Tyler Ashley

Vice President

Mr. Ashley joined Excellere Partners in 2019.

Mr. Ashley is responsible for the strategic execution and management of Excellere’s origination efforts which includes the sourcing and evaluation of new investment opportunities. Previously, he worked as an Associate for JMC Capital Partners, a middle-market buyout firm investing in industrial products and technologies. There he focused on sourcing new transactions and building relationships with intermediaries. He also has prior experience in new business generation in the media and technology industries.

Mr. Ashley earned an MBA from Babson College F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Business from Wake Forest University.

Mike Bringgold

Senior Associate

Mr. Bringgold joined Excellere Partners in 2019.

Previously, Mr. Bringgold worked as an Analyst for Harris Williams, a middle-market investment bank, in the Healthcare & Life Sciences group where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments.

Mr. Bringgold earned a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Minnesota.

Nick Coleman

Vice President

Mr. Coleman joined Excellere Partners in 2013 and has been a key team member on LucidHealth, Medlogix, and Biocare Medical.  He is responsible for evaluating and executing new investment opportunities, arranging debt financing, and supporting value creation initiatives and portfolio company management.

Previously, Mr. Coleman worked as an Analyst for Northwestern Mutual Capital, LLC, the private investment manager for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, providing mezzanine debt and equity co-investments for private equity sponsor backed portfolio companies. His primary responsibilities included structuring, underwriting, and monitoring investments across a variety of industries and asset classes.

Mr. Coleman earned his Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin.

Brad Cornell

Managing Partner

Brad Cornell is a Managing Partner with Excellere and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and Management Committee.  Mr. Cornell oversees the sourcing, evaluating, and executing of new investments and supports management teams on value creation initiatives at existing portfolio companies.  Mr. Cornell has over 20 years of experience in private equity investing, mergers and acquisitions, and financing of middle market companies across a number of industries, including pharmaceutical services; engineering, industrial, and infrastructure services; and technology enabled solutions.  He focuses on the (i) pharmaceutical and pharmacy services, (ii) industrial and infrastructure services, and (iii) business services industries.   Mr. Cornell currently serves on the boards of directors of Parcelshield Holdings and G2 Integrated Solutions, and prior to their sales, served on the boards of directors of TL Life Sciences Solutions (Two Labs Pharma Services), TrialCard, Personable Insurance, and Integrated Petroleum Technologies.

Prior to Excellere, Mr. Cornell served as a Director at Lake Capital, an operationally oriented private equity firm investing in a wide range of entrepreneurially owned and operated services businesses.  During his time with Lake, he executed numerous buy-and-build strategies and served on the boards of directors of five portfolio companies.  His past experiences include leveraged finance with GE Capital, investment banking with William Blair & Company, and corporate finance with First Chicago Corporation (now known as JPMorgan Chase).  Mr. Cornell earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a major in Finance and a BA in Finance from James Madison University.

Bailey Cox

Associate

Mr. Cox joined Excellere Partners in 2021.

Previously, Mr. Cox worked as an Analyst for Piper Sandler, a middle-market investment bank, in the Info-Driven Healthcare group where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments.

Mr. Cox holds three Bachelors of Science in Business degrees from the University of Minnesota.

Mike Forsyth

Vice President

Mr. Forsyth joined Excellere Partners in 2016 as an Associate and has been a key team member on portfolio companies Two Labs Pharma Services and G2 Integrated Solutions, and on the Healthcare Business Services industry team.

Previously, Mr. Forsyth worked as an Analyst for Harris Williams & Co., a middle-market investment bank, in the Energy, Power & Infrastructure group where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments.

Mr. Forsyth earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, magna cum laude, from the University of Richmond.

