GW Equity

Michael Barrett currently works as an Associate at GW Equity where he evaluates companies prior to going to market.  Michael’s past experience includes working as a financial analyst at a Gulf Coast bank and as an accountant at a small food manufacturing company.  Michael graduated from Tulane University with a degree in Finance in 2000.

Robert M. Baumgartner, Senior Mergers & Acquistions Advisor, is responsible for Corporate middle market M&A transactions as well as real estate related engagements.

Bob has over 25 years experience in executive management, corporate finance, business sales and acquisitions. He has been a leading producer in providing merger and acquisition and finance services to a diverse group of middle market clients in the southwestern United States.

His experience includes positions as Vice President and Treasurer of two Fortune 500, multi-national, New York Stock Exchange companies. Responsibilities included establishing and managing relationships with United States and international investment banking groups, institutional lenders and commercial banks. These activities involved public stock offerings, public and private debt placement and ongoing credit arrangements with commercial banks.

Operationally, his experience includes P&L responsibilities as Managing Director of a national distributor of hardware/industrial supply products. He was also Chief Executive Officer of an oil and gas service company which operated workover and drilling rigs in Texas, Oklahoma and Wyoming. Prior to his engagement in the industrial sector, Bob was a Group Manager for Commercial Lending at two major regional banks.

Bob was the founding President of the Austin Chapter of Financial Executives International and also served as a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of this 15,000 member international finance organization. Additionally, Bob has been a director and is currently a member of the Austin Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth. He graduated with honors from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas with a degree in banking and finance and was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, a national honorary business society.

Mark Breheny, an Associate in the Valuation group, has 14 years of Investment Banking experience holding brokerage, analytical and portfolio management positions.  He worked for Merrill Lynch from 1991 until 1993 where he worked in their Private Client Group.

Kyle Coe brings over five years of financial accounting and auditing experience to his current position with GW Equity. Prior to joining GW Equity, Mr. Coe was the staff accountant for a publicly traded resort company in Dallas, Texas and served as a wholesale auditor for an automotive financing company. The responsibilities ranged from reconciling corporate bank accounts and ledgers to performing financial audits at various dealerships located throughout the Texas and Louisiana region.

At GW Equity, Mr. Coe serves clients by performing a professional evaluation and ensuring their market-readiness through detailed analysis and document preparation.

Mr. Coe holds a Bachelor of Business Studies degree in Finance from Dallas Baptist University.

Mr. Crisham has 20 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions.  
Mr. Crisham’s career has included senior management positions in both private and public companies, as well as ownership of 3 companies. For 12 years Mr. Crisham was a member of the management of Geneva Capital Markets.

Mr. Crisham earned his MBA from Lake Forest School of Management in Lake Forest, Illinois, and his BSBA in Marketing from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.

Mr. DeWitt has over fifteen years of investment banking, real estate and financial industry experience. His primary responsibilities at GW Equity include the implementation of strategic marketing plans and assisting with all phases of the mergers and acquisitions  process.

Mr. DeWitt previously served with Citigroup Capital Strategies, and Salomon Brothers. He earned his degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida and his MBA from the University of Tampa.

He is also a Series 7 Registered Securities Representative, and a Series 24 Registered Principal.

Ryan Durham analyzes client operational and financial data then integrates that information with pertinent industry research to develop valuation and marketing documents. In the past, he has worked directly with private business owners in several industries, including: construction, technology and medical.

Mr. Durham earned an MBA in Finance from the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business and was a magna cum laude graduate from the University of Texas at Dallas with a BS in Business Administration. He was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma academic honor society as an undergraduate.

Mr. Durham served on the finance committee for the Cherry Creek Arts Festival in Denver, Colorado and has worked, in volunteer capacities, for Aids Services of North Texas and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Amie Fletcher is a Valuation Associate within the Valuation Department in Dallas, Texas. Ms. Fletcher has been employed with GW Equity since August 2006. Ms. Fletcher was previously employed with Child Protective Services for five years and was a Communications Officer at the University of North Texas for two years.

Ms. Fletcher received a Bachelor of Arts degree at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma in 2000 and Masters of Business Administration at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas in 2006.

Amanda Flynn brings over two years of experience in financial management and analysis to her current position with GW Equity. Prior to joining GW Equity, Ms. Flynn was the Financial Coordinator for the Consortium for Education, Research, and Development (CERT) a non-profit, economic and workforce development organization in Shreveport, Louisiana, where her responsibilities included monitoring the organization’s finance-related systems and ensuring compliance with state reporting requirements. She has also held positions as an intern with JPJ Investments, and as a private and group violin instructor at Centenary Suzuki School in Shreveport, Louisiana.

At GW Equity, Ms. Flynn serves clients by performing a professional evaluation and ensuring their market-readiness through detailed analysis and document preparation.

