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Mr. Montminy founded and leads our Firm, spearheading its client assignments and operations across the globe. For over 25 years, he has led professional service firms and initiated cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions, leveraged and management buyouts, private placements of equity securities, restructurings, business valuations, fairness opinions and strategic advisory assignments. He has advised founders, CEOs and boards of both private and public companies, in a wide range of industries including food and beverage, consumer products, retail, hospitality & leisure, financial services, technology, sports, media and entertainment. Over his career, Mr. Montminy has originated, led and closed over $6 billion of middle market transaction volume, including over $2 billion in cross-border transactions in over 30 countries. He has led the Firm’s most notable transactions, setting market peak valuations for sell-side transactions.
Prior to forming Montminy & Co., Mr. Montminy was a Managing Director of Los-Angeles-based investment bank Greif & Co., leading a broad range of middle market transactions and co-managing the firm’s growth with its founder. He was previously the Director of Business Development for multinational law firm Arter & Hadden, LLP and served as the youngest member of the firm's Management Committee, helping double the firm to nearly 500 professionals in less than five years. Mr. Montminy holds an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California, attended Case Western Reserve School of Law and holds a B.A. Summa Cum Laude from Mercyhurst University, where he was an Academic All-American in ice hockey and in 2020 received the university Distinguished Alumni Award. Mr. Montminy is registered with FINRA and holds the Series 24, 7, 79 and 63 licenses. A citizen of both the United States and Canada, he has visited over 50 countries.
Mr. Montminy serves on various private boards, as has lead three through a successful strategic sale. He also serves on nonprofit boards related to arts, entrepreneurship, education, the environment and medical research. He is an active member of YPO, the world’s leading business organization of over 35,000 CEO’s. Within YPO, Mr. Montminy has served in over 25 leadership positions, including Chair of the Hollywood Chapter, Chair of the Pacific Region, Global Chair of Family, Global Chair of Networks, and on YPO’s Global Board of Directors. He serves on the Board of Trustees and as Chair of the Finance and Audit Committees of the Village School in Pacific Palisades, California. He has served as Co-Chairman of the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, annual Invest in Hope Los Angeles Gala, Host Committee of the Los Angeles Common Sense Media Awards, and External Advisory Committee to Conservation International, among others. Mr. Montminy is an active community volunteer youth sports coach in both AYSO soccer and PONY baseball.
Mr. Montminy is regularly quoted by financial and trade media. He serves as a guest resource at business associations, educational institutions, and industry conferences. He has received numerous professional accolades, including:
• “Boutique Middle Market Investment Banker of the Year - North America” – M&A Today, 2022
• “Banking & Finance Visionary” - Los Angeles Times, 2021, 2022
• “Leader of Influence” – Los Angeles Business Journal, 2021, 2022
• “Distinguished Alumni Award” – Mercyhurst University, 2020
• “500 Most Influential People in Los Angeles” - Los Angeles Business Journal, 2019 - 2022
• “L.A.’s Most Influential Investment Bankers” - Los Angeles Business Journal, 2018 - 2022
• “Investment Banker of the Year” and “M&A Deal of the Year”, and 7 sector specific awards - The M&A Advisor, 2005, 2011, 2014 – 2018
• “Winner 40 Under 40, West Region” - The M&A Advisor, 2012
• “Global Best of the Best” - YPO, 2011, 2012
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Mr. Avedissian has over 18 years of experience in various financial advisory roles most notably including distressed M&A, capital raising, restructurings and turnarounds. His experience spans across various industries including alternative energy, automotive, entertainment, gaming, healthcare, pharmaceutical, real estate and technology industries. Prior to joining Montminy & Co., Mr. Avedissian was a Managing Director at B. Riley Advisory Services where he provided restructuring, turnaround, distressed M&A and liquidation services to distressed companies, creditors and investment groups through in-court and out-of-court processes. Previously, he spent five years in the Corporate Finance/Restructuring practice at FTI Consulting, Inc. and was also a member of the firm’s investment banking group, FTI Capital Advisors, LLC (member FINRA/SIPC), where he advised a diverse group of middle-market companies, both healthy and distressed, on capital raising and mergers and acquisitions transactions. Mr. Avedissian holds an M.B.A. with concentrations in Finance and Accounting from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he received the Graduate School of Business Merit Scholarship, a J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and a B.A. in History and Political Science from The University of California, Los Angeles. He is registered with FINRA and holds the Series 7, 63 and 79 licenses. Additionally, he is licensed to practice law in the State of California.