Mike Geldart

Partner, Chief Compliance Officer

Michael Geldart has more than 30 years of experience in executive leadership, operations, health law, regulatory compliance, and corporate development.  Most recently, Mr. Geldart was the Chief Operating Officer of BioTelemetry (Nasdaq:BEAT), the leading provider of cardiac monitoring, cardiac monitoring device manufacturing, and centralized cardiac core laboratory services.  Previously, Mr. Geldart was the Chief Operating Officer of MedExpress, a leading multi-state urgent care provider and former portfolio company of Excellere Partners.  Prior to that, Mr. Geldart was the Chief Operating Officer and EVP of Corporate Development of CCS Medical, a national provider of Medical and Pharmacy supplies for patients suffering from diabetes, respiratory and other chronic conditions.  Mr. Geldart began his career practicing healthcare law at Holland & Knight, LLP, a global law firm, and was promoted to Partner and served as the Co-Chair of the firm’s National Health Care Practice Group.

Mr. Geldart received a Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University College of Law, and is a member of the Florida Bar.  He received a Master of Science in Cybersecurity and a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry from the University of South Florida.

Mr. Geldart is a member of the American Bar Association and serves on the Board of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation in Denver Colorado.

Colton Gier

Associate

Mr. Gier joined Excellere Partners in 2022. Previously, Mr. Gier worked as an Associate for Sky Island Capital, a Texas-based private equity firm focused on lower middle-market manufacturing companies. His experience also includes one and a half years as an investment banking Analyst with Houlihan Lokey.

Mr. Gier earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a specialization in Alternative Asset Management from Southern Methodist University.

Mr. Gier uses his free time to read fiction novels, hike/snowshoe around Colorado, improve his ski game, and spend time with his fiancé and two dogs.

Ryan Glaws

Managing Partner

Ryan Glaws is a Managing Partner with Excellere and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and Management Committee.  Mr. Glaws oversees the sourcing, evaluating, and executing of new investments and supports management teams on value creation initiatives at existing portfolio companies.  With more than 18 years of healthcare-focused private equity investing experience in the middle market, Mr. Glaws focuses primarily on (i) pharmacy and pharma services, and (ii) medical products and diagnostic tools.  Mr. Glaws currently serves on the board of directors for AIS Healthcare, Concord Technologies, Biocare Medical, Parcelshield, and SCA Pharma, and previously served on the board of directors for AxelaCare Health Solutions and Mentis Neuro Health.

Prior to Excellere, Mr. Glaws was Assistant Vice President for GE Capital’s Healthcare leveraged finance group.  Mr. Glaws began his career with Bank One’s Capital Markets Group.  Mr. Glaws earned his Bachelors of Business Administration, cum laude, from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio with a major in Finance and a minor in Economics.  Mr. Glaws was awarded his CFA Charter in 2005.

Ross Gundry

Principal

Mr. Gundry joined Excellere Partners in 2016 and is responsible for sourcing, evaluating and executing new investments and supporting management teams on value creation initiatives. He has over 12 years of experience supporting entrepreneurs in private equity investments, operations and financings in emerging growth companies. Mr. Gundry primarily focuses on healthcare and business services opportunities, with a focus on i) IT and cybersecurity, ii) compliance and regulatory risk management and iii) payor services. He is currently on the Board of Directors at ADVENT and Medlogix.

Prior to joining Excellere, Mr. Gundry was an investment professional at Riverside Partners, a middle market healthcare- and technology-focused private equity firm. During his tenure with Riverside, his responsibilities included evaluating and executing new investment opportunities, arranging debt financing, and supporting portfolio company management. He began his career as an analyst in the Mergers and Acquisitions group at Merrill Lynch.

Mr. Gundry earned a Bachelor of Science in Management and Business, magna cum laude, from Skidmore College.

Matt Halverson

Vice President

Mr. Halverson joined the Excellere team in February 2014 and has been a key team member on AIS Healthcare, SePRO, SCA Pharma, and Mentis Neuro Health prior to its sale.  He is responsible for evaluating and executing new investment opportunities, arranging debt financing, and supporting value creation initiatives and portfolio company management.

Previously, Mr. Halverson worked as an Associate for Pfingsten Partners, an operationally-driven private equity firm focused on manufacturing, distribution and business services companies.  His past experience also includes two years as an investment banking Analyst with Lincoln International.

