We Drive Value
As You Take Your Business To The Next Step In Its Evolution
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Mission
Our goal is to assist our clients in the creation of value and to guide them so that they can achieve optimal results, as they take their business to the next stage in its evolution.
As a boutique investment banking firm, we find our client’s hidden value and through our analysis and innovative thinking, as professionals, we have been trained to optimize business infrastructure and all its ancillary systems. Our intent is to provide our clients with the best options to meet their business objectives.
Business Restructuring
Return your business to a profitable, competitive position. Our restructuring management professionals review the management team, analyze the business cost structure, review business operations and execute a SWOT analysis to identify the underlying problems. A long term strategic plan & restructuring plan is then created and implemented, reviewed and modified until the business is operating at optimal efficiency and profitability.
Strategic Asset Sale / Acquisition
North Coast has the skill and experience to assist the seller in securing a fair price through a sale of its strategic assets in a non-distressed and/or liquidation situation. While also wielding, resources and experience to assist buyers in identifying the strategic assets they require to expand their current operation.
Strategy Advisory
We work to strengthen & enhance your company’s strategic and competitive position.
Financial Advisory
We evaluate & optimize your company’s financial condition with thought leadership of a CFO. Our services focus on any or all of the following:
• Cash management
• Capital structure
• Budgeting
• Forecasting & business modeling
• Pricing & cost analysis
Financial Advisory
We evaluate & optimize your company’s financial condition with thought leadership of a CFO. Our services focus on any or all of the following:
• Cash management
• Capital structure
• Budgeting
• Forecasting & business modeling
• Pricing & cost analysis
Mergers & Acquisitions
A full service buy-side & sell-side advisory to companies in the lower middle market place. Our approach is project based, and focused on finding the right counter party. We meet with you to:
• Understand your needs
• Provide a full business review
• Develop a marketing campaign
• Negotiate & close the transaction
Corporate Finance
Adequate capitalization and liquidity are an essential component to any acquisition or to growing your business and/or taking advantage of opportunities. We assist our clients by identifying the best funding sources, including conventional and SBA financing and by assisting them through the entire process.
Working With You To Shape A Strategy. Achieve Your Business Objectives. Identify Hidden Value. Create Additional Value Through Increased Efficiency & Profitability.
OUR GOAL IS TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH YOUR BUSINESS JOURNEY.
The skills and experience that has served you well in successfully operating and growing your business are frequently not the same skills and experience required to effectively sell your business and/ or acquire another.
Just as ship's captain will often bring aboard a harbor pilot with specialized expertise to successfully complete the voyage, we advise and assist our clients utilizing our education, training, and experience for the purpose of successfully navigating our clients to their objective.
The North Coast Team
David Gronski
President
Dave brings 30 years of diversified management experience & knowledge, structuring complex business transactions. Based upon his involvement in over $5 Billion in multinational transactions in 11 countries, he is able to uncover solutions to challenges through his expertise in finance & business operations. He understands a business owner's passion and structures fair transactions.
CPA (Certified Public Accountant)
CCM (Certified Cash Management)
MBA, with Honors from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management
BS Finance from Northern Illinois University
Fred Stephenson
Vice President
Insightful Deal Maker
Intermediary, Banker, Entrepreneur, Merchant – Trader; Fred’s experience in trade, finance,
transportation and business development affords him great insight to the inner workings of a wide
range of industries. This has allowed Fred to develop understandings to successfully transition business
ownership and drive value. A practitioner of management by objective and disciplined cash-flow
lending principles, Fred understands what makes an organization viable over the long-run, the pitfalls to
be avoided and the true worth of a business.
Starting in domestic grain trading, Fred has advised and executed trades on behalf of users, producers,
merchants and speculators with interests in commodity futures and options markets. He managed the
consumption risks inherent to a large miller and managed the sales of the resultant by-product streams
to users and merchants all over the world across numerous industries. This also included committee
positions with the industry trade association regarding international trade policy and lobby positioning.
Fred also managed the re-development of accounting/control systems to integrate commodity options
into the traditional futures consumptive hedge equation. Fred was a Commodity Options Member of
the Chicago Board of Trade.
As the founder and owner of his own transportation business, he developed an operation that served all
types of shippers from processors, manufacturers, exporters and freight forwarders in a round-the-
clock; no holidays operation. Fred knows the risks and rewards of operating a successful enterprise and
how to bridge ideas sustainability by planning for change and executing confidently.
