Our Partners
Ken Mann, Managing Partner (866) 969-1115 Ext. 1 KMann@EquityPartnersInc.com
Ken has been a partner with the firm since 1995 and has been managing partner since September of 2002. During these 15 years, Ken has become particularly adept at interfacing with the lawyers, bankers, investors, and courts that can consume a business’ management if they do not have savvy advisors.
Ken has personally handled investment banking services for approximately 200 distressed businesses operating in a host of industries, including metal fabrication, plastics manufacturing, food processing, furniture manufacturing, textiles, building products manufacturers, wholesale distribution, hotels, sports facilities, and auto dealerships, to name a few.
Ken is an active participant in the American Bankruptcy Institute, serving on the Asset Sales Committee. He has presented workshops at ABI events, Turnaround Management Association events and the Mississippi Bankruptcy Conference, and has been published in the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal. He is a member of the American Business Brokers Association.
Prior to joining Equity Partners, Ken had a broad base of management experience, including selling small initial public offerings as a licensed investment banker for a Wall Street firm; providing public relations services to major corporations and government agencies; serving as a VP of Sales for a travel company with multiple offices and 50 sales reps; founding, growing and selling his own travel company, which today has 75,000 members; and serving as an independent marketing consultant to 200 distributors and manufacturers and media outlets.
Dan Rexford, Partner (866) 969-1115 Ext. 4 DRexford@EquityPartnersInc.com
Dan joined Equity Partners full time in the Summer of 2008 and has completed engagements in manufacturing, OTC pharmaceuticals, senior housing, and health care.
Dan is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, Turnaround Management Association, and the Executive Circle of the National Investment Center for Senior Housing and Care Industries. He has been a frequent speaker at major marketing conferences.
Prior to joining Equity Partners, Dan held a variety of management positions with one of the Nation’s largest senior housing providers, Erickson Retirement Communities. He held senior level positions in operations and development and participated in raising capital. As the Executive Director of the country’s largest retirement community, Dan led a staff of 800, overseeing all of the operational departments in a retirement community as well as a primary medical care clinic, physical therapy practice, a home health agency, assisted living and a skilled nursing facility.
For ten years, he was the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, taking annual revenues from $141 million to $1.25 billion during his tenure. During this period, he was a member of a three-person team that was successful in raising over $2 billion in capital, including bank financing, mezzanine debt, and bond financing.
Before joining Erickson, Dan was on the management team of two startup companies serving in business development roles. Both of these companies grew substantially.
Fred Cross, Partner (866) 969-1115 Ext. 2 FCross@EquityPartnersInc.com
Fred has been with Equity Partners, Inc. for the past eight years. During this time Fred has worked on numerous cases in a variety of industries including sales of a 195 room beachfront hotel, an internet backbone company and the sale or refinancing of various industrial manufacturing companies. Fred’s expertise is engineering refinancing or sales transactions for companies in distress. He understands the dynamics of the distressed marketplace as well as the intricacies of working with law firms, potential investors, lenders and the courts. Fred clearly understands that today’s economy poses new challenges that require creative and unique solutions.
Prior to joining Equity Partners, Fred served in a management position with Swiss Bank Investment Banking and then more recently was a partner in a commercial security company.
Fred is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute.
Matt LoCascio, Partner (866) 969-1115 Ext. 3 MLoCascio@EquityPartnersInc.com
Matt has been with Equity Partners since 2005 and has worked on over 20 investment banking assignments. He has worked with a wide variety of companies, including food processors, furniture manufacturers, biofuel refineries, wholesale distributors, home component manufacturers, and the automotive industry. Matt has been particularly effective at creatively finding value where others could not; most of his engagements have resulted in stronger outcomes than the owners and lenders anticipated.
After graduating in 2003 from The University of Pennsylvania, Matt was a Risk Analyst for Marsh Inc. focused in the real estate practice. In that role, he worked side by side with the business development team on new prospects; bringing in substantial pieces of new revenue within 10 months. Along with his new account activities, he also maintained and grew a book of business consisting of 12 clients and over $3,300,000 in revenue.
Matt is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute.
Hank Waida, Partner (866) 969-1115 Ext. 5 HWaida@EquityPartnersInc.com
Hank began working with Equity Partners in the summer of 1996 as a consultant with a focus on business development, sales and marketing. Hank has worked on transactions in a variety of manufacturing industries including candy, cookie, window, wood frame, metal processing, candle and textile, as well as apparel distribution, energy, pharmaceutical, meat packing and single asset real estate. He has recently been involved in multiple golf course sales. Joining the Equity Partners team full time in the summer of 2008, Hank brings over 25 years of successful and creative sales and marketing experience to the firm.
In addition to consulting, Hank was Regional Sales Manager/Girl Scout Division for the Trophy Nut Company, calling on, developing, managing and implementing fundraising programs for Girl Scout Councils across the US. Hank played key roles in developing annual programs, product lines, training materials and national marketing strategy. Once a program was in place, Hank was responsible for implementing the custom program to each council with extensive sales trainings and motivational seminars to audiences of 25 -200 product sales managers throughout the country. These efforts helped raise close to $20 million annually in funding for Girl Scout programs and facilities.
Prior to Trophy, Hank was key account manager for the Independent Can Company, a national metal packaging and lithography manufacturer. Hank played a key role in developing sales to the fundraising industry and national accounts such as Binney and Smith/Crayolla, Proctor and Gamble/Iams, Hershey Foods, Nestle/Perugina, Mrs. Fields, Zebco and Manischewitz. In addition to sales Hank also developed a system for scheduling 5 production lines allowing the company to maximize line changeover time and production efficiency.
In addition to Hanks’ extensive sales and marketing background he has also owned several restaurants, an outdoor advertising company, a full service project recording studio, and a portfolio of rental properties. This combination of business ownership, management, sales and marketing experience has helped develop Hank’s ability to effectively analyze a company’s situation and develop a plan of action that will quickly produce results.
Hank is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute.
