The Professionals at SierraConstellation Partners are made up of seasoned business leaders from a variety of industries that have each led organizations through significant change. As such, these experienced professionals are able to quickly and decisively develop solutions specifically tailored to meet a company’s critical needs.
Lawrence Perkins, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SierraConstellation Partners (SCP), has more than 25 years of management consulting and advisory experience with companies undergoing transition. Lawrence has led complicated projects for numerous companies as an interim leader, financial advisor, and strategic partner.
Lawrence has served in a variety of senior-level positions, including Interim CEO/President, Chief Restructuring Officer, Board of Directors Member, Financial Advisor, and Strategic Consultant to numerous middle-market companies and is particularly skilled at assisting clients through bet-the-company situations.
Prior to founding SCP, Lawrence was a Senior Managing Director and regional leader of a national consulting firm where he was responsible for business development, marketing, staffing, and general management of the firm’s western region. Lawrence joined the firm in 2010 when it acquired El Molino Advisors, a company he founded in January 2007 and led as the CEO.
Lawrence began his career in the strategic consulting group of Arthur Andersen after graduating from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. He is currently on the board of several non-profits and multiple corporate boards and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization.
Lawrence is the author of the Amazon bestseller Don’t Be A Stranger, where he explores the secrets of strategic relationship building. He provides personal advice on how to create luck in business by offering techniques that can ultimately help readers develop their own enriching community.
In 2023, Lawrence received the Global M&A Network’s Top 100 Restructuring Professionals’ “Distinction in Dealmaking” Award, while SCP received their coveted Boutique Turnaround Consulting Firm of the Year Award as well.
Additionally, Lawrence has led deal teams that have been recognized by top-tiered industry organizations, including:
Tom Lynch, Partner and President at SierraConstellation Partners, brings with him over two decades of capital market experience with a deep focus in restructuring, workouts, recapitalizations, M&A, secondary market transactions, as well as strategic planning and execution.
Prior to joining SCP, Tom was the co-founder and Managing Partner of Woods Hole Capital. Tom was responsible for the executive management and strategic direction of the firm. Tom focused on all aspects of the firm including risk management, portfolio management, operations and the executive leadership of the firm.
Prior to founding Woods Hole Capital, Tom was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Frederick’s of Hollywood Group (a publicly traded company). Prior to joining Frederick’s, Tom was the CEO of Mellon HBV, later renamed Fursa Alternative Strategies. HBV was a risk arbitrage fund that had moved toward event driven less liquid positions.
Tom has a lengthy and distinguished career in the asset management business. As a Managing Director of Mellon Institutional Asset Management, Tom was a member of the Senior Management Committee, and had direct executive responsibility for a $38 billion AUM business. While at Mellon, Tom founded and launched Mellon’s first Alternative Asset Management distribution group.
Tom has held executive positions with UBS Global Asset Management and the Dreyfus Corporation.
Tom is a graduate of St. Anselm College.
Industry Expertise
Curt Kroll, a Partner at SierraConstellation Partners, provides interim management and operational and financial advisory services to underperforming companies and companies in transition. His experience includes challenging CRO roles, interim management, refinancings, distressed acquisitions and in- and out-of court restructurings. Mr. Kroll has held roles in various industries including retail, industrial manufacturing, real estate, financial services, and healthcare.
Prior to joining SCP, Mr. Kroll was the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Information Officer at Katy Industries, Inc., a publicly-traded manufacturer of consumer and industrial products with operations throughout the United States and Canada. While at Katy, he worked on numerous refinancings, acquisitions, operational integrations, and restructuring transactions. Prior to Katy, Mr. Kroll was a manager at Deloitte where we worked with middle-market and corporate clients across industries. Prior to Deloitte, he also spent 3 years in a regional public accounting firm working with middle-market companies.
In 2022, Curt won the M&A Advisor’s 16th Annual Turnaround Award (between $10mm and $100mm) for his work on the turnaround of francesca’s.
Mr. Kroll holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in accountancy from the University of Missouri. He is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA Inactive).
Rebecca Waits, Chief People Officer and Talent & Culture Practice lead at SierraConstellation Partners, has over 20 years of experience in talent management, culture and engagement and training/development, as well as a vast knowledge of executive-level planning in overall employee experiences. She focuses on organizational design, talent development and driving employee engagement.