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Mr. Bratter has over 25 years of diversified financial experience in the areas of investment banking and commercial banking. He has completed a wide variety of corporate finance transactions including cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions, leveraged and management buyouts, underwriting initial and secondary public offerings, private placements of debt and equity securities. Prior to joining Montminy & Co., Mr. Bratter founded Bratter Enterprises, LLC - an advisory firm providing financial market expertise to middle-market growth companies. Previously, Mr. Bratter was a Senior Vice President with Greif & Co., where he was involved in many of the firms' most notable transactions. Prior to that, he was Vice President in the Corporate Finance Group with Van Kasper & Co., and Vice President with Bank of California in the Commercial Lending Group. Mr. Bratter holds an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California where he graduated with Phi Kappa Phi and Beta Gamma Sigma business honors and a B.S. in Finance from San Diego State University. Mr. Bratter is registered with FINRA and holds the Series 62, 79 and 63 licenses.
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Mr. Chambers joins Montminy & Co. with 25 years of diversified banking experience, with deep expertise in both FinTech and debt advisory. Prior to joining Montminy & Co., he was a Senior Vice President for Wells Fargo Private Banking. Prior to Wells Fargo, Mr. Chambers was an Executive Director at J.P. Morgan, in the wealth management solutions group. Previously, he was a Senior vice President at Chase in its Commercial Middle Market group, and a Senior Vice President at Comerica (formerly Imperial Bank) as one of the founding members of its entry into the Phoenix market. Mr. Chambers began his career at First Interstate Bank of Arizona. He received a Bachelor of Science at Arizona State University, College of Business. Mr. Chambers is registered with FINRA and holds the Series 7, 63, 66 and 79 licenses.
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Mr. Ghoreichi has over 20 years of experience in helping individuals, organizations and teams within the global sports industry and leads the Firm’s sports sector initiatives. His expertise includes revenue maximization, strategic planning, governance, investment decisions, as well as commercial, regulatory, organizational and structural matters. Before joining Montminy & Co., Mr. Ghoreichi was the founder and Managing Director of Globus Sports Advisors LLC, where his clients included professional soccer clubs, institutional and high net worth investors, and commercial partners. Mr. Ghoreichi holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and History from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Juris Doctor from Whittier Law School.
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Mr. Iqbal has more than 14 years of diversified investment banking experience. He is the Head of the firm’s Technology & Media group and supervises the entire team of junior professionals. Prior to joining Montminy & Co., Mr. Iqbal was an Associate at Telos Advisors, a Los Angeles investment bank specializing in media & technology companies. While at Telos, Mr. Iqbal was integrally involved in the firm's M&A, private placement and strategic advisory practices. Previously, he was an Associate technology banker at Montgomery & Co., a Los Angeles investment bank specializing in technology M&A and financings. Prior to that he was an industry generalist at New Century Capital Partners, where Mr. Iqbal advised a variety of privately-held companies in M&A and private placement transactions. In 2022, he received the Emerging Leader Award by M&A Advisor. Mr. Iqbal is registered with FINRA and holds the Series 63 and 79 licenses.
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Mr. Koenig has over 25 years of diverse financial services experience in the areas of corporate banking; leverage finance; subordinated debt financing; equipment leasing; commercial real estate finance; and both primary and secondary loan syndications and trading. Mr. Koenig has completed over $1.5 billion in both senior and subordinated debt/lease transactions encompassing management led buyouts; M&A; international financings; complex commercial real estate; and various structured debt transactions. Before joining Montminy & Co., Mr. Koenig was the CEO and Director of Northwest Bank where he was responsible for leading the growth and setting the strategic direction of a 3-state, privately owned $500 million asset sized bank. Previously, Mr. Koenig was an Executive Vice President with Western Alliance Bank (NYSE: WAL) in Phoenix, Arizona where he managed various specialty banking groups including corporate finance, leverage finance, equipment leasing, municipal finance, resort finance, and the Bank’s equity investments in several SBIC funds. Prior to WAL, he was a SVP/Manager of Comerica Bank’s Arizona based Middle Market Banking Group. Prior to Comerica, Mr. Koenig was a Strategy Consultant with Anderson Consulting in Los Angeles where he advised clients on various aspects of brand strategy, efficiency enhancement, and value creation through EVA frameworks. Prior to Anderson, he was employed as a Vice President in the Real Estate Industries Division of City National Bank (CNB) in Los Angeles where he was responsible for financing numerous large construction projects and established the bank’s real estate mezzanine finance program. Prior to CNB, Mr. Koenig was employed with both Weyerhaeuser Reality Ventures and with Home Capital Development Group where he was a financial analyst in their respective real estate private equity groups, responsible for analyzing the viability of both new commercial and subdivision development projects. Mr. Koenig holds an MBA in Corporate Finance from the University of Southern California where he graduated with Beta Gamma Sigma Honors and a B.A. in Economics from San Diego State University. He serves on the board of Alliance of M&A Professionals, Phoenix Chapter. Mr. Koenig is registered with FINRA and holds the Series 63 and 79 licenses.