Mr. Halverson earned his Bachelors of Business Administration, with high honors, from the University of Iowa.

Matt Hicks

Managing Partner

Mr. Hicks is a Managing Partner with Excellere and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and Management Committee.  Mr. Hicks oversees the sourcing, evaluating, and executing of new investments and supports management teams on value creation initiatives at existing portfolio companies. Mr. Hicks has more than 28 years of experience in private equity investing and financing entrepreneurial-owned and managed businesses. Throughout his career, Mr. Hicks has partnered with numerous entrepreneurial-owned businesses across a number of industries, including  (i) physician services,  (ii) healthcare services, (iii) pharmacy products and technology, (iv) outsourced insurance services, (v) outsourced marketing services, and (vi) industrial services and products industries, and supported those organizations in buy and build growth strategies. Mr. Hicks currently serves on the board of directors of Advent, MedLogix, and SePro and previously served on the board of directors of AIS Healthcare, Advanced Pain Management, MTS Medication Technologies, Mentis and PhyMed Holdings prior to their sales.

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 and Continental Bank’s Leveraged Finance Group, respectively.

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.

Tracie Kelly

Director of Marketing

Tracie brings over 18 years of private equity marketing, communications and origination experience. As the Director of Marketing Tracie leads the day-to-day execution of Excellere's marketing and communications strategies, as well as overall brand strategy. These initiatives include balancing creativity with analytical skills while supporting the firm’s origination efforts and investment opportunities. Tracie works closely with entrepreneurs, investment banking professionals, investors, and other stakeholders to further strengthen and differentiate the firm’s presence in the market. Prior to joining Excellere, Tracie was the Marketing Manager for KRG Capital, LLC, a middle-market private equity firm where she led the firm’s marketing department through four of their five funds.

Tracie is a wife, mother of 2 teenagers, wannabe writer and photographer, lover of books and bareboat sailing, fanatic over classic 1975 Ford Bronco convertibles, she spends most of her free time driving kids to sporting practices and events and cheering them on.

Eric Mattson

Partner

Mr. Mattson brings to Excellere over 25 years of merger & acquisition, strategic consulting and senior operations experience. Prior to joining Excellere, he was Executive Director at United BioSource Corporation (an Express Scripts company). During his tenure with UBC, a global provider of pharmaceutical support services, he was responsible for several acquisitions/integrations and the start-up and growth of multiple new business activities.

Prior to that, Mr. Mattson was Executive Vice President with HealthStar Communications, an international medical communications company, where he was responsible for business optimization across several subsidiary operations. Key aspects of each of Mr. Mattson’s past two roles include executing acquisitions and divestitures, acquisition integration and developing growth strategies. In addition, he also has advised companies in the areas of strategic planning, marketing and corporate value enhancement. From 1989 to 2002, Mr. Mattson was a Vice President and Managing Director of the Southeast regional practice of Citi Capital Strategies (and predecessor Geneva Capital Markets), the middle-market investment banking division of Citigroup. During his 12-year career at Geneva/Citi, he was responsible for all areas of origination, valuation and M&A transaction management and execution, advising more than 200 clients across a broad range of industries.

Mr. Mattson began his career in corporate finance for Paradyne Corporation, a then NYSE-listed manufacturer of telecommunications equipment. Mr. Mattson serves on the board of Parcelshield  Holdings and TL Life Sciences Solutions (Two Labs Pharma Services) prior to its sale.  He earned a degree in Business Administration with majors in Finance and Economics from the University of South Florida.

Patrick O’Keefe

Managing Partner

Mr. O’Keefe is a Managing Partner with Excellere and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and Management Committee.  Mr. O’Keefe oversees the sourcing, evaluating, and executing of new investments and supports management teams on value creation initiatives at existing portfolio companies.  Mr. O’Keefe has 20 years of experience in private equity investing, mergers and acquisitions and financing, of middle market companies across a number of industries, including (i) healthcare, (ii) specialty chemicals, (iii) business services and (iv) industrial services.  He focuses on the healthcare business services, provider services, industrial growth and specialty chemical market segments . Mr. O’Keefe currently serves on the board of directors of LucidHealth, SePRO, and G2 Integrated Solutions and, prior to its sale, served on the board of directors of U.S. Water Services.