As Chief People Officer, she is focused on building a world-class culture at SCP by successfully implementing strategic and innovative people solutions. Rebecca also supports business growth and transformation through developing programs to secure retention, diversity and inclusion, professional development and training, management and leadership coaching, employee relations and compliance.
As SCP’s Talent & Culture Practice lead, Rebecca focuses on helping clients with organizational development, leadership transitions and coaching, integrations, risk and HR compliance, talent acquisition and workforce planning, and talent data intelligence. She possesses an innate ability to translate complexities and uncertainties of the ever-changing work environment into actionable insights and innovative opportunities for high growth companies and their people.
Prior to SCP, Rebecca has held various, progressive HR and leadership positions within professional services companies (PR, digital marketing and Big 5 consulting firms) which has given her the opportunity to understand different industries and sectors. Most recently Rebecca was the Chief People & Culture Officer at PMK-BNC where she oversaw the employee experience, leading all agency best practices and programs.
Additionally, Rebecca thrives on being a mentor to other women. Rebecca is a member of the Women’s Leadership Council in Los Angeles. Formerly, she was Chair of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Interpublic Group Women’s Leadership Network which is an empowered IPG-wide organization that promotes the advancement, retention and recruitment of women. In 2017, Rebecca was on Los Angeles Business Journal’s Women of Influence list and one of Century City’s Women of Achievement.
Rebecca is originally from Georgia where she studied art at Reinhardt College. Rebecca contributes to the community by volunteering and pro bono work at various non-profit organizations in and around Los Angeles. Rebecca also sits on the Advisory Board for the University of California Riverside’s Design Thinking Executive Program.
Rebecca’s own leadership experiences builds credibility with her own clients, being able to advise and counsel C-suite executives, HR leaders, mid-level management and high potentials. One of Rebecca’s greatest accomplishments is having worked with managers who, because of coaching, were able to overcome obstacles and achieve extraordinary things.
Notable achievements are:
Industry Expertise
David Bitterman, a Managing Director at SierraConstellation Partners, has nearly 30 years of experience as a financial advisor, investment banker and sell-side research analyst mostly serving the automotive, transportation and general industrial sectors. His career has provided him with great connectivity to lenders, lawyers, private equity firms and other return-oriented investors. David has enjoyed great success professionally both in an execution and business development capacity. At SCP, David is focused on maintaining support from his longstanding relationships to expand SCP’s presence in new markets, mostly on the east coast.
Prior to SierraConstellation, David spent 11 years at Huron Consulting Group where he first served in a capital raising capacity, eventually co-heading the firm’s broker-dealer and, subsequently, running new business development nationally for the Business Advisory practice.
Prior to Huron, David was 8 years at Deutsche Bank Securities, mostly in leveraged finance, first running the High Yield Research group and then moving onto the Industrials investment banking team where he worked on financing transactions in the automotive, commercial truck and car rental industries. David helped arrange and finance several leveraged buyouts of automotive suppliers and well as finance consolidation in the car rental industry and in support of several car OEMs as they managed through the Great Recession.
Since then, David has helped to raise capital for many stressed and distressed middle market companies and has worked alongside many lenders and investors to manage through some very challenging credits and platform companies.
In 2021, David won the 15th Annual M&A Advisor Turnaround Award under the category of ‘Information Technology Deal of the Year’ for his work with Wave Computing.
David received his bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Tufts University and his MBA in Finance from the NYU Stern School of Business.
Industry Expertise
Robert O. Riiska, a Managing Director at SierraConstellation Partners, has over 25 years of turnaround and advisory experience, including serving in interim senior management capacities for clients and performing numerous value-added consulting assignments. Clients have included multigenerational family businesses, sponsor-backed roll-ups and large publicly traded corporations.
Mr. Riiska is a Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP), Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Mr. Riiska serves on the boards of several leading industry associations including the Executive Committee of the Turnaround Management Association’s Southern California Chapter, the Advisory Board of the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Bankruptcy Battleground West and as a Secured Finance Network member director.
In 2019, Mr. Riiska received the Turnaround Atlas Award for his work as Chief Restructuring Officer of LORAC Cosmetics prior to joining SCP in 2018.
Mr. Riiska’s recent engagements have been in diverse industries, including automotive dealerships, transportation, furniture manufacturing and retailers, apparel, mining, cryptocurrency lending, nonprofits, consumer products, restaurants and industrials.
