SMP Capital Partners

Bios

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  Greg Allan Ponder

  Partner

  Greg Ponder is a Partner at SMP Capital Partners. Greg manages deal negotiations and long term business development. Greg began his M&A career in 1997 and has built one of the most credible and impressive investment banking resumes throughout the industry. Greg has represented business owners of nearly every size and scope and from almost every industry. In September 2005, Greg founded the precursor firm to SMP Capital in the Asheville, North Carolina area which was quickly recognized as one of the premier firms in Western North Carolina and the Upstate South Carolina region. After two years in those markets Greg moved operations to Charlotte and has been in town ever since. Greg focuses on business development, deal negotiations, and is our executive director. Greg has created customized exit strategies for privately held service, manufacturing, distribution, professional service, and specialty contracting operations across the Carolinas and throughout the Southeastern United States. In over 25 years, Greg has built an exhaustive network of accounting and legal referral sources, private equity group connections, and lending partners with specialized expertise in deals of all sizes & scopes. Greg has an unmatched attention span for detail, professional integrity, empathy, and trust. When you meet him, you’ll understand why hundreds of business owners spanning nearly every industry and business concept have trusted Greg to lead their business divestiture. Greg’s a native North Carolinian who was born in Asheville and grew up in a family of specialty contractors in nearby Weaverville. He owns a degree from Mars Hill University (Mars Hill, North Carolina). Prior to investment banking, he began his professional career selling heavy industrial equipment to large manufacturing and distribution facilities all along the mid-Atlantic and eastern seaboard. He’s developed multiple start up concepts into profitable businesses and absolutely loves conversations with business owners.

  Link: Greg Allan Ponder

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  Frank Thomas Muraca

  Partner

  Frank is a Partner at SMP Capital. Frank manages the firm’s financial and regulatory operations and works closely w/business owners to assist w/daily financial operational management, financial health, reporting, cash flow management, cost containment, debt management, and targeted growth initiatives. In addition, Frank manages oversight of all business valuations and has spent nearly 40 years providing financial advisory services to lenders, equity holders, and potential business acquirers. Frank specializes in financial reporting, business valuation, and audit/Quality of Earnings review management. Prior to entering the M&A field, Frank began his storied professional career as an auditor right out of college for Price Waterhouse in 1988. He brought cutting edge technology to Gardei, Inc in 1991 by streamlining operations which created modernized efficiencies, new growth, and previously unrealized profitability. Frank became President of his family’s operation in 1992 and drove growth 5x beyond its original size. In 1997, Frank led the American Coaster Company/Ad Mat merger which brought together the largest companies industry wide from both North & South America. Frank became the CEO of Katz Americas in 2007. Frank divested his interest in the coaster manufacturing industry in 2013 and has owned several businesses since in industries from promotional marketing to stone fabrication. Frank hails from North Tonawanda, New York and graduated w/a BA in Accounting from Niagara University (1988) and owns an MBA from Canisius University (1995). Frank’s been a self-proclaimed member of the (Buffalo) Bills Mafia for over 50 years. Ask him about the 1990 AFC Championship Game sometime. He helped carry one of the goalposts to the owner’s box after the game. He really did that.

  Link: Frank Thomas Muraca

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  Joshua Martin Stamey

  Partner

  Josh Stamey is a Partner at SMP Capital Partners. Josh develops content for SMP and manages deal flow on a continuum. He develops customized exit strategies & recaps for small market & lower middle market companies. Josh has collected extensive experience with full and partial divestitures, financial analysis and business valuations, financial and legal diligence, business development, business operations, transactional negotiation, buyer management and lower middle market financing. In addition, Josh’s established M&A transaction experience incorporates deep learned academic level research in a variety of industries including wood manufacturing, negotiation training education, product distribution & transportation, managed service providers, commercial HVAC, commercial & residential plumbing, mold remediation & disaster mitigation, telecommunication construction & installation, high end automotive dealerships, commercial landscape management, commercial cleaning, commercial & industrial construction, chemical and paper recycling, freight forwarding, senior care services, multi-location beauty salons, multi-location farm & landscape supply, stainless steel fabrication & distribution, restaurant equipment sales, roofing contracting, N-95 mask manufacturing and distribution, transportation technologies, architectural design, plastics manufacturing, chemical manufacturing and distribution, mechanical contracting, electrical contracting, professional accounting services, furniture manufacturing and distribution, consumer financial services, and speech therapy clinics. A seasoned entrepreneur, Josh created a commercial cleaning company in 2009 which generated exponential growth from inception with a wide-ranging list of contract commercial clients including regional banks, medical clinics, schools, and fitness centers while carrying a nearly flawless customer retention rate over eight and a half years of continuous operation. Josh has an extensive academic background. He completed his undergraduate coursework in American History from Catawba College (Salisbury, North Carolina) where he played baseball (LHP) for the Indians (long ago and far away). He completed his MA coursework in American History from the University of North Carolina Wilmington where he developed specialized expertise in 20th Century United States Foreign Relations and Cold War Studies. He previously taught at the undergraduate level and in private secondary education.

  Link: Joshua Martin Stamey

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  Matt Moreau

  Director of Operations

  Matt is the Director of Operations at SMP Capital Partners. Matt performs financial analysis, business valuations, and financial due diligence while adding a research component for market transactional data and collateral to be used throughout the M&A lifecycle. Matt possesses a wealth of practical, real-world experience working in Big 4 public accounting, advising highly complex and visible organizations across a variety of industry sectors. Over the past 20+ years, Matt has been responsible for leading dynamic and complex work streams across a diverse set of business ecosystems, focused on effective management of risks and controls in a complex and continually shifting global business landscape. Matt has broad experience navigating complex financial risk and regulatory environments and has worked in partnership with executive business stakeholders to analyze and understand the risk tolerance of an organization to identify opportunities to advance the use of technology and data analytics. Matt advises on key operational strategy decisions, focusing on process and resource efficiency, business process standardization, optimizing revenue generation, and cost reductions to deliver services, while further reducing risk exposure. Matt counsels’ organizational leadership to develop opportunities to increase operational efficiencies and achieve significant cost savings through process simplification and optimization with a focus on future strategic M&A transactions. Matt earned two Bachelor’s Degrees from the University of Rhode Island where he studied Applied Economics (Econometrics) and Business, with a specific concentration in Finance. Throughout his time at URI, Matt was a member of the Men’s Division 1 Varsity Rowing Team and had the opportunity to compete internationally with his crew in the 2004 Henley Royal Regatta in Henley-on-Thames, UK. Matt and his wife have two young children and are very active participants in the NASCAR Youth Series, racing Quarter Midget Race cars in North Carolina and across the eastern U.S. When not working diligently for organizations engaged with SMP Capital, Matt moonlights as a Crew Chief/Car Mechanic/Marketing Director for his own start-up family race team, MBMC Racing. Matt originally hails from New England and is a die-hard fan of the NHL’s Boston Bruins.

  Link: Matt Moreau