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Mr. Laver has over 30 years of experience creating, building and selling operating businesses for some of North America’s premier companies. He was a National Partner of Trammell Crow Company (now CBRE), Chief Operating Officer of Brookfield Properties, and the first President of its facilities management business (now BrookfieldGIS). Mr. Laver was also Chief Operating Officer and a founding Partner of Bentall Capital (now BentallGreenOak). He was President of Intrawest's luxury residence club division, where he created, developed and sold successful resort projects in the US and Canada. Mr. Laver was also President of the global sales and marketing firm Playground, where his teams sold over $4 billion of real estate in 15 countries. He co-founded Forte International, a lifestyle marketing/sales company, and was a founding owner of Sotheby's International Realty Canada, building it into the largest franchise for that brand prior to sale. Mr. Laver has been affiliated with the firm since 2013. He was educated at Principia College and Harvard Business School, and is registered with FINRA with Series 63 and 79 licenses.
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Mr. Bakhshandehpour is the President and Board Member of José Andrés' (JA) restaurant and media company. Driven by the mission of “Changing the world through the power of food," JA's platform spans 30+ restaurants across 9 markets globally and multiple cuisines, including the 2-Michelin starred Minibar, and numerous Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants. He also runs José Andrés Media division (JAM) which produces food-related cultural content across scripted, unscripted - film and television, books, podcasts, and digital content. JAM also houses numerous global partnerships and a consumer products platform. Through his hospitality platform, The Silverstone Companies, Mr. Bakhshandehpour has made numerous investments including The Electric Jane (live music lounge / restaurant), Cultivate Hospitality (F&B programming), Bazaar by José Andrés, and select other hotel, restaurant and lifestyle properties. Previously, he served as President, CEO and Board Member of sbe Entertainment, a private-equity backed hotel, restaurant and nightlife company with over 80 properties globally. Mr. Bakhshandehpour started his career on Wall Street with J.P. Morgan Securities running the Global Casino and West Coast Real Estate & Lodging Investment Banking practice focused on mergers & acquisitions and capital raising.
Mr. Bakhshandehpour holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. He served on the board of The New Home Company (NYSE: NWHM) and Georgetown University McDonough School of Business’ Board of Advisors as a Board Member and Capital Campaigns Committee Member. Mr. Bakhshandehpour is a trustee of Federal City Council (FC2), a founding member of the Georgetown Wall Street Alliance West, and an active member and former Chair of the Bel Air Chapter of YPO. He is FINRA-registered with the series 7, 24, 63 licenses.
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Mr. Chesler has 25 years of experience as an investor and advisor focused on diversified industrial, infrastructure, energy and renewables. Previously, Mr. Chesler was a Managing Director for the GFI Energy Group of Oaktree Capital Management, a series of ~$1 billion private equity funds, where he leveraged his industry knowledge and extensive sector relationships to identify and execute investment opportunities in the utility, energy and industrial sectors. Prior to joining Oaktree, Mr. Chesler was an investment banker for twelve years, most recently as a Managing Director at Credit Suisse, in the industrials group where he was responsible for the firm's industrial services and engineering & construction investment banking practice. He served a similar leadership role at Lehman Brothers as a Vice President. Prior to investment banking, Mr. Chesler was a Manager with Price Waterhouse in their restructuring, turnaround and interim management consulting practice.
