Badgers
in Finance
Molly Clark ‘09
Molly Clark is a Principal and Head of Business Development at Center Rock Capital Partners, an Industrial focused private equity firm. She joined Center Rock in 2018. Prior to Center Rock, Molly worked for Prospect Partners and Wynnchurch Capital. She is responsible for all aspects of the business development process and deal origination. Molly holds a degree in Real Estate from the Wisconsin School of Business.
Dan Drexler ’96
Dan currently works at Longview Asset Management, the in-house investment vehicle for the Crown Family of Chicago, as Chief Investment Officer – Public Securities. Dan is responsible for portfolio construction and analyzing public investments and shares responsibility for overseeing an internal Fund of Funds. Dan also serves as a senior advisor to Right Line Industries, a diversified industrial holding company.
Show MoreAdditionally, Dan serves on the Board of Directors of Albany Bank & Trust, of Albany Park, IL and the Advisory Boards of Timber Hill Group and Performant Capital. Dan is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a BBA in Accounting. Dan is a current member of Bryn Mawr Country Club. Dan is married with 3 children and resides in Highland Park, IL.
Joe Greenwood ’98
Joe is a partner with Livingstone Partners — a global, independent, middle market investment bank. Joe leads Livingstone’s Special Situations practice, which helps clients develop, evaluate, and execute M&A, refinancing, and debt restructuring transactions across a variety of industries. He has over 20 years of financial advisory experience with extensive transaction expertise, including section 363 sales, UCC Article 9 sales, federal receivership sales, assignments for the benefit of creditors, debt-for-equity swaps, and other negotiated balance sheet restructurings on behalf of his clients, including Aztec/Shaffer, LLC, Maurice Sporting
Goods, Cardiac Science, IPC International, Hartmarx Corporation, Tempel Steel Company, Robbins Bros. Corporation, Key Lime Cove Resort, Waterworks Holding Corp., American IronHorse Motorcycles, Inc., Budget Group, Inc., Kmart Corp., and UAL Corporation. Before Livingstone, he was one of three founding members of William Blair’s Restructuring Group. He was also a Vice President with KPMG’s Corporate Recovery practice. Joe is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor.
Mark Grossmann ’94
Grossmann is Partner and Head of Business Transactions at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP where he is based in the firm’s Chicago office. For more than 20 years, he has guided principals and finance sources alike through critical transactions that have helped them grow, compete and realize value. He is known for a refreshingly direct approach that cuts away extraneous issues and gets to the heart of what the parties need. Mark knows that lawyers are often seen as obstacles who can bury the deal in the legal details. He takes a different approach — one based on market knowledge, sharp analysis and a keen sense of priorities.
He’ll stand firm to get the “right” terms for every deal, but never lets minor or academic issues bring progress to a halt. By keeping the deal moving toward a timely close, Mark makes sure his clients reap its full benefit, while at the same time protecting their legal interests. A deft quarterback, Mark assembles and balances resources from around the firm to address the diverse issues that arise in every transaction. He weighs competing points of view with client priorities in mind and emerges with strategies that meet both immediate needs and long-term goals. Mark has handled hundreds of transactions in the United States and around the world. Clients often turn to him for insight on “what’s market,” in a given industry or deal structure. Not only does he know the terms, he knows why they matter and how they will play out from contract negotiations through post-closing operations. Mark has deep experience in industries including finance, technology, manufacturing, consulting, real estate, retail, parking, pharmaceutical, security and health care. Mark earned a JD from Loyola University Chicago School of Law where he graduated magna cum laude and a BBA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Tyler R. Holland
Tyler R. Holland is the Director of Real Estate Development at East Lake Management & Development Corp. Mr. Holland is involved in all aspects of the company’s development business including design/planning, financing, entitlements, project management, and leasing. Property types include affordable, market-rate, mixed-income senior and family residential and commercial, retail, and mixed-use. Prior to East Lake, Mr. Holland was an Investment Advisor at the J.P. Morgan Private Bank, partnering with a team of professionals providing investment, lending, and wealth advisory services to wealthy families and family offices. Mr. Holland was responsible for advising clients on their investment portfolios and implementing investment strategies across public equities, fixed income, and a range of alternative assets including private equity, hedge funds, and real estate.
Mr. Holland is involved in several industry organizations and local non-profits. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Chicago. He serves as a Commissioner for Special Service Area #32 for the Auburn Gresham neighborhood in the City of Chicago. He is also a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) of Chicago. He previously served as Treasurer on the Board of Chicago Votes, a non-partisan, non-profit organization focused on building a more inclusive democracy. Mr. Holland graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a B.B.A in both Finance and Real Estate. He currently resides in the Fulton River District in Chicago with his wife and daughter, Anne and Amelia.
Will Murphy ’03
Will Murphy is the CEO and Managing Partner of Cedar Street. He is responsible for all aspects of the development process and the ongoing management of its portfolio. Will has over 20 years of commercial real estate experience in development and finance, transacting on over $3 billion, across all major asset classes and domestic markets. Will holds degrees in real estate and finance from the Wisconsin School of Business. He is a frequent speaker at engagements including the Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association, REIA and the Urban Land Institute. He serves as a member of both the Graaskamp Advisory Board and Badgers in Finance.
Alan Myers ’92
Alan graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Finance. He has over 25 Years of experience in the securities industry in various capacities with highly respected global banks and brokerage firms. He began his career with Bear Stearns in 1994 on the institutional side of both fixed income and equities in Chicago and New York. In 1997 he joined Mesirow Financial in Chicago as a trader in the fixed income department specializing in government, corporate, and municipal bonds. From there, Alan traded risk arbitrage for proprietary firms, concluding with his own firm, Virgin Trading, until 2003.
At that point Alan decided to focus his career in wealth management by building relationships with business owners, corporate executives, retirees, and families in need of assistance with holistic asset allocation; focusing on traditional stocks and bonds, as well as alternatives including hedge funds and private equity. From 2003 through 2018 Alan’s investment management experiences were vast, including time with Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, and most recently with Wells Fargo. After spending over 15 years in a traditional brokerage environment, Alan recently decided his clients would be much better served in a fiduciary capacity and Co-Founded Trails Edge Wealth Advisers with Shelley Myers.
Ben Riback ’97
Ben Riback is a Managing Director and leads the Food and Beverage sector for William Blair. He originally joined William Blair’s investment banking team in 2021. Prior to William Blair, he worked for Citigroup and BMO Capital Markets. During Ben’s 17 years in investment banking, he has led over 100 transactions across financial advisory and capital structure alternatives for public and private companies in the food and beverage spectrum. Ben earned his MBA with Honors from University of Michigan and holds a BBA from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.