As a business banker at a unit of The Royal Bank of Scotland; Fred’s focus was on providing financing and
sound fiscal management guidance to small and medium sized businesses. Fred is an expert at SBA
backed financing and business leverage; he served a broad spectrum of clients across myriad industries.
Fred’s ability to find niche markets for companies is borne of a deep understanding of entrepreneurship
and the forces that drive quality financial decision making.
A Purdue University in 1980, Fred studied Economics specializing in agriculture, global trade,
and business management.
David Levin
Senior M&A Advisor
David has over 30 years of experience, as a practicing attorney, advising lower middle market business owners & representing them in business and real estate manners and litigation. During these decades, he has developed the skill of quickly understanding a business & the issues confronting it. David identifies issues including those not apparent from financial information and formulates potential solutions. He has built a network of relationships in legal, accounting, & business communities that provide him with information concerning potential sellers and buyers before the information is available to the general public.
J.D. Cleveland Marshall Law School
BA Political Science Ohio State University
Lawrence Taylor
M&A Advisor / Operations Specialist
Lawrence applies over 25 years of combined experience in Manufacturing Operations, Real Estate Development and Bank Lending. Lawrence is a Six Sigma certified process engineer and has a track record of identifying and reducing production cost and operational inefficiencies. In the Banking world, Lawrence has dealt closely with Lending Operations and Investor Guidelines to comply with Institutional and Private Lending. Lawrence eventually combined his knowledge and skills as Founder/CEO of Covenant Investment Group, Inc. - a Real Estate and Business Development Company with a passion for working with Entrepreneurs.
Lean Six Sigma Certified
BS Industrial Technology, Iowa State University
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Mark Huntzinger, MBA
M&A Advisor / Technology Go-To-Market Strategy & Implementation
Mark is a technology product and business executive with 25+ years of experience in a breadth of industries at companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500. He has led hundreds of successful product introductions in his career resulting in over $100 million in incremental revenue on base revenue of $1B. Mark has also built and managed several large, distributed, world-wide organizations. Mark has started his own company, worked and consulted on several other start-ups, and has a passion for leading high-growth revenue initiatives. He has an extensive background including business development, sales, product management, engineering, P&L management, M&A, and customer service. Operational skills include marketing/branding, life-cycle management, lean development processes, product specifications, roadmap development, customer/technical liaison, sales tools, and requirement development.
B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School
David Gronski
President
Dave brings 30 years of diversified management experience & knowledge, structuring complex business transactions. Based upon his involvement in over $5 Billion in multinational transactions in 11 countries, he is able to uncover solutions to challenges through his expertise in finance & business operations. He understands a business owner's passion and structures fair transactions.
CPA (Certified Public Accountant)
CCM (Certified Cash Management)
MBA, with Honors from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management
BS Finance from Northern Illinois University
Fred Stephenson
Vice President
Insightful Deal Maker
Intermediary, Banker, Entrepreneur, Merchant – Trader; Fred’s experience in trade, finance,
transportation and business development affords him great insight to the inner workings of a wide
range of industries. This has allowed Fred to develop understandings to successfully transition business
ownership and drive value. A practitioner of management by objective and disciplined cash-flow
lending principles, Fred understands what makes an organization viable over the long-run, the pitfalls to
be avoided and the true worth of a business.
Starting in domestic grain trading, Fred has advised and executed trades on behalf of users, producers,
merchants and speculators with interests in commodity futures and options markets. He managed the
consumption risks inherent to a large miller and managed the sales of the resultant by-product streams
to users and merchants all over the world across numerous industries. This also included committee
positions with the industry trade association regarding international trade policy and lobby positioning.
Fred also managed the re-development of accounting/control systems to integrate commodity options
into the traditional futures consumptive hedge equation. Fred was a Commodity Options Member of
the Chicago Board of Trade.
As the founder and owner of his own transportation business, he developed an operation that served all
types of shippers from processors, manufacturers, exporters and freight forwarders in a round-the-
clock; no holidays operation. Fred knows the risks and rewards of operating a successful enterprise and
how to bridge ideas sustainability by planning for change and executing confidently.
As a business banker at a unit of The Royal Bank of Scotland; Fred’s focus was on providing financing and
sound fiscal management guidance to small and medium sized businesses. Fred is an expert at SBA
backed financing and business leverage; he served a broad spectrum of clients across myriad industries.
Fred’s ability to find niche markets for companies is borne of a deep understanding of entrepreneurship
and the forces that drive quality financial decision making.
A Purdue University in 1980, Fred studied Economics specializing in agriculture, global trade,
and business management.