Roe Hitchcock, a Managing Director out of Chicago at SierraConstellation Partners, brings with him 27 years of diverse experience in all facets of start-up, developmental stage, growth (organic and M&A) and mature businesses. Areas of expertise are implementing change management throughout an organization including personnel, operations and financing. By serving as both Permanent and Interim C Level executives in various companies and industries, Roe has successfully enhanced companies through 25+ years of finance and 15+ years of deep operational experience, as well as Capital Raising, M&A and restructuring/turnaround experience.
Prior to joining SCP, Roe demonstrated a results-driven track record across a variety of industries including manufacturing, distribution, agribusiness, construction products, transportation, healthcare, retail, CBD oil, etc. from startups, carve-outs and billion+ dollar companies.
Roe has developed significant Investment Banking Experience resulting from his early career at Arthur Andersen, M&A at Morgan Stanley, working as a PE Fund Executive and working with Private Equity firms.
Roe graduated from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana with Summa cum laude honors. After working for Arthur Andersen for 3 years, Roe attended Harvard Business School where he received his MBA..
Jordan Meyers is a Managing Director out of South Florida at SierraConstellation Partners. With 20+ years of experience in restructuring and advisory, Mr. Meyers has provided guidance to financially challenged entities across a full spectrum of engagements ranging from business and financial assessments, M&A transactions, interim management roles and bankruptcies resulting in reorganizations, liquidations and asset sales. He has experience servicing both debtors and senior secured lenders.
Prior to joining SierraConstellation Partners, Mr. Meyers worked for Riveron (formerly Winter Harbor) in a similar capacity. He also previously served at another restructuring firm, two international accounting firms, and as an investment banker.
Mr. Meyers holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Binghamton University and earned his MBA from Goizueta Business School at Emory University. He is also a Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor (CIRA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA-Inactive).
When Mr. Meyers isn’t working, you’ll most likely find him either on the golf course, at the 19th hole, or spending time with his family on the sports fields coaching his two sons.
Industry Expertise
Carl Moore, Managing Director and Head of the Dallas region at SierraConstellation Partners, has over 20 years of experience in distressed investing, private equity portfolio management, and the provision of advisory services to underperforming companies and companies in transition.
Prior to joining SCP, Carl had a 15-year career in the private equity, distressed investment and restructuring groups at Highland Capital Management in Dallas. Most recently, Carl served as the Co-Head of Highland’s Private Equity group managing a portfolio of 7 industrial and healthcare companies with a collective enterprise value of $700M. During and after the financial crisis, Carl co-managed a team of legal and investment professionals that led credit restructuring, amendment and related negotiations for the firm’s $25B+ leveraged loan and high-yield bond portfolio.
Prior to joining Highland, Carl practiced law as an associate with the law firms Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison and Looper, Reed & McGraw with a focus on financing and M&A transactions.
Carl graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BA in the Plan II Honors Program and a BBA in Finance, and then received a JD from the University of Houston Law Center. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, and was licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (currently inactive).
Industry Expertise
Bill Partridge, a Managing Director at SierraConstellation Partners, has over 25 years of corporate finance, restructuring and capital markets expertise, across multiple industries including technology, biotech, media, energy and construction. Since joining SCP, Bill has worked closely with management teams, boards of directors, and stakeholders through many complex situations, leading them to successful results.
Prior to SCP, Bill spent several years as an interim executive and turnaround consultant taking on many unique and challenging engagements for private companies throughout the U.S.
Bill’s experience also includes leadership roles in private equity, banking, and as management at several operating businesses including Suntech, where he worked on its successful restructuring. His private equity and banking experience includes JP Morgan Partners, Credit Suisse and ABN AMRO Bank.
Bill’s work has yielded positive outcomes and earned him several recent industry awards:
Bill received a BBA in Finance from the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.
Industry Expertise
Philip Kaestle is a Managing Director at SierraConstellation Partners where he provides financial and operational advisory services to companies in transition. He has experience with balance sheet restructurings, interim executive management, operational turnarounds, identifying strategic opportunities, debt and equity capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, financial modeling and forecasting. Philip has worked in a variety of industries, including aerospace, apparel, distribution, entertainment, financial services, food and beverage, healthcare, industrial services, manufacturing, marketing, media, real estate and retail.
Philip has served in a variety of senior-level positions including Interim President, Chief Restructuring Officer, Interim Chief Financial Officer, Liquidating Trustee, Financial Advisor and Investment Banker to numerous middle-market companies and is particularly skilled at assisting clients through challenging situations.