Prior to Excellere, Mr. O’Keefe was an investment professional with H.I.G. Capital, a middle market private equity firm and an Analyst at JPMorgan in their mergers and acquisition group. Mr. O’Keefe earned an MBA with honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a major in finance and strategy. Mr. O’Keefe graduated cum laude with a BS in analytical finance from Wake Forest University.

Grant Rahja

Associate

Mr. Rahja joined Excellere Partners in 2021.

Previously, Mr. Rahja worked as an Analyst for William Blair, a middle-market investment bank, in the Services and Industrial group where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments.

Mr. Rahja earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin.

Ryan Revolinski

Associate

Mr. Revolinski joined Excellere Partners in 2020.

Previously, Mr. Revolinski worked as an Analyst for Houlihan Lokey, a middle-market investment bank, in the Healthcare group where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments.

Mr. Revolinski earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a specialization in Alternative Asset Management from Southern Methodist University.

Justin Unertl

Principal

Mr. Unertl joined Excellere Partners in 2010 and is responsible for sourcing, evaluating and executing new investments and supporting management teams on value creation initiatives.  He has over 15 years of experience supporting entrepreneurs in private equity investments, operations and financings in emerging growth companies.  Mr. Unertl primarily focuses on healthcare and business services opportunities, with a focus on i) IT and cybersecurity, ii) compliance and regulatory risk management and iii) outsourced insurance services.  He is currently on the Board of Directors at Biocare, LucidHealth and Medlogix.  Prior to their sale, Mr. Unertl was active in several Excellere platforms including AxelaCare, Personable Insurance and PhyMed Healthcare Group.

Prior to joining Excellere, Mr. Unertl was an operating executive with Arrowhead Health, a multi-specialty healthcare service provider where he served as its Chief Financial Officer and also carried business development responsibilities.  He began his career in leveraged finance at GE Capital and Freeport Financial, with a focus on middle-market private equity buyouts.

Mr. Unertl earned a Finance degree from the University of Wisconsin.

Jacque Vedra

Chief Financial Officer

As the Chief Financial Officer, Jacque is responsible for all financial activities, including the firm’s financial reporting, accounting, treasury, tax, institutional reporting, corporate profitability analysis, and long-range strategic planning. Prior to joining Excellere in 2022, Jacque served as the Chief Financial Officer for Ascentris, a real estate private equity firm, where she led the firm’s finance department.

Jacque earned a M.S. in Finance from the University of Denver, a M.S. in Statistics from the University of California at San Diego, and a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Colorado. Jacque is a CFA Charterholder and member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Colorado. She is a Certified Public Accountant and belongs to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Jacque lives in Golden, Colorado with her husband and two sons. Jacque enjoys skiing and golfing, and she spends most of her free time at her sons’ sporting events.

Mike Vieth

Principal

Mr. Vieth joined the Excellere team in 2014 as an Associate and is responsible for sourcing, evaluating and executing new investments and supporting the management teams of existing portfolio companies.  Mr. Vieth currently serves on the board of directors of ParcelShield Holdings and serves as a key team member on Concord Technologies and, prior totheir sales, TrialCard Incorporated, and TL Life Sciences Solutions (Two Labs Pharma Services). Mr. Vieth has over 12 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions and previously worked as an Associate for Maranon Capital, LP, a provider of mezzanine and senior debt to middle-market companies, where he was responsible for evaluating and executing investments across a variety of industries. His past experience also includes two years as an Analyst with Harris Williams & Co., a middle-market investment bank, where he advised clients on sell-side mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Vieth earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelors of Science in Business from the University of Minnesota.

Jacob Woodring

Associate

Mr. Woodring joined Excellere Partners in 2021.

Previously, Mr. Woodring worked as an Associate for Lazard, in the Business Services and Industrials group where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments.

Mr. Woodring earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Denver.