Meet the Westlake Team

A Trusted, Experienced Team Built for Middle Market Companies

Our clients benefit from the team’s deep understanding of deal strategy, operational improvements, equity value creation, and transaction process. At Westlake Securities, each of our trusted advisors has 10+ years of experience providing middle market companies with a diverse, robust suite of services.

 

The principals of Westlake Securities come from diverse backgrounds of advising, operating, and investing in middle market companies. Our clients benefit from the team’s deep understanding of deal strategy, operational improvements, equity value creation, and transaction process.

 

Matt Andersen

CEO

Matt Andersen, CEO

Matt is the CEO of Westlake. Over the past 20 years, he has worked on over 140 completed transactions totaling over $5 billion in private placement and M&A value. Matt has gained in-depth experience working with companies from the lower middle market up to public companies with market capitalizations in excess of $1.5 billion. Since joining Westlake in 2014, Matt has advised companies with a combined annual revenue of over $1.8 billion in the areas of strategy, capital, finance, and M&A. He currently sits on the board of three companies. In past roles, Matt has had full operational and P&L responsibility for a NYSE-listed company division with $15 million of EBITDA, led a multi-million dollar revenue geographic territory for a privately held company, and oversaw a multi-million dollar revenue product line for a NYSE-listed company. Matt has an MBA in banking and has attended executive programs at Harvard and the University of Chicago. Matt holds Series 6, 7, 63, 65, 24, 27, and 79 FINRA licenses.

Wilson Allen

Managing Director

Wilson Allen, Managing Director

Wilson co-founded Westlake in 2003 and serves as a managing director. Since 1995, Wilson has provided leadership and guidance to early-stage companies with unique intellectual property in large markets, assisting with capital, corporate structure, strategy, and developing management teams. Collectively, through his career, he has assisted early and late-stage companies raise over $170 million. Early in his career, Wilson worked with Eagle Global, a $2 billion money management firm, where he served as senior equity trader and member of the asset allocation group. In addition, Wilson has served on numerous for-profit and non-profit boards throughout his career. Wilson earned an MBA from Pepperdine University and a BA from The University of Texas at Austin. He holds Series 62, 63, 24, and 79 FINRA licenses.

Jon D'Andrea

Managing Director

Jon D'Andrea, Managing Director

Jon is a managing director at Westlake. Since joining Westlake in 2008, Jon has executed and closed numerous sell-side, buy-side, and capital placement engagements. Primarily serving founder-owned / privately-held middle market companies ranging in size from $5 million to over $150 million and representing over $500 million of aggregate transaction value. At Westlake, Jon has gained specific industry experience from projects in the manufacturing, industrial, consumer, technology, energy, and business service sectors. Recently, he has led active engagements in the education services, energy efficiency, and home improvement product sectors. Jon graduated with high honors from The University of Texas at Austin where he received his BBA in Finance with a minor in accounting. Jon holds active Series 7 and 63 FINRA licenses. Originally from Houston and a native Texan, Jon has lived in Austin for over 15 years.

Mark Austin

Managing Director

Mark Austin, Managing Director

Mark joined Westlake Securities as a managing director after merging his M&A advisory practice, Balcones Advisory, into the firm. He has advised and successfully completed numerous lower middle market transactions across a spectrum of industries that include manufacturing, distribution, B2B services, media, and software. Prior to entering the M&A profession, Mark gained 20 years of entrepreneurial and operator experience while growing his family-owned distribution business before undergoing a sale to a strategic acquirer in 2015. Mark graduated with an MBA and BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin. He has earned the Merger & Acquisition Master Intermediary (M&AMI) and Certified Mergers & Acquisitions Professional (CM&AP) designations and is a founder of the Exit Planning Exchange (XPX) chapter in Austin.

Kevin Brady

Head of CFO Services

Kevin Brady, Head of CFO Services

Kevin is a CFO consultant with over 14 years of experience providing financial leadership to high growth, entrepreneurial companies. Educated as an engineer, he is skilled at analyzing problems and developing client solutions. As a business partner, he works with the senior leadership to formulate strategies and tactics to achieve the company’s objectives. Kevin is skilled at building teams and processes to meet the demands of these high growth companies. Kevin spent fifteen years in Fortune 100 companies as a financial leader, developing a successful record in acquisitions, turnarounds, and process improvements. For the past twenty years, he has been working with small to mid-size companies, helping them achieve their growth and profitability goals. Kevin earned an MBA from SMU, in Dallas, and a BS in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M.