Mr. Chesler also serves as a Senior Advisor to APH Holdings, a minority-owned private investment firm and serves on the boards of Odin Construction Solutions, a leading self-performing environmental remediation and geotechnical construction company and Goodman Telecom Services, a leading provider of wireless network deployment and cell site maintenance solutions. He previously served on the boards of several industrial companies including Infrastructure & Energy Alternatives, the largest erector of renewable wind projects, Contact Land Staff, a leading right of way acquisition and management firm, and RECON, a leading environmental and geotechnical services provider. Mr. Chesler received a B.A. degree in Economics from Pomona College and earned his M.B.A from the UCLA Anderson School of Business.
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Mr. MacLean is a highly sought-after apparel and retail industry expert and has served in senior executive roles for leading international apparel brands, including Liz Claiborne, Seven for All Mankind, Paige, Rock Revival, as well as executive roles at The Hudson Bay Company. Mr. MacLean is founder of Trent MacLean Management Consulting, a firm specialized in servicing entry and middle-market wholesale manufacturers and retailers. Over his career, Mr. MacLean has launched, re-launched and integrated high-profile brands, established and leveraged international distribution networks, crafted complex business plans, identified and trained executive talent, and strategically prepared businesses for executing exit strategies and near-term liquidity events. As a consumer strategist, he has extensive experience assessing businesses from the bottom up-making them more cost-effective, organized, and smarter. Mr. MacLean graduated from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor Degree in Environmental Studies and is a guest lecturer at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
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Mr. On has six years of investment banking and private equity experience in a broad range of industries. Prior to joining Montminy & Co., Mr. On was a Senior Analyst at Gryphon Investors, a San Francisco-based middle market private equity firm. At Gryphon, Mr. On assisted with the sourcing, analyzing, structuring, financing and execution of transactions. Prior to that, he was an investment banking analyst at Wells Fargo Securities where he helped raise debt for companies across multiple industries as part of the Leveraged Finance Group. Mr. On received his B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Mr. On is registered with FINRA and holds Series 63 and 79 licenses.
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Mr. Bernal has 10 years of generalist management, investment banking and private equity experience. Prior to Montminy & Co., Mr. Bernal was an Intern Analyst at Arrowroot Capital, a private equity firm based in Santa Monica, CA. Mr. Bernal has particular expertise in mergers & acquisitions for the manufacturing, retail, consumer and business services industries. Prior to that, Mr. Bernal spent over seven years as a Project Manager for CJ Bernal Construction, a family-owned commercial and residential construction company, where he oversaw a myriad of construction projects from start to finish. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.A. major in economics. Mr. Bernal is registered with FINRA and holds the Series 79 and 63 licenses.
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Mr. Varisano has six years of investment banking and private equity experience in a broad range of industries. Prior to joining Montminy & Co., Mr. Varisano was a private equity analyst intern at Access Capital Partners, a leading European manager and advisor of private equity, private debt and infrastructure funds. At Access Capital Partners, Mr. Varisano assisted with the business development of the company. Prior to that, he was an investment banking analyst intern at Merodis, an independent Brussels-based M&A boutique, where he provided support for M&A advisory services and developed a particular expertise on the technology, communication and healthcare industries. Mr. Varisano received his Bachelor and Master of Business Engineering from the Solvay Brussels Business School. Mr. Varisano is registered with FINRA and holds the Series 79 and 63 licenses.
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Ms. Mehta joined Montminy & Co. from our Analyst Intern program. Prior to Montminy & Co, Ms. Mehta was an Investment Research Associate at Metamora Growth Partners, a private equity company based in San Francisco, CA. Prior to that, she was an Investment Analyst for Bajaj Capital based in India where she was involved in capital market analysis, consulting, and capital raising. Ms. Mehta holds her B.S in Finance and Management from Purdue University, and a Master’s degree in Finance from Pepperdine University.
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Mr. Park has over 12 years of accounting experience in the financial services industry. For the last 10 years, he has been a key participant in the financial and accounting activities of Montminy & Co. Today, Mr. Park manages the accounting and finance functions of Montminy & Co. and its affiliates, including preparation and consolidation of financial statements, analysis of management reports, general ledger, budgeting, cash management and risk management. In conjunction with the firm's CEO, FINOP and outside auditors, Mr. Park handles associated regulatory filings including annual audit procedures.
