Independent Sponsors & Capital Providers Dealmakers Meeting

Mark co-founded Clarendon in 1998. He has over 30 years’ experience as a principal investor, board member, C-level executive, and management consultant focused exclusively on the Transportation, Logistics and Distribution sectors. Mark proprietarily sourced seven Clarendon investments and has served as Chairman and a Director on the boards of several companies in the Transportation, Logistics and Distribution sectors.

In 1998, Mark conceived RoadLink (now RoadOne), an intermodal logistics consolidation vehicle, as Clarendon’s first investment and worked with his Clarendon partners to organize and co-found the company in 2000. Following RoadLink’s formation, he guided the investment as a RoadLink board member and shareholder representative and served as CFO/SVP Finance & Acquisitions, Secretary/Treasurer and Chief Strategy Officer. Following a sale to a leading private equity firm in 2006, Mark continued in senior finance, M&A and strategic development roles, helping grow RoadLink to over $400 million in revenue. Over the course of his decade of RoadLink involvement, Mark executed over 25 acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and debt/equity financings comprising over $350 million of transaction value.

Before launching Clarendon, Mark was a senior manager in the Transportation/Logistics Management Consulting Practice of A.T. Kearney, where he led engagements in strategic development, M&A and profit improvement for transportation and private equity clients. Prior to A.T. Kearney, Mark was part of the team that launched Princeton Transportation Group (later sold to Manhattan Associates), where he led engagements applying university research from Princeton and M.I.T. to improve the profitability of transportation clients.

Mark received an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business where he was named an Arjay Miller Scholar. He received a BS in Operations Research and BA in Economics from Cornell University where he graduated with highest honors. Mark serves on the national board of the “I Have a Dream” Foundation, which empowers children of low-income communities across the U.S. to achieve a college education.

Brad Batten is a Managing Partner at Broadtree. Brad brings 14+ years of private equity, direct investing, and investment banking experience. Selected highlights from Brad's background include:

•  Responsible for the build out of the Zwick Partners Family Office direct Private Equity investment strategy
•  Manages all aspects of the investment operation including deal sourcing/origination, diligence, execution, and strategic management and oversight of the portfolio through board of director roles
•  Frequent speaker at alternative investment conferences focused on independent sponsors, family offices, and private wealth management events
•  Prior to joining Zwick Partners, Brad worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. At BofA Merrill Lynch, Brad was responsible for structuring and underwriting credit products for Private Equity leveraged buyouts. In addition to transaction responsibilities, Brad was instrumental in managing the bank's exposure to an $8.7Bn credit portfolio of sponsor-backed leveraged loans.

Brad earned a B.A. in History with a minor in Economics from Davidson College.

Mr. Song has a diverse background with over 30 years in principal investments, investment banking, and operational experience. Prior to co-founding Prodos Capital ("Prodos"), Mr. Song was the head of investments and corporate finance for Verus International, a boutique merchant banking firm that was co-founded by Citigroup, where he led investments in both private and public companies in the emerging growth and middle market. Prior to Verus, Mr. Song was SVP of Corporate Development at On2 Technologies. At On2, Mr. Song led all aspects of strategic planning, financial analysis, mergers & acquisitions, financings and the capital markets. Prior to joining On2, Song was a Managing Director at Bluestone Capital Partners, where he was a senior banker and a manager in that firm's Corporate Finance Department. At BlueStone, Mr. Song was responsible for the execution of public offerings and private placements as well as merger and acquisition transactions. Mr. Song was a member of BlueStone's Management Committee and Commitment Committee. Previously, he held positions as an investment banker at Smith Barney in the Global Energy and Power Group and Chase Manhattan Bank in the M&A Group and subsequently in the Workout Group. Mr. Song received a B.S. in Finance, School of Management at Boston University.

Silvia Lupu is a seasoned executive and a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) with over 7 years of experience in the investment and financial industry. With a strong academic background in International Economic Relationships, Silvia possesses a deep understanding of global markets and a keen eye for strategic decision-making.

Throughout her career, Silvia has honed her expertise by working in five countries across three continents, gaining invaluable insights into diverse financial ecosystems. Her international exposure has equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of the nuances and challenges of conducting business on a global scale.

Silvia's leadership journey spans both mid and senior management positions, where she has consistently demonstrated her ability to drive results, inspire teams, and navigate complex financial landscapes. Her dynamic approach, combined with a strong focus on innovation and sustainable practices, has positioned her as a visionary leader in the industry.