Liz Schwab

Managing Director, Head of CMO Services

Liz Schwab Managing Director, Head of CMO Services

Marketer. Storyteller. Curator. Liz is a hybrid marketer with skills and experience in strategy, planning, account service, and creative direction. She specializes in utilizing storytelling to ignite and influence action and direction. Liz's 15 years of marketing and business development experience include developing strategies and go-to-market plans for companies of all sizes. Liz combines her creativity and experience with a deep knowledge base and focuses on brand building and growth strategies. With a background in design and strong creative instincts, she has been instrumental in building emerging, middle-market brands. After years at TPN (Omnicom’s creative commerce agency) traveling between New York, Dallas, and Chicago, Liz lived in Austin for 12+ years and now resides in South Carolina.

Jon Sanfelippo

Vice President

Jon Sanfelippo, Vice President

Jon joined Westlake in 2021 from GulfStar Group, where he executed numerous sell-side, buy-side, and capital raising engagements for privately held middle market companies. His transaction experience spans the manufacturing, distribution, and services sectors throughout the United States and Mexico. Prior to joining GulfStar Group, Jon was with J.P. Morgan Chase, working with privately-held middle market companies and their owners in both commercial banking and private banking capacities. Jon graduated from Texas Christian University, where he received his BBA in Finance with a minor in Energy Management. Jon holds active Series 7 and 63 FINRA licenses. After spending the past 10 years in Houston, Jon and his family relocated to San Antonio in 2021.

David Hill

Managing Director

David Hill, Managing Director

David is a seasoned corporate advisor and executive officer with more than 30 years’ success in delivering capitalization, turnaround, growth, exits, and strategic pivots in uncertain markets. Working with private equity portfolios, corporations, high-net-worth family offices, and mid-sized enterprises, he has instigated and supported growth while building organizational agility and resilience through lean operational excellence. David has led and/or advised on more than $5BN of middle-market transactions spanning key sectors, including healthcare, technology, real estate, hospitality, multi-point retail, and automotive. He has held senior corporate appointments with Bank of America, Applied Materials, and Dell, to name a few. David holds an MBA from Baylor University, a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Texas Tech University, and Series 79 and 63 Securities Licenses.

Gregg Honigblum

Managing Director

Gregg Honigblum, Managing Director

Gregg has over 35 years of experience as a financier for emerging growth companies, specializing in the healthcare sector. In 2016, he co-founded Healthgrowth Pharmacy Solutions, an advisory company and group purchasing organization for the 22,000 independent pharmacies in the U.S. From 2014 to 2016, he led the healthcare banking practice at Westlake Securities. Prior to that, he was the CEO and co-founder of Creation Capital LLC and Creation Capital Advisors, an investment banking firm and broker dealer with offices in New York City and Austin, Texas. Gregg has been instrumental in providing early-stage capital for Myriad Genetics, Inc (symbol MYGN), one of the first molecular diagnostics companies, and was a co- founder of Acacia Biosciences, which merged with Rosetta Inpharmatics, Inc. and was acquired by Merck for $620 million. Gregg holds a BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Matt Bray

Board Advisor

Matt Bray, Board Advisor

Matt has nearly thirty years of operations and investment experience creating value for middle-market companies. Matt started his career working for companies like Texaco and Williams in the midstream energy sector. Subsequently, he worked as vice president, chief financial officer, and chief operating officer for several private equity-owned middle-market manufacturing and industrial companies. He played an integral role in growing the EBITDA of these companies and leading them to successful exits. In addition to his experience running a business, Matt has been investing in middle market companies since 2010. He has started private investment transactions in mostly Texas-based companies and co-invested with leading institutional investors. Matt has an MBA from the University of Houston and a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

Josh Hinsdale

Managing Director, CMO Services

Josh Hinsdale, Managing Director, CMO Services

Josh is a veteran marketing professional with 20+ years of experience building brands and driving demand for a range of companies. Josh orchestrated the launch of one of the first national Internet brands, and managed the company's marketing through a merger, an IPO, and eventual acquisition. He then led marketing and sales support efforts at LoneStar Tangible Assets for 12+ years, creating the branding and positioning, then overseeing meteoric growth into one of the nation's largest precious metals investment firms. He has consulted and completed marketing-related projects for a range of big brands and e-commerce players, including Expedia.com, uShip.com, and Anheuser-Busch. He is a native Texan and holds a degree in Journalism-Public Relations from The University of Texas at Austin.

Jordan Markim

Associate

Jordan Markim, Associate

Jordan joined Westlake in 2023 from WoodRock & Co., where he executed numerous sell-side, buy-side, and capital raising engagements primarily serving founder-owned and privately-held middle market companies ranging in size from $5 million to over $250 million of enterprise value. He has done deals in the agriculture, distribution, healthcare, industrial, and logistics sectors all over the US. