Why Invest in Tampa Bay? - Annual Private Equity Update -

Mr. Hicks has more than 20 years of experience in private equity investing and financing entrepreneurial owned and managed businesses. Prior to forming Excellere Partners, Mr. Hicks served as an investment professional at Stone Arch Capital, LLC (“SAC”), an Upper Midwest focused middle-market private equity firm. and at George K. Baum Merchant Banc, LLC (“GKB”), a private equity firm focused on a buy and build investment strategy primarily within the food and beverage, consumer products and business service industries. Prior to SAC and GKB, Mr. Hicks began his career as both an investment professional and financing professional in Bank of America’s private equity subsidiary, BankAmerica Capital Corporation. Bank of America’s and Continental Bank’s Leveraged Finance Group, respectively. 

Through his career, Mr. Hicks has partnered with numerous entrepreneurial owned and led businesses through recapitalizations and supported those organizations in buy and build growth strategies in the food and beverage, healthcare services, healthcare products and technology, outsourced marketing services, consumer products, office furniture products, and industrial and municipal products industries. Mr. Hicks currently serves on the board of directors of Advanced Infusion Solutions and previously served on the board of directors of Advanced Pain Management, MTS Medication Technologies, PhyMed Holdings prior to their sales. 

Mr. Hicks earned an MBA with a concentration in entrepreneurship, finance and strategic management from The University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business and earned a BS in Finance from the University of Utah. 

Heather Madland is responsible for business development and investment sourcing activities, including outreach to deal professionals such as business brokers, investment banks, attorneys, accountants and consultants.

Heather has 18 years originating, structuring, and executing debt and equity transactions in the middle market.  Prior to joining Huron, Heather was responsible for all West Coast new business development for SPP Capital Partners, a NY-based investment bank. Heather also served as Vice President and Team Leader of Middle Market Banking at Comerica Bank in San Francisco and has also held roles at CIT Sponsor Finance and Madison Capital Funding LLC where she focused on originating and structuring leverage finance products for private equity clients.

Michael Pantilione is a Vice President at LLR Partners, a Philadelphia-based middle market private equity firm providing capital and strategic guidance to growth companies. Since joining LLR over 10 years ago, Mike has focused on investing in software and IT services businesses and advising on their growth strategies. His current investments include CoreDial, Key2Act, Logi Analytics, Message Systems, Tribridge and VersionOne. He has also worked closely with Revitas, Fleet One, Quintiq, The Reading Group, Welocalize and several other LLR portfolio companies, supporting M&A, operations, talent recruitment and marketing. Mike earned a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Nick Sayers is a Principal with Concentric Equity Partners and joined the firm in 2009. He is responsible for originating new investment opportunities, executing new investments and working with portfolio companies. Prior to joining Concentric, he was with CIVC Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm, where he focused on business services and financial services companies. Prior to joining CIVC, Nick spent two and half years with Lincoln International, an investment banking firm based in Chicago. In addition to his portfolio company responsibilities, Nick serves on the board of the Florida Venture Forum and Foundations College Prep. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Washington and Lee University, where he graduated magna cum laude and was elected Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.