Ms. Flynn holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Financial Analysis from Louisiana State University in Shreveport, where she was an active member of the Student Finance Association.

Lori Galloway has over 20 years experience guiding business owners and high net worth individuals to achieve their personal and financial goals. For 17 years, Ms. Galloway has been involved in all facets of mergers and acquisitions for the middle-market niche. In her capacity as Managing Director for GWEquity, Lori Galloway assists business owners in understanding the value of their businesses and marketing their companies to strategic buyers. Prior to joining GW Equity, Ms. Galloway provided business valuation services to venture capital consulting and M&A firms, as well as served as Managing Director for a nationally recognized merger and acquisition firm.

Ms. Galloway has participated in nearly 100 completed transactions in her capacity as M&A professional, team manager, and analyst. She has been involved in the valuation and sale of all types of manufacturing, distribution, service, and retail operations. A sampling of industry experience includes aerospace, healthcare, safety products, industrial and electrical supplies, plastic products, commercial and industrial equipment, and lumber and building supplies.

During the mid-1980s, Lori Galloway worked in the financial planning industry for firms that specialized in limited partnerships and mutual funds. Ms. Galloway earned her degree in Business Administration and Economics, graduating Summa Cum Laude from Point Loma College in San Diego, California, in 1983. Ms. Galloway holds Series 7 and Series 63 Securities Licenses. She resides in Laguna, Niguel, CA, with her husband and two children.

Michael Goss brings over five years of financial forecasting, auditing, and analysis, as well as economic and tax research experience to his current position with GW Equity. Prior to joining GW Equity, Mr. Goss served as Texas Tax Project Coordinator for MuniServices, LLC, a municipal revenue enhancement and consulting firm, where his responsibilities included managing the execution of data collection, analysis, and tax-auditing phases for all 24 Texas municipal clients. He also successfully manages his own part-time financial and tax consulting business.

At GW Equity, Mr. Goss serves clients by performing a professional evaluation and ensuring their market-readiness through detailed analysis and document preparation.

Mr. Goss holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in finance from California State University, Fresno. He also holds a Master of Business Administration with a dual concentration in accounting and finance from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Steve Heimstead has over 15 years of Mergers & Acquisitions experience representing principals in transactions on both the buy and sell side.   Prior to joining GW Equity, Steve Heimstead was Vice President, Mergers and Acquisitions at Citigroup Geneva Capital Strategies, Inc. and was involved in completed transactions totaling over $150 million.  Prior to Citigroup Geneva, Steve participated in the successful completion of numerous sell-side transactions (totaling $250 million) as well as several financial advisory projects while at Hartsfield Capital, Inc.  Before Hartsfield, as the Acquisition Manager at Quest Education Corp., he was responsible for growth through multiple acquisitions which led to a successful IPO.  He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BBA and earned a MBA from the University of North Texas.

Serving as the Project Manger in the Valuation Division of GW Equity, Don Ho brings over four years of financial analysis, business valuation, economic research, and financial modeling experience to his current position. Mr. Ho is responsible for analyzing and integrating a client’s operational data and financial metrics with market research, industry ratios, market opportunities, and risk assessments to develop a company’s fair market opinion and marketing documents. Additionally, Mr. Ho is responsible for developing and maintaining GW Equity’s business valuation model, resources, and providing support for the Valuation and Marketing divisions. 

During his tenure with GW Equity, Mr. Ho has valued over 145 private Middle Market companies in a variety of industries, including the IT, telecommunications, engineering, retail, and manufacturing sectors. Additionally, Mr. Ho has experience valuing companies with revenues in excess of $350 million. 

Prior to joining GW Equity, Mr. Ho worked in the Banking Sector at JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, and NCU. Mr. Ho received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he majored in Finance and minored in Accounting.

Mr. Jacobs is a nationally recognized leader and innovator in the area of Middle Market Mergers & Acquisitions services to privately held businesses. In his over twenty years of highly successful national deal making and deal process management in all industrial sectors, he has helped thousands of business owners to determine the market value of their companies in the eyes of buyers, and has successfully concluded hundreds of transactions. Prior to joining GW Equity, he was the Senior Managing Director and Mergers and Acquisitions Group Head for one of the nations leading Wall Street middle market mergers and acquisitions firm. Mr. Jacobs utilizes superior leadership, management, financial and communication skills to provide GW Equity’s clients with state of the art customer service and transaction results.

A "Top Gun" (most completed transactions) Deal Maker, Mr. Jacobs has also helped his deal teams to develop strategic marketing plans that identify synergistic opportunities for acquirers and sellers. He built a nationwide organization of forty deal making professionals and developed a network of one hundred and twenty-five affiliated deal making organizations to analyze, document, market, negotiate, and close deals, and has developed strategic relationships throughout the buyer and investment community.

As a valuation associate for GW Equity, Musa Jagne analyzes client operational and financial data. He is responsible for integrating client data with pertinent industry research to develop company evaluation and marketing documents.

While attending college, Mr. Jagne interned as a Financial Analyst for a multi-national company in Stamford, Connecticut. Before joining GW Equity, he worked as a mortgage specialist for a major mortgage company in Dallas, Texas, where he closed over 100 home loans in two years.

Mr. Jagne holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut and an MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Texas at Arlington. He is recognized as an All-American Scholar from the University of Bridgeport and received University of Cambridge Advanced Level Exam Honors.

Ryan Johnson brings over three years of financial management and analysis, as well as economic research experience to his current position with GW Equity. Prior to joining GW Equity, Mr. Johnson was the financial supervisor for Project Vida, a non-profit community aide organization in El Paso, Texas, where his responsibilities included monitoring the organization’s finance-related systems and ensuring compliance with financial legal requirements. He has also held positions as a research assistant at the Institute for Policy and Economic Development in El Paso, TX, and as an intern for Salomon Smith Barney.

At GW Equity, Mr. Johnson serves clients by performing a professional evaluation and ensuring their market-readiness through detailed analysis and document preparation.

Mr. Johnson holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Economics and Finance from Eastern New Mexico University, where he earned such academic honors as the Wall Street Journal Award and Outstanding Achievement in Economics and Finance. He also holds a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in economics from the University of Texas at El Paso.

At GW Equity, Mr. Kimball manages a team of valuation associates, both ensuring each associate’s profession development as well as the highest quality evaluations for GW Equity’s clients. He reviews each associate’s evaluations prior to shipment to the client and manages the client’s transition from the Evaluation phase to the Marketing phase.

Prior to entering the M&A industry, Jason was a small business bank officer and personal financial advisor holding the General Securities Representative (series 7 and 66) licenses.

Jason has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Master of Business Administration from The University of North Texas.  Jason is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Mr. Korreck is Managing Director of the Chicago Office of GW Equity. Mr. Korreck has assisted clients develop and implement acquisition strategies, performed business valuations, provided litigation support services, provided divestiture services and negotiated purchase agreements. Mr. Korreck is a Past President of the Midwest Business Brokers and Intermediaries Association. 

Mr. Korreck is licensed by the State of Illinois as a Business and Real Estate Broker and holds a series 7 and series 63 licenses issued by the (NASD).

Terry Mackin has over 15 years of mergers and acquisitions experience working with middle market clients in helping them reach their professional and financial goals.  Prior to joining the GW Equity team in 2005, Terry was President of Eventus Investments LLC, a middle market mergers and acquisitions firm located in Dallas, Texas.  Mr. Mackin’s professional experience also includes working with Citigroup’s Capital Strategies division and as a Vice President for a Kansas City-based M&A firm specializing in consolidating markets including healthcare, heavy equipment and telecommunications.  With the success of both firms, Terry has been able to expand his professional abilities into every major area of business commerce while participating in the closing of over 50 transactions during the course of his M&A career.

Mr. Mackin earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the California State University at Long Beach with an emphasis in International Law.  He is a Series 7 and 63 registered securities professional and holds numerous real estate licenses throughout the U.S.

Mike Murzyn has more than twenty years of corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions experience. He has successfully closed more than seventy merger, acquisition and divestiture transactions with an aggregate value of approximately $3.2 billion. Prior to joining GW Equity, Mr. Murzyn managed many Middle Market transactions, as well as many public and private debt and equity offerings for NYSE and NASDAQ listed companies. Mr. Murzyn has significant transaction experience in a variety of industries, although he has worked primarily with food processing, metal manufacturing and transportation companies.

Mr. Murzyn has a B. S. degree from Indiana University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management. He has passed the Illinois CPA examination, and holds NASD Series 7 and 63 licenses.

Toby Pence is an Evaluation Associate with Mergers and Acquisitions Group of GW Equity. Over the past 4 years, Toby has evaluated over 250 businesses in many industries including transportation, petroleum, manufacturing, construction, retail, and professional services. He strives to establish relationships with business owners and their staff by demonstrating trust, diligence and confidentiality. Toby has prepared business evaluations and confidential business reviews for over 250 companies across the United States ranging from $100,000 and $250,000,000 in annual revenue. His evaluation process includes researching relevant demographics, industry, and economic factors and using industry standards and valuation methodologies to arrive at an operating value for each company. Toby graduated from University of North Texas with BBA in Finance.

John Poythress possesses over 17 years mergers and acquisitions experience with a specialization in serving small-and middle-market sized clients. Prior to joining the GWEquity team in 2005, Mr. Poythress was a Managing Director for a nationally-recognized M&A firm located in Southern California. John is experienced in every aspect of the mergers and acquisitions process, with advanced expertise as both a professional, and manager in the areas of valuation and marketing of privately-held businesses. John has participated in over 200 completed transactions in various capacities.

Prior to entering the M&A industry, John was a Commercial Lending Officer with Bank of America in Los Angeles, CA. He is a graduate of Bank of America’s Credit Training Program. Mr. Poythress received an MBA from the California State University in 1986 and graduated Magna cum Laude from the California State Polytechnic University in 1983 with a BS in Business Administration. John resides in Irvine, CA with his wife and daughter.

In his 18 years of working with middle market business owners, Eric Sanderson, has supervised the preparation of several hundred business valuations and has been the senior deal team member on over 100 successful M&A closings. Working for one of the world’s largest financial services firms gave Eric a broad exposure to clients in all major industry categories including distribution, manufacturing, service, and retail and in all different regions of the country. He has negotiated transactions on behalf of his clients with all segments of the buying community, from Fortune 500 public companies to billion dollar investment groups and high net worth individuals. His consistent success over the years has been recognized with numerous company awards.

Prior to beginning his career in mergers & acquisitions, Eric worked in the finance department of a Fortune 500 company. His higher education has been focused on finance and marketing and includes a bachelors degree from California State University and an MBA from the University of Washington.

Julie Sandoval holds the position of Assistant Vice President to Managing Director, Donald Sawyer. Ms. Sandoval brings several years of corporate analysis experience and has worked as a Business Analyst for CompUSA’s Corporate Headquarters, GE Commercial Finance, and served as a Financial Analyst for Nokia, prior to working as a Financial Analyst with GW Equity in 2005. Ms. Sandoval received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from New Mexico State University, and an MBA with a concentration in Finance.

Don Sawyer is the Regional Brokerage Director-East for GW Equity. He is personally licensed to sell Real Estate and Businesses in NC, SC, GA, TN and KY. Since 1999 he has been expertly advising hundreds of clients on marketability and timing for the marketing of their businesses.

Don has 40 years of business experience, has owned several businesses and worked in the private sector. He was a national spokesperson for a construction product on the national TV remodeling show This Old House for several years.

His ability to put together the methodology to accomplish the seller’s goals before and after the sale and still satisfy the buyer’s needs makes him an asset in the transactional process. He is an advisor in 1031 tax free exchanges and on deferred capital gains taxes.

Don studied Business Administration and Sales Marketing at Champlain College and University of Vermont.

Catherine Shupe brings over three years of financial experience to her current position with GW Equity. Prior to joining GW Equity, Ms. Shupe worked in operations for multi-national investment bank in Dallas, Texas. The responsibilities ranged from opening and maintaining accounts, settling trades, and research distribution.

At GW Equity, Ms. Shupe serves clients by performing a professional evaluation and ensuring their market-readiness through detailed analysis and document preparation.

Ms. Shupe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from The University of Arizona. While in school, Ms. Shupe interned in London in the equity research department of a UK based investment bank.

Doug Smith has 19 years experience in the Merger & Acquisition business. He served most recently as a Managing Director in the Midwest and Northeast regions. In that capacity, Mr. Smith managed a team of dealmakers, M&A Analysts and Associates that specialized in middle market sized deals. Prior to that he ran a deal office in Scottsdale Arizona, and completed middle market deals as a dealmaker.

Prior to that, Mr. Smith managed and trained a team of Business Analysts who qualified M&A target companies. He also spent time as a successful business analyst. Prior to entering the M&A industry, Mr. Smith manages a 150 person sales organization in the computer training industry and was involved in the sale of that business to a Fortune 500 company. Mr. Smith started his career as a systems analyst and computer sales agent with IBM Corporation in Cleveland.

Andrew Spicer is an Associate in the Corporate Valuations Group analyzing and valuing companies whose owners are considering participating in the mergers and acquisitions process. Per client, Mr. Spicer conducts extensive market research and analysis which entails detailed P&L and balance sheet analysis, public and private company analysis, as well as industry and economic analysis.

Mr. Spicer has a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and a Master of Business Administration in International Business from Dallas Baptist University.  While attending DBU, Mr. Spicer was a member of Delta Mu Delta, Alpha Sigma Omega Honor and Leadership Society, Alpha Chi, and Texas Alpha Nu Chapter of Alpha Chi.

Tom Staszak has lead deal making responsibilities on a national basis for GW Equity. Prior to joining GW Equity, Tom spent seven years with Citigroup’s middle-market mergers and acquisitions division where he was recognized as a top producer. Tom’s experience includes an equity analyst role covering the telecommunications industry for a large regional investment banking firm where he was involved in public offerings as well as debt placement. Tom also achieved the rank of Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, culminating with participation in the 1991 liberation of Kuwait and the defense of Saudi Arabia.

Tom earned a BS in International Business from the University of Tampa, he is a Series 7 and 63 registered securities representative, and holds numerous real estate licenses throughout the US.