Private Equity Fast Pitch

Jonathan Lewis is the Co-founder and Managing Partner at Sheridan Capital Partners. Prior to founding Sheridan, Jonathan was at PNC Equity Partners in Pittsburgh and William Blair Capital Partners in Chicago, and he began his career at mergers and acquisitions boutique, Bowles Hollowell Conner in Charlotte.  
 
Jonathan earned a BA with honors in English, French, and philosophy from Furman University and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where he was an MBA Fellow at the Center for Private Equity and Entrepreneurship. Outside of Sheridan, he is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Commonwealth Club, and is civically engaged with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and MetroSquash.

Gary Shields is the Chairman and Managing Partner of Nassau Street Partners, where he spearheads the firm's strategic direction and directly leads all major initiatives. At the helm of the organization, Gary brings a wealth of experience with a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades in investment banking and venture capital.
Gary began his career in 1986 at LF Rothschild as a research analyst specializing in TMT stocks. In 1991, he joined the renowned investment bank Robertson Stephens as the Head of Environmental Services Investment Banking. Initially recruited as a Senior Research Analyst, Gary transitioned into the investment banking group, contributing to the firm's legacy as one of the "Four Horsemen" of investment banking.
Later in 1991, Gary became Head of Healthcare Investment Banking at The Chicago Corporation, where he drove innovative strategies in one of the most dynamic sectors of the market. In 1995, he co-founded Flemming, Lessard & Shields, a San Diego and San Francisco-based investment bank. As Managing Director, Gary advised hundreds of companies on M&A, divestitures, IPO planning, and capital formation.
Gary's expertise extends beyond investment banking into venture capital and corporate governance. He joined the board of Favrille in 2003, a biopharma company focused on immune system technologies, and played a pivotal role in its IPO and subsequent merger. Since 2020, he has served on the board of CureScience, guiding its partnerships and investments in cutting-edge diagnostics, regenerative medicine, and immunotherapy.
Today, under Gary's direct leadership, he also serves as a Managing Partner at AvTech Ventures, a San Diego-based investment bank and venture capital firm. AvTech is recognized for advising and investing in emerging growth companies from early stages through IPOs and M&A transactions. His hands-on management approach has built a track record of success in both domestic and international markets.
Gary's career reflects a deep commitment to innovation, strategic growth, and delivering exceptional outcomes for companies and investors alike. As the driving force behind Nassau Street Partners, his vision, expertise, and decisive leadership are instrumental in shaping the firm's direction and continuing to provide world-class advisory services to clients.
Gary is part of Nasau Street Partners (NSP) and registered with Nassau Street Securities (NSS), a registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/SIPC. All securities-related business and transactions are conducted solely through NSS.

Robert Reifman
Managing Director & Co-Head of Industrials, Lincoln International
Bobby advises clients on the best approach to maximize their investment returns on businesses they hold in the industrial space. He has significant mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisory experience, working on numerous transactions for leading private equity firms, public companies and private and family-owned businesses. His experience includes buy- and sell-side transactions, cross-border advisory, debt advisory and valuations.
Bobby extends himself beyond the sale process to develop long-term partnerships with clients and provide value at each step of their investment.
Bobby has a deep knowledge of industrial business dynamics and advises his clients regarding changes in regulations, brand competitiveness, manufacturing models and global trends. He leverages his mechanical engineering background to connect with leaders in the industry and has developed trusted relationships. Bobby has strong transaction experience with a broad range of industrial companies, specifically motion control, rubber and plastics, filtration, interconnects, engineered components and systems and tool-related products.
Prior to joining Lincoln, Bobby conducted M&A at Morgan Stanley. His diverse experience includes trading in the automated execution division at TradeLink, a quantitative hedge fund, and engineer consulting at Sargent & Lundy.
Bobby earned a Master of Business Administration (with Honors) from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois.

David Hellier is a Partner and Investment Committee member at Bertram Capital.  He oversees Bertram Capital's Origination and Capital Markets team, where he directs sourcing, investment opportunity assessment, intermediary/lender relationship development and sell-side selection processes. Prior to Bertram, David was President and CEO of The Gemesis Corporation, an early innovator in diamond growth technology. At Ask.com (IAC) David's leadership launched Ask Jeeves from the 312th ranked Internet site to the 12th largest site on the Web and built the company into one of the most widely recognized Internet brands. David held senior management positions at Iomega, establishing the company's presence as Managing Director of the Asia Pacific region and subsequently running the $1B North American Sales and Marketing Division. David began his career at Gates Energy Products/Energizer Power Systems. David received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration (1986) and Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Florida (1988).

Peter Lehman, co-founder of Granite Creek and member of the Investment Committee, has been leading private equity transactions and operating businesses since 1998. Peter leads the Firm's investment operations process as well as oversees the Firm's farmland investment platform, Moraine Farmland Partners. He began his career at Dakota Capital Partners, working with Brian Boorstein. Peter received his B.S. in Organizational Studies from Northwestern University.