With a passion for ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing, Silvia has been at the forefront of integrating responsible investment practices into the financial sector. Her commitment to sustainability and ethical decision-making has earned her recognition as a thought leader in the industry, advocating for the importance of aligning financial goals with positive social and environmental impact

Judd Kohn joined White Wolf Private Credit Management, LLC as managing director and head of private credit enterprise lending solutions.

Prior to joining White Wolf, Kohn worked at First Merchants Bank in its sponsor finance group. At First Merchants, Kohn was responsible for establishing the Southeast region and leading the process on numerous lower middle market credit deals.

Prior to joining First Merchants Bank, Kohn worked at CIBC Bank USA, where he was responsible for establishing relationships with lower middle market and middle market businesses and private equity firms.

Across his 14-year career, Kohn has sourced, underwrote and executed more than $2 billion in lower middle market and middle market private credit transactions.

In his new role, Kohn will manage the deal flow and origination activities as well as the due diligence process for each White Wolf private credit investment. He also will play a role in fundraising activities.

Nick Russell is a Managing Partner at Tuckerman Capital where he leads the firm’s efforts to execute small company buyout investments. He has over twenty years of experience as an investor, advisor, strategist and operator.  The entirety of his career has been focused on helping engineering-driven businesses across a range of sectors generate value for stakeholders. 

Nick joined Tuckerman in 2010. He is responsible for all facets of the firm’s efforts including business development and partnership origination, investment execution, portfolio management, investor facing activities, and internal firm operations. He has been a Board Director and has led several Tuckerman investments including Orthofeet, TRS Services, Freedom Communication Technologies, Dauntless Air, Anser Advisory, and Verdantas.

Nick began his career as a strategy consultant focused on growth strategy, corporate venture strategy, operational improvement, and private investment due diligence, and was a founding team member of a boutique private investment advisory firm. For the last fifteen years, Mr. Russell has focused on partnering with middle and lower-middle market companies to execute buyout investments and partner with portfolio companies and their leaders to develop and execute growth and other value enhancement initiatives. 

Nick earned his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Nick has been a Trustee and/or advisor for several New England based nonprofit organizations focused on the natural environment, science, and education, and serves as an Adjunct Professor at the Tuck School of Business where he teaches an MBA elective on small market buyout investments. 

Erik is the Managing Partner of Slate Capital Group, which he co-founded in 2004. Erik has worked in the private equity industry for over 25 years. He co-founded and is the former CEO of Let’s Dish! Mid-Atlantic, a retail chain of meal assembly stores in Maryland and Virginia.

Prior to Slate, Erik was a Director with DB Capital Venture Partners, investing in enterprise infrastructure and application software companies. He joined ABS Ventures, the predecessor to DBCVP, in March 2000. During his tenure with DBCVP/ABS Ventures, Erik served on the boards of several software portfolio companies.

From 1996-2000, Erik was a Senior Vice President with Sterling Capital, Ltd., a private equity investment firm, where he acquired and ran companies in the direct marketing and e-commerce industries (although the firm acquired businesses in various industries, including education/testing, specialty distribution, and marketing services). His tenure included operating stints with two of Sterling’s portfolio companies: as the CEO of NLP, Inc. and as EVP-Corporate Development of ICS, Inc.

From 1993-1996, Erik was an Associate with Kirkland & Ellis in their private equity group, where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged buyouts and venture capital transactions.

Erik either currently serves or has served on the board of directors for the following organizations: B&S Site Development, Broadcast Sports International, CoastTec, Cumberland Diversified Metals, eCoast Marketing, First Source, LLC, Horizon Facilities Services, Let’s Dish! Mid-Atlantic, Mercari Technologies, NLP, Inc., Nova Technologies, O’Donnell Metal Deck, Triplehop Technologies, Vertical Mechanical Group and White Distribution & Supply.

Erik is a 1988 graduate of Brown University and received his J.D./M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1993.

Erik and his wife, Lisa, have three young adult children and live in Nashville, TN.

Mr. Pettagrue is responsible for the origination, underwriting and management of state targeted funds, SBIC and New Markets Tax Credit transactions. Prior to joining Stonehenge, Mr. Pettagrue worked for HOPE Enterprise Corporation where he managed, structured, and led the business development initiatives in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee for New Markets Tax Credit financings. Prior to that, Mr. Pettagrue implemented a supplier diversity platform for the Birmingham Business Resource Center that created greater capacity for underserved small business entrepreneurs to build and sustain competitive business models. Prior to that, Mr. Pettagrue worked for 18 years in the investment and commercial banking space, providing private equity and debt capital raising services to privately held, growth minded business firms for JP Morgan and Regions Bank. Mr. Pettagrue earned his BA in Banking & Finance from Morehouse College and his MA in International Economics from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.