Prior to joining SCP, Philip was an associate vice president in OneWest Bank’s Media and Entertainment Finance Group where he was responsible for structuring, underwriting and executing new senior debt transactions and recapitalizations for media and entertainment companies. He was also a senior financial analyst in OneWest Bank’s Commercial Real Estate Group, responsible for managing and liquidating non-performing real estate assets.
Before joining OneWest Bank, Philip was an associate at Arch Bay Capital, a Southern California-based real estate investment fund. He started his career as an investment banking analyst with Imperial Capital, LLC in Los Angeles.
In 2020, Philip received the M&A Advisor’s Emerging Leader Award, which recognizes leading M&A, financial and turnaround professionals who have reached a significant level of success while still under the age of 40. In 2022, Philip was named to the Turnaround Management Association Northwest Chapter Board of Directors.
Philip holds a Bachelor’s degree in Financial Economics from Claremont McKenna College and is one of the co-leaders of the Claremont McKenna College Seattle Alumni Chapter.
Industry Expertise
Tim Bossidy is a Managing Director at SierraConstellation Partners with a significant track record of financial and operational consulting services to companies in transition. His advisory experience extends across turnaround management, mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and conducting financial modeling and forecasting across a variety of industries including: cannabis, consumer/retail, agriculture, media/entertainment, oil and gas, healthcare tech and healthcare services.
Prior to joining SCP, Tim worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. There he focused on mergers and acquisitions, alongside initial public offerings, other equity transactions and debt financing. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Tim worked as a credit analyst at The Travelers Companies, where he covered high yield and investment grade bonds across the oil and gas and municipal sectors.
In 2020, Tim received the M&A Advisor’s Emerging Leader Award, which recognizes leading M&A, financial and turnaround professionals who have reached a significant level of success while still under the age of 40.
Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and English from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management. He is originally from Connecticut and currently lives in Los Angeles.
Tim LeBeau, a Managing Director at SierraConstellation Partners, has over 25 years of leading turnarounds, rapid growth and global expansion for some of today’s most popular brands. Tim’s experience with turnarounds, restructuring and building successful businesses has been leveraged by iconic brands such as Bosch, Beats by Dre, Stanley Black & Decker, to global innovators such as Harman International and Seek Thermal.
His efforts have been recognized with several design patents and awards, including Popular Science’s “Best of What’s New”, Red Dot, and CES Innovation awards, and today, he is a sought-after speaker on technology trends in the global consumer electronics, automotive and supply chain spaces.
Tim’s engagements result in quick and sustainable improvements focusing on areas of working capital, product development pipeline & innovation roadmaps, strategic partnerships, supply chain and global commercialization.
Tim holds a BS in Marketing from Eastern Illinois University and an MBA in Marketing and Economics from DePaul University. He is an active member with the Turnaround Management Association, Association for Corporate Growth and Young Presidents Organization.
Tim’s recent engagements have been in diverse industries, including OEM and aftermarket automotive companies, fashion retailers, aviation, consumer electronics and e-commerce software industries.
Jun Song, a Managing Director at SierraConstellation Partners, has experience in special situations spanning across leveraged finance, restructuring and opportunistic investing.
He has executed numerous restructurings in a broad swath of industries, including energy, healthcare, hospitality, logistics and gaming, among others. Having advised company management as well as creditors at all levels of the capital stack, Jun brings a holistic perspective to complex situations where stakeholders often have contrasting objectives and expectations.
Prior to joining SCP, Jun led the west coast restructuring practice of Capstone Advisory Group (now BRG), where he guided clients inside and outside bankruptcy. He received a BA in economics and political science from Colgate University and an MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management.
Jeff Showalter, a Managing Director at SierraConstellation Partners, has over 30 years of experience leading transactions, turnarounds, and building world class finance and accounting teams. Jeff’s ability to rapidly digest a company’s strategy and operations allows him to make an immediate impact on profitability through process improvement, right sizing, and optimizing resource utilization. Jeff’s extensive transactional experience with institutional investors gives him deep insight into the nuances of such ownership and excels at bridging the gaps often found between owners and investors.
Jeff’s experience ranges from startups to established industry leading companies valued in the billions. His background extends across a wide variety of industries including investment banking, professional sports, entertainment, chemicals manufacturing and distribution, publishing, and biotech with well know companies such as Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, Napster, Fannie Mae Candies, and Halo Top Ice Cream.
