About Don
Don has over 25 years of investment banking and corporate finance experience. He has built a reputation as a tireless advocate for his clients and a creative dealmaker when it comes to getting complex transactions across the finish line. He specializes in providing transaction advisory services to public and privately-held companies pursuing strategies including, among others, the sale of a closely-held business, divisional divestitures, acquisitions, buyouts, joint ventures, financial restructurings, distressed sales and obtaining financing. Don’s clients include both large and middle-market companies spanning various industries, including industrial manufacturing and distribution, professional and business services, building products and consumer goods. His experience includes more than 100 transactions, representing in excess of $10 billion in total enterprise value.
I have always been both humbled and motivated by the thought that the vast majority of our clients are entrusting us to execute the most important transaction in which they will ever be involved…the monetization of their life’s work. This is a sacred trust and serves as the foundation of our culture and approach to client service at Amherst Partners.
Prior to joining Amherst, Don served as Managing Director at Macquarie Capital Advisors, a division of Australia-based Macquarie Group, where he headed the global deal origination and execution activities of the Transportation Industry Group. Previously, as Managing Director at Giuliani Capital Advisors, Don co-led the Detroit office and directed industry teams focused on the transportation and industrial products industries. Don was also a Partner and later Managing Director in the Corporate Finance group at Ernst & Young LLP. In addition, he served as Chief Financial Officer for a diversified Michigan-based holding company, and as a commercial loan officer for a leading Midwest-based commercial bank.
Professional Organizations
- Association for Corporate Growth (ACG)
- Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA)
Fun Facts
Novice golfer clinging to the hope that you can get to a single digit handicap without ever finding time to practice
Traveled to Russia for my nine-year old son’s hockey tournament in Moscow
What Other Profession Would You Like to Try?
I saw the movie Top Gun at an impressionable age and for years would daydream about the prospect of being a fighter pilot. Unfortunately, the opportunity to pursue that dream is long past; however, I do occasionally still feel the need for speed.
Services
Guiding business owners (with both public and closely-held companies), through complex transactions involving mergers, acquisitions, buyouts, divestitures and capital raises
Identifying and evaluating transaction process alternatives to determine the optimal go-to-market strategy in terms of efficiency and value maximization
Investing in long-term client relationships by providing objective, strategic advice; establishing status as a trusted advisor and delivering optimal transaction outcomes
Education
Executive Management Program – Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
M.B.A., Finance, University of Michigan
B.A., Economics and Management, Albion College – Professional Management Program