenski drove the development and operations for two of the largest health system-based Integrative Medicine and Wellness centers in the U.S. and served as CEO of HumanaVitality, the international joint venture between Humana and Discovery Health of South Africa, which was one of the largest and most proven wellness incentive companies in the industry.
A lifelong advocate of health and wellness, Sean earned his BA in Health & Physical Education from Bowling Green State University. He is an active member of several health related boards and a frequent speaker at national healthcare conferences.
Alex Stavros
As the son of missionaries, Alex grew up in Peru working, playing and living alongside the troubled youth and desolate orphans of Lima’s slums. Alex’s childhood shaped his professional and personal aspirations. Prior to joining Calo Programs, Alex lived in California and was the Managing Partner of an investment fund, which he founded, focused on acquiring and leading mission-driven businesses. Prior to Lia Capital, Alex lived in Boston and was the Associate Director of Firm Wide Operations – working directly for the President and COO – of Cambridge Associates, the world’s largest global investment advisory firm to not for profit organizations. Alex also has experience in public service having worked at the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a U.S. government agency that mobilizes private capital to help solve critical, global social and poverty challenges. And he worked on the Capitol Hill in Washington DC for a Minnesota Congressman. Alex has also earned a Certificate of Public Management from Stanford University. And, while at Stanford, was a Rising Fellow at the Hoover Institution, a world renowned public policy think tank. Alex loves the ocean and is a certified open water diver. He has served as a Board Fellow at one of the most enchanting Aquariums in the world, California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium. Alex spends his free time reading up on foreign affairs and international politics. Alex graduated with Honors from American University with both an Economic Theory and International Relations degree and he earned an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. Alex is on the Board of Peruvian Partners, a nonprofit established to connect North Americans in a real and significant way with Peruvian families that live in abject poverty. Alex lives in Phoenix, Arizona and is happily married to his wife, Maria-Paz, who has the most important job in the world, raising their two beautiful children.
RicHARD Taketa
Richard H. Taketa is President and Chief Executive Officer of York Risk Services Group, Inc. 
Prior to joining York, Mr. Taketa served as the Chief Executive Officer of Southern California Risk Management Associates, which was acquired by York in 2006. Previously, he was a co-founder and managing director of a private investment group and a corporate securities lawyer.
Mr. Taketa earned his Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University and Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School.
JUSTIN TREITZ
Justin Treitz is an electrical engineer with extensive operations experience in the energy industry. He currently serves as the regulatory lead for California Resources Corporation and is a highly regarded expert in California Petroleum Policies and Regulations.  Justin completed his MBA at USC's Marshall School of Business and also holds a Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering from USC's Viterbi School of Engineering. He currently sits on the Board of Directors at The Paper Bakery, a design firm located in Los Angeles.
DOUG TUDOR
Doug is an active investor with diverse experience in operating, acquiring and scaling high-growth businesses.  He is the Managing Partner of Ravenscourt Partners, a private investment firm focused on teaming with executives to build leading middle market, technology-enabled service companies.  Ravenscourt invests in business opportunities with compelling value propositions, strong growth potential and top management teams.   He currently serves on the boards of eCompliance, RIA in a Box, Colovore, Prialto and Education Services Group.
He spent nine years as a senior executive at Asurion, the leading global provider of technology protection services, which grew from $225 million to $4.8 billion in revenue during his tenure.  Prior to that, he raised a search fund and was co-founder and President of Clear Creek Environmental.
Doug received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Brown University and a Masters of Business Administration from Stanford GSB. 

KENT WEAVER
​Mr. Weaver is currently Chairman and CEO of Progressive Home Care, a Northern California-based home health care agency purchased using the search fund model. Previously, Mr. Weaver held executive positions in marketing and product management for KnowledgeLINK, a venture-backed technology services company. Prior to this, he served as a regional CFO and business analyst in Pepsico's Pizza Hut Division and as a management consultant with Ernst & Young. Mr. Weaver received his MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles and a BS in finance from the University of Southern California.
(310) 259-2466  |  dustin@crimsonleafcapital.com
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