Independent Sponsors & Capital Providers Dealmakers Meeting

Elena Mervine focuses on performing buy and sell-side due diligence for private equity firms, lenders, independent sponsors, family offices, and strategic buyers and sellers. With more than 16 years of experience in finance, public accounting, and transaction diligence, she serves clients throughout the lifecycles of transactions and assesses quality of earnings, working capital, financial reporting infrastructure, profitability, and value drivers of operations.

Joined Tamarix Equity Partners in 2022 to lead deal execution, investment strategy and portfolio management. Over ten years’ experience in private equity, growth capital, investment banking and as a consumer startup founder. Prior investment firms include Centre Partners, a middle-market private equity firm in NYC, Palisades Growth Capital, a growth-equity firm in Los Angeles, and Macquarie Capital, an investment bank. Bachelor of Arts degree from Middlebury College with a major in International Politics and Economics.

Binford earned his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business where he concentrated in finance, accounting and strategic management. He completed his undergraduate studies at Washington University in St. Louis where he earned a B.S. in computer science and a B.S./B.A. in finance.

Paul Marino is a partner in the Financial Services and Corporate Groups. Paul focuses his practice in matters concerning financial services, corporate law and corporate finance. Paul provides counsel in the areas of private equity funds and mergers and acquisitions for private equity firms and public and private companies and private equity fund and hedge fund formation.

Paul works on a variety of M&A transactions, including leveraged acquisitions, divestitures of business divisions, going-private transactions, and other strategic acquisitions and dispositions, in the following industries: manufacturing, telecommunications, consumer products, hospitality, healthcare, and technology, among others. His practice also includes joint ventures and general company representation matters.

Paul has represented national and multinational corporations, ranging from telecoms to tech companies, as well as real estate syndication and financial investors and investment advisors. He has also negotiated and structured a number of U.S. domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures.

Burt Francis is a Managing Director of Business Development at ECA. He works with clients to fill permanent and project based roles. Burt has wide-ranging experience in engineering, business leadership and management consulting in various industries including aerospace, software, financial services, and manufacturing. This includes notable tenure with Oliver Wyman, The Boeing Company, General Dynamics and Starbase Technologies Inc.

Burt graduated summa cum laude, with a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Paul Valentine is an experienced corporate lawyer who advises venture funds, private investment firms, middle-market companies and privately held companies across a broad array of industries, including carwash, hospitality, health care and consumer products. He has extensive experience with acquisitions, dispositions, minority investments and joint ventures. Paul also counsels clients with respect to legal opportunities and challenges related to qualified opportunity zones, real estate funds and fund formation.

Paul works creatively and efficiently, partnering with his clients to understand their business operations and risk profile to tailor his legal advice to their business goals. Clients rely on Paul to neutralize obstacles, focus on practical solutions to business and legal problems, and navigate the changing legal landscape.

Christine focuses on the investment activities of Parkway Capital, the mezzanine business of Calvert Street Investment Partners. Prior to joining the firm in 2021, Christine was an associate on the Debt Capital Markets platform at M&T Bank.

Christine holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Davidson College. She co-leads the Women Investors Networking Council (WINC) Career Development working group for the Small Business Investor Alliance (SBIA).

Mr. Cunningham is President and co-founder of Touchstone Group. Touchstone has helped raise billions of dollars in institutional investor commitments to private equity and venture capital managers since 2002. Previously, Mr. Cunningham co-founded an investment management firm that developed the first life-cycle mutual funds, and advised pension fund trustees on asset-liability and governance issues. Following graduate school, he spent seven years working for Bucyrus International, ultimately as General Manager of their Chilean subsidiary. He has co-authored two books on investing, and holds a Masters of International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a BA from Williams College.

Chase Stuart is a partner in Ice Miller's Business Group and the Office Managing Partner in New York. He represents a variety of private equity funds, family offices, independent sponsors, privately-held businesses, private credit funds, and mezzanine funds. He provides strategic and legal advice in their investment and general corporate strategies, including on leveraged buyouts and other M&A, financings, minority investments, growth capital transactions, and early and late stage private equity investments. He represents family, founder, and entrepreneur-owned businesses as general corporate counsel and as a sell-side advisor. He has represented a variety of companies in sectors such as aerospace and defense, technology, manufacturing, consumer products, business services, gaming, and health care.

Mr. Boorstein, co-founder of Granite Creek and member of the Investment Committee, has been leading private equity transactions and operating businesses since 1998. Prior to Granite Creek, Mr. Boorstein co-founded Heller Equity Capital Corporation as well as Dakota Capital Partners. Mr. Boorstein began his career in private equity at Golder, Thoma & Cressey. He was formerly a consultant at Arthur Andersen & Co. and an investment banker at Merrill Lynch Capital Markets. He holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.S. from Stanford University.

Marcus G. Bodet is a private investment partner and technology acquisition specialist at B.I.G. Capital LLC (“BIG”), a private investment firm focused on acquiring software companies. With a strong background in corporate law and business transactions, Marcus has worked with enterprise software companies and Fortune 500 corporations, including major banks, insurance companies, telecommunications firms, and federal and state government agencies.

At BIG, Marcus directs acquisition strategies and portfolio management, overseeing negotiations and due diligence. His expertise bridges both the technical and business sides of software enterprise solutions, combining legal knowledge with entrepreneurial insight. Before joining BIG, Marcus had a successful career in corporate law, serving as General Counsel at a healthcare technology company, Senior Associate at a national law firm, and Managing Member and Partner at boutique law firms. In these roles, he led M&A teams, managed private placements, and oversaw public offerings.

An expert in mergers and acquisitions and technology licensing, Marcus has structured deals ranging from $2 million to over $200 million, guiding numerous successful corporate acquisitions. He has also negotiated and drafted technology agreements for leading corporations such as Burger King Corporation and JM Family Enterprises.

Marcus earned his law degree from Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law and holds a Bachelor of Health Services in Health Administration from Florida Atlantic University. Fluent in both Spanish and French, he is well-equipped to manage international business transactions and partnerships across diverse markets.

Francis is a member of Milton Street’s Investment Committee and oversees all firm activities including fundraising, investing, portfolio company management, and people development. Prior to co-founding Milton Street in 2016, he spent 11 years with The Sterling Group, where he participated in 6 platform investments and numerous add-on acquisitions, representing a total enterprise value in excess of $2 billion.