Mr. Showalter received his MBA from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California and his Bachelor of Art’s Degree in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis. During his undergrad, he was a 2-sport varsity conference champion (basketball and track & field). He enjoys snowboarding, golfing, cooking, playing guitar and one day hopes to own a large dog.
Industry Expertise
William White, a Senior Director at SierraConstellation Partners, has over 12 years of experience advising companies and creditor groups through complex transactions, including in- and out-of-court restructurings, distressed mergers and acquisitions, and challenging financings.
He has worked with clients across a variety of industries and executed transactions ranging in size from less than $100 million to over $20 billion. His industry experience includes apparel, automotive, consumer retail, manufacturing, distribution, infrastructure, technology and telecommunications.
Prior to joining SCP, Mr. White was a vice president in the restructuring group at Rothschild, Inc. in New York. He also worked as a financial analyst in the financial restructuring group at Houlihan Lokey and as a financial analyst in the corporate finance group at Ernst & Young.
Mr. White holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern California and earned his MBA from New York University.
Industry Expertise
Christian Sorensen, a Senior Director at SierraConstellation Partners, provides operational and financial restructuring and advisory services to both underperforming companies and companies in transition. He has experience with in- and out-of-court restructurings, operational turnarounds/improvement, balance sheet restructurings, debt and equity capital raising, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, and conducting financial modeling and forecasting.
Christian has experience in a variety of industry verticals, including: aerospace and defense; agriculture; automotive; business services; consumer; food and beverage; healthcare; gaming, lodging and leisure; industrial and manufacturing; media and entertainment; oil and gas; restaurants; retail; technology; and transportation and logistics.
Prior to joining SCP, Christian worked at Sun Capital Partners, an operationally-focused middle-market private equity firm that invests in companies that are operationally challenged, experiencing an industry or business transition, undergoing a corporate divestiture, or managing rapid growth, with over $9 billion of capital under management. At Sun Capital Partners, Christian focused on analyzing control equity investment and divestiture transactions, and actively worked with executive management teams to drive performance improvement of portfolio companies. Prior to Sun Capital Partners, Christian worked at the investment bank Imperial Capital, where he focused on restructuring, financing, and M&A transactions.
In 2019, Christian won the M&A Advisor’s Annual Turnaround Award for Restructuring of the Year of between $25-$50 million for his work with the Cranberry Growers Cooperative.
In 2021, Christian received the M&A Advisor’s Emerging Leader Award, which recognizes leading M&A, financial and turnaround professionals who have reached a significant level of success while still under the age of 40.
Christian holds an Honors Business Administration degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, where he graduated with Distinction.
Industry Expertise
Ben Smith, a Senior Director out of Chicago at SierraConstellation Partners, has over 20 years of experience providing financial advisory, restructuring and turnaround, and operational improvement services to companies across the transformation spectrum from those significantly distressed, to those stressed in specific segments of finance/operations, to those with targeted performance improvement initiatives.
He has experience with complex restructurings (both in and out of court), operational improvement initiatives, financial planning and analysis, budgeting and forecasting, cash flow management and modeling, business plan development and strategy.
Ben has experience in a variety of industries, including: airlines; automotive; distribution; healthcare; industrial and manufacturing; restaurants; and transportation and logistics.
Prior to joining SCP, Mr. Smith was most recently a Senior Director at Huron leading and supporting turnaround, restructuring and performance improvement engagements for companies of varying sizes in multiple industries.
Mr. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in Government from Cornell University and earned his MBA from the University of Florida. He is also a Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor (CIRA) and Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP).
Industry Expertise
Roger Gorog, a Senior Director at SierraConstellation Partners, provides operational and financial advisory services to underperforming companies and companies in transition. His experience includes in- and out-of-court restructurings, business cost rationalizations, operational turnarounds, interim management, and transaction advisory services. Roger has experience across a variety of industries including, Aerospace & Defense, Business Services, Construction, Consumer Products & Retail, Energy, Financial Services, Food & Agriculture, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Real Estate, and Transportation & Logistics.
Before joining SCP, Roger was a Director at Alvarez & Marsal in their Healthcare Group where he worked on several large bankruptcy cases and numerous out of court restructurings. Prior to A&M, Roger worked in public accounting at Deloitte & Touche where he worked on financial statement audits of various corporations, both public and private.