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Mr. Martin has 25 years of experience as an investor and advisor focused on early stage, growth stage, secondary and employee stock option loans. He is the Founder and Managing Director of Archer Venture Capital, a venture capital fund focused on emerging IT and digital media investments. Prior to founding Archer, Mr. Martin was a partner with Redpoint Ventures. He is the co-founder and Chairman of BetheBeast, co-founder and Vice-Chairman of Nurocor Software, and sits on the boards of Sovrn and QMerit. Previously, Mr., Martin was the CEO of True(X) Media. Prior to that, he led and exited investments in TrueCar (TRUE), 2U (TWOU), SquareTrade (sold to AllState), Shopkick (sold to SK Telecom), True(X) Media (sold to Fox), Yodlee (YDLE), Networks in Motion (sold to TSYS), Alacra (sold to Opus Global), TelASIC Communications (sold to MTI), Simula Labs (sold to Exist Labs), Webvisible (sold to The Berry Company) and Akana Software (sold to RogueWave). Mr. Martin was also actively involved with Redpoint’s investment in MySpace (sold to NEWS). Previously, he was an investment banker with Donaldson Lufkin and Jenrette's Technology Group and before that, with Smith Barney where he focused on cross-border M&A and financing transactions. He is also co-owner of Rainmaker Securities, a merchant bank focused on private securities transactions. Mr. Martin is a past board member of the Los Angeles Venture Association (LAVA) and an Advisory Board member of the Tech Coast Angels and the San Diego Venture Group. Mr. Martin is a Carter Scholar from the UCLA Anderson School of Business and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary. He is registered with FINRA and holds the Series 7, 63 and 24 licenses.
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Dr. Zelana Montminy is a renowned behavioral scientist, a prominent figure in Positive Psychology and one of Maria Shriver’s Architects of Change. She is the author of bestselling 21 Days to Resilience. Dr. Montminy has advised hundreds of industry leading companies and has partnered with a variety of schools, universities and non-profits on resilience and health & wellness programming. As a public speaker and consultant, some of her corporate clients include American Express, KPMG, Coca Cola, Estee Lauder, Bank of America, Capital Group, Adidas, Victoria’s Secret, HMS Host, New Balance, Honey , Wedderspoon, Suja, Smashbox, Chobani and YPO. An advocate of mental fitness and cultural myth-busting, she appears regularly on shows such as Access Hollywood, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Dr. Oz Show, The Doctors, PopSugar, and Power Up!, among others. Dr. Montminy also makes ongoing contributions to a variety of editorials including Real Simple, Health Magazine, Parents, Redbook, Better Home & Gardens, People, Psychology Today, Huffington Post, Forbes, and the L.A. Times. Dr. Montminy currently serves on several community and philanthropic advisory boards including the Los Angeles Advisory Council for Common Sense Media, and the Lovevery Scientific Advisory Board. She previously served on the Happiness Institute of Applied Research, as well as numerous committees of YPO in Los Angeles, the pacific region and globally. Dr. Montminy has a Doctor of Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, a Certificate in Nutrition from Cornell University and holds a Bachelor of Science, Honors, from Pomona College. She is a published author in over 15 languages and has enjoyed a wide spanning performing arts career, including national anthem performances for the San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, commercial and music video appearances and national poetry awards.
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Mr. Riggins has over 30 years of experience in a variety of corporate finance activities including financial management, cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions, valuation, turnarounds, strategic planning, business process design and business combinations. Prior to Montminy & Co., Mr. Riggins was Director of Client Services at the Corum Group and assisted in the completion of over $600 million in sell-side transactions for 20 clients in the software and IT Services industries. Previously, Mr. Riggins held senior leadership roles in three entrepreneurial companies, for which he raised capital, helped grow, and eventually led successful exits. Prior to that, Mr. Riggins spent 10 years at the ParaMarketing Group, a business strategy and marketing consultancy that helps clients develop go-to-market strategies for new products, service offerings and process redesigns where his clients included Adobe, IBM, Hitachi Data Systems, Cisco, Docent, Segate and Adaptec. Mr. Riggins started his career as an audit partner at KPMG Peat Marwick, where for 21 years he provided audit and financial services to a wide range of privately held and public clients. Mr. Riggins holds a Bachelor of Administration and Accounting Degree from the University of Washington, and previously was licensed as a CPA in Hawaii, Guam and Washington State.