David Levin
Senior M&A Advisor
David has over 30 years of experience, as a practicing attorney, advising lower middle market business owners & representing them in business and real estate manners and litigation. During these decades, he has developed the skill of quickly understanding a business & the issues confronting it. David identifies issues including those not apparent from financial information and formulates potential solutions. He has built a network of relationships in legal, accounting, & business communities that provide him with information concerning potential sellers and buyers before the information is available to the general public.
J.D. Cleveland Marshall Law School
BA Political Science Ohio State University
Lawrence Taylor
M&A Advisor / Operations Specialist
Lawrence applies over 25 years of combined experience in Manufacturing Operations, Real Estate Development and Bank Lending. Lawrence is a Six Sigma certified process engineer and has a track record of identifying and reducing production cost and operational inefficiencies. In the Banking world, Lawrence has dealt closely with Lending Operations and Investor Guidelines to comply with Institutional and Private Lending. Lawrence eventually combined his knowledge and skills as Founder/CEO of Covenant Investment Group, Inc. - a Real Estate and Business Development Company with a passion for working with Entrepreneurs.
Lean Six Sigma Certified
BS Industrial Technology, Iowa State University
Sean Lawlor
Director of Advisory Services
Sean Lawlor has over 25 years experience in wide range of businesses and industries including manufacturing, transportation, banking, food, and distribution. Sean has worked with both middle market companies and large international corporations, participating in many successful financial turnarounds. In the M&A world, Sean worked as the diligence compliance manager for a major business broker where he shepherd transactions from the initial stage through to closure.
Lean Six Sigma Certified
BS Accounting University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana
David Gronski
President
Dave brings 30 years of diversified management experience & knowledge, structuring complex business transactions. Based upon his involvement in over $5 Billion in multinational transactions in 11 countries, he is able to uncover solutions to challenges through his expertise in finance & business operations. He understands a business owner's passion and structures fair transactions.
CPA (Certified Public Accountant)
CCM (Certified Cash Management)
MBA, with Honors from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management
BS Finance from Northern Illinois University
Fred Stephenson
Vice President
Insightful Deal Maker
Intermediary, Banker, Entrepreneur, Merchant – Trader; Fred’s experience in trade, finance,
transportation and business development affords him great insight to the inner workings of a wide
range of industries. This has allowed Fred to develop understandings to successfully transition business
ownership and drive value. A practitioner of management by objective and disciplined cash-flow
lending principles, Fred understands what makes an organization viable over the long-run, the pitfalls to
be avoided and the true worth of a business.
Starting in domestic grain trading, Fred has advised and executed trades on behalf of users, producers,
merchants and speculators with interests in commodity futures and options markets. He managed the
consumption risks inherent to a large miller and managed the sales of the resultant by-product streams
to users and merchants all over the world across numerous industries. This also included committee
positions with the industry trade association regarding international trade policy and lobby positioning.
Fred also managed the re-development of accounting/control systems to integrate commodity options
into the traditional futures consumptive hedge equation. Fred was a Commodity Options Member of
the Chicago Board of Trade.
As the founder and owner of his own transportation business, he developed an operation that served all
types of shippers from processors, manufacturers, exporters and freight forwarders in a round-the-
clock; no holidays operation. Fred knows the risks and rewards of operating a successful enterprise and
how to bridge ideas sustainability by planning for change and executing confidently.
As a business banker at a unit of The Royal Bank of Scotland; Fred’s focus was on providing financing and
sound fiscal management guidance to small and medium sized businesses. Fred is an expert at SBA
backed financing and business leverage; he served a broad spectrum of clients across myriad industries.
Fred’s ability to find niche markets for companies is borne of a deep understanding of entrepreneurship
and the forces that drive quality financial decision making.
A Purdue University in 1980, Fred studied Economics specializing in agriculture, global trade,
and business management.
Patricia 'Pat' Grandle
Vice President of Business Development
Pat has over 26 years as a Marketing & Sales Executive and an owner of a 3rd generation family manufacturing business. Beyond her knowledge of manufacturing and marketing, she has an invaluable understanding of the dynamics of operating a middle market family business. During her career she has acquired a vast network of connections with the manufacturing, financial, and business communities within the Chicagoland market.
BS Business Management and Marketing, minor in Psychology
Bradley University
David Levin
Senior M&A Advisor
David has over 30 years of experience, as a practicing attorney, advising lower middle market business owners & representing them in business and real estate manners and litigation. During these decades, he has developed the skill of quickly understanding a business & the issues confronting it. David identifies issues including those not apparent from financial information and formulates potential solutions. He has built a network of relationships in legal, accounting, & business communities that provide him with information concerning potential sellers and buyers before the information is available to the general public.
J.D. Cleveland Marshall Law School
BA Political Science Ohio State University
Lawrence Taylor
M&A Advisor / Operations Specialist
Lawrence applies over 25 years of combined experience in Manufacturing Operations, Real Estate Development and Bank Lending. Lawrence is a Six Sigma certified process engineer and has a track record of identifying and reducing production cost and operational inefficiencies. In the Banking world, Lawrence has dealt closely with Lending Operations and Investor Guidelines to comply with Institutional and Private Lending. Lawrence eventually combined his knowledge and skills as Founder/CEO of Covenant Investment Group, Inc. - a Real Estate and Business Development Company with a passion for working with Entrepreneurs.
Lean Six Sigma Certified
BS Industrial Technology, Iowa State University
Sean Lawlor
Director of Advisory Services
Sean Lawlor has over 25 years experience in wide range of businesses and industries including manufacturing, transportation, banking, food, and distribution. Sean has worked with both middle market companies and large international corporations, participating in many successful financial turnarounds. In the M&A world, Sean worked as the diligence compliance manager for a major business broker where he shepherd transactions from the initial stage through to closure.
Lean Six Sigma Certified
BS Accounting University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana
Trevor Dunbar
Business Development Executive
Trevor brings more than 20 years of leadership, operations management, and sales experience through a range of industries including food & beverage, emergency services, construction, real estate, and luxury hospitality. An entrepreneur at heart, having led multiple start-ups himself, he understands the value of strong communication, strategy, and relationships to get desired results.
David Gronski
President
Dave brings 30 years of diversified management experience & knowledge, structuring complex business transactions. Based upon his involvement in over $5 Billion in multinational transactions in 11 countries, he is able to uncover solutions to challenges through his expertise in finance & business operations. He understands a business owner's passion and structures fair transactions.
CPA (Certified Public Accountant)
CCM (Certified Cash Management)
MBA, with Honors from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management
BS Finance from Northern Illinois University
Patricia 'Pat' Grandle
Vice President of Business Development
Pat has over 26 years as a Marketing & Sales Executive and an owner of a 3rd generation family manufacturing business. Beyond her knowledge of manufacturing and marketing, she has an invaluable understanding of the dynamics of operating a middle market family business. During her career she has acquired a vast network of connections with the manufacturing, financial, and business communities within the Chicagoland market.
BS Business Management and Marketing, minor in Psychology
Bradley University
David Levin
Senior M&A Advisor
David has over 30 years of experience, as a practicing attorney, advising lower middle market business owners & representing them in business and real estate manners and litigation. During these decades, he has developed the skill of quickly understanding a business & the issues confronting it. David identifies issues including those not apparent from financial information and formulates potential solutions. He has built a network of relationships in legal, accounting, & business communities that provide him with information concerning potential sellers and buyers before the information is available to the general public.
J.D. Cleveland Marshall Law School
BA Political Science Ohio State University
Sean Lawlor
Director of Advisory Services
Sean Lawlor has over 25 years experience in wide range of businesses and industries including manufacturing, transportation, banking, food, and distribution. Sean has worked with both middle market companies and large international corporations, participating in many successful financial turnarounds. In the M&A world, Sean worked as the diligence compliance manager for a major business broker where he shepherd transactions from the initial stage through to closure.
Lean Six Sigma Certified
BS Accounting University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana
Lawrence Taylor
M&A Advisor / Operations Specialist
Lawrence applies over 25 years of combined experience in Manufacturing Operations, Real Estate Development and Bank Lending. Lawrence is a Six Sigma certified process engineer and has a track record of identifying and reducing production cost and operational inefficiencies. In the Banking world, Lawrence has dealt closely with Lending Operations and Investor Guidelines to comply with Institutional and Private Lending. Lawrence eventually combined his knowledge and skills as Founder/CEO of Covenant Investment Group, Inc. - a Real Estate and Business Development Company with a passion for working with Entrepreneurs.
Lean Six Sigma Certified
BS Industrial Technology, Iowa State University
Are you ready to drive value from your business?
We are ready to help!
Send us a message or give us a call.
North Coast Capital Advisors Ltd.
555 Skokie Blvd. Suite 500
Northbrook, IL 60062
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North Coast Capital Advisors focus on helping you drive value from the business you’ve worked hard to build.
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