Roger received his bachelor’s degree in economics and accounting from Claremont McKenna College and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from The Peter Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. He is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA, inactive) and a Certified Insolvency & Restructuring Advisor (CIRA). He is an active member of the Association of Insolvency & Restructuring Advisors (AIRA) and the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA).
Industry Expertise
John Halloran, a Senior Director at SierraConstellation Partners, provides interim management and operational and financial advisory services to underperforming companies and companies in transition. He leverages a growing track record at SCP and prior experience as a management consultant and private equity investor to help middle-market companies navigate through difficult business challenges. His experience includes exposure to various industries, such as pharmaceutical/biotechnology developers, consumer-facing brands, retailers, and distributors, media & entertainment providers, and information technology services and platforms.
John’s recent work at SCP has been recognized by industry awards, including:
John has completed relevant professional education including the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Certified Insolvency & Restructuring Advisor (CIRA) designations. John is also active in several industry associations including the Turnaround Management Association (TMA), the Association of Insolvency and Restructuring Advisors (AIRA), and CFA Society New York.
Prior to joining SCP, John was an investor with Omaha Beach Capital. There, he supported management of private equity investment vehicles, with a focus on underwriting lower- and middle- market transactions. He began his career as a management consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton’s Strategic Innovation Group.
John holds a B.S. and M.S. degree in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is an alumnus of Chaminade High School in Long Island, New York.
Sean Corwen, a Director out of New York at SierraConstellation Partners, has a decade of experience as a turnaround professional in both advisory and operational roles. Sean devises and implements financial and/or operational restructuring strategies for clients in chapter 11 or in out-of-court workout situations. He has advised clients across a variety of industries, including consumer goods, energy, financial services, healthcare, media, and professional services.
In addition to providing analytical and operational support to clients in turnaround situations, Sean is skilled in managing chapter 11 processes and frequently oversees the provision of statements of financial affairs, schedules of assets and liabilities, monthly operating reports, contract and lease analyses and other court-related filings in complex situations.
Prior to joining SierraConstellation Partners, Sean co-founded an e-commerce platform to sell premium products direct-to-consumer. Before that, he worked as an investment banker focused on balance sheet restructuring, debt advisory and distressed M&A, advising both debtors and creditors in whole-business sales and financings. He began his career at Hall Capital Partners LLC, a San Francisco-based outsourced chief investment officer and multi-family office.
Sean holds an AB in Classics from the College of the Holy Cross and earned his MBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. He previously held FINRA licenses Series 63 and Series 79.
Industry Expertise
Ahmed Shamsi, a Director out of Los Angeles at SierraConstellation Partners, supports Directors in providing operational and financial restructuring and advisory services to both underperforming companies and companies in transition.
Prior to joining SCP, Ahmed was an Audit Senior at Deloitte & Touche. His responsibilities included supporting and leading financial statement audits by identifying financial reporting risks, overseeing the implementation various audit procedures, and effectively managing teams of 2-5 people to meet strict reporting deadlines. Through auditing Ahmed has gained exposure to a variety of industries including Financial Services, Retail, eCommerce, and Manufacturing.
In 2021, Ahmed won the 15th Annual M&A Advisor Turnaround Award under the category of ‘Turnaround of the Year (Over $100MM)’ for his work with Alto Ingredients (fka Pacific Ethanol).
Ahmed earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Accounting from the University of Southern California. He is a CFA® charterholder and a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of California. In 2021, he successfully completed ACG’s Middle-Market Certification program.
He is a member of the CFA Institute and CFALA society.
Industry Expertise
Kevin Santos, a Director at SierraConstellation Partners, provides financial and operational advisory services to underperforming companies and companies undergoing transition. His over seven years’ experience includes in- and out-of-court restructurings, operational turnarounds, transaction advisory services, and conducting financial modeling and forecasting.
Kevin has experience in a variety of industry verticals, including construction, consumer retail, business services, distribution, food and beverage, industrials and manufacturing, media and entertainment, pharmaceuticals, and technology.
Prior to joining SCP, Kevin co-founded a finance and accounting solutions firm where he focused on building offshore full-service accounting teams that supported US-based companies. He was also a Senior Financial Analyst at a private roofing & solar construction firm where he supported restructuring efforts, developed and maintained financial models, and led an ERP implementation. Kevin started his career as a Financial Analyst at a public global media company, where he managed financial reporting of new and existing film, television, and online media production and distribution products.
In 2021, Kevin won the 15th Annual M&A Advisor Turnaround Award under the category of ‘Information Technology Deal of the Year’ for his work with Wave Computing.
Kevin received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, San Diego, where he majored in Management Science. He also successfully completed ACG’s Middle-Market Certification program. Kevin grew up in the Philippines and currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and dog.
Colin Moran, a Senior Associate at SierraConstellation Partners, provides financial and operational advisory services to both underperforming companies and companies in transition.
Prior to joining SCP, Colin was an Analyst in Fifth Third Bank’s Consumer & Retail Corporate Banking group where he primarily supported the Bank’s Food & Agribusiness clients. He assisted in the structuring, underwriting, and execution of various senior debt facilities by providing analytical and deal process support. Prior to joining the corporate banking group, Colin completed Fifth Third’s rotational training program where he rotated across the Bank’s various industry groups including commercial real estate, franchise finance, and diversified industries.
Colin holds a bachelor’s degree in Business with a double major in Finance and Economics from Miami University’s Farmer School of Business. Colin grew up in Michigan and currently resides in Chicago.
Joel Jones, a Senior Associate out of Los Angeles at SierraConstellation Partners, brings with him 7 years of experience across management consulting, proprietary equity trading, private equity, and corporate finance. His past work has spanned an array of industries, including Consumer Products, Clean Tech, Healthcare, Media, and Software.
Prior to joining SierraConstellation Partners, Joel served as a fractional CFO to startups, focusing on those with e-commerce and SaaS business models. In this role, he led financial modeling, FP&A, and cash flow management functions for his clients while providing strategic and capital-raising advisory services.
Joel holds a BA in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Before pursuing his MBA, Joel was a proprietary trader at Trillium Trading in New York. At Trillium, he utilized his quantitative background and financial expertise to manage the firm’s capital in short-term trades across US equity markets.
Joel enjoys snowboarding, scuba diving, and forever believing that he is just one swing tweak away from being a decent golfer. A former D-I track and cross country athlete, he now gets most of his mileage on walks with his beloved dog. Having grown up in central New Jersey, he bleeds green for the Philadelphia Eagles but has adopted his wife’s hometown Dodgers since his move to the west coast.
Mike De Vito, a Senior Associate out of New York at SierraConstellation Partners, provides financial and operational advisory services to underperforming companies and companies in transition.
Mike brings more than seven years of experience working in operational, investing, and advisory roles across various industries, including tech, specialty services, manufacturing, consumer goods, distribution, and software.
Prior to joining SCP, Mike was the Strategic Finance Manager at AllTrails, a startup in the outdoor technology space. He was responsible for FP&A, cross-functional strategic projects and led ad hoc investment opportunities. He was a liaison to the board of directors, investors, and closed equity and debt financings during his two years at the company.
Before joining AllTrails, Mike spent three years at Golub Capital, a private debt fund, where he focused on underwriting and monitoring middle-market investments across a variety of industries. He also worked with the Special Assets team, providing operational guidance and performance improvement initiatives to underperforming companies.
Prior to that, Mike worked at Mizuho Bank in the Financial Sponsors and Leveraged Finance group, providing investment banking services to private equity clients. Mike holds a B.S. in Finance from Fordham University, where he also played on the men’s soccer team. In his free time, Mike enjoys boating, fishing, and working out at his local CrossFit gym.
Industry Expertise
Carmine Bruno, an Analyst out of New York at SierraConstellation Partners, is a finance professional with three years of experience in both advisory and investment roles. He has worked with clients across a variety of industries including consumer & retail, information technology, healthcare, professional services, and transportation & logistics.
Prior to joining SierraConstellation Partners, Carmine worked at Aleutian Capital Group, a New York investment banking firm that provides M&A advisory and acquisition services in the North American middle market. As an analyst, Carmine was responsible for originating new opportunities, creating marketing materials, performing valuation analysis, and advising companies throughout the M&A process.
He began his career as T3 Trading Group LLC, a Registered SEC Broker Dealer & Member of FINRA/SIPC. As an equity trader, he managed a self-directed portfolio utilizing fundamental and technical analysis.
Carmine has a BA in Economics from Hamilton College. He holds FINRA licenses Series 57, Series 63, and Series 79.
Carmine enjoys watching sports, reading comics, trying new restaurants and is a fan of the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Mets. He was an all-conference football player in high school and college, and fortunately left the sport with just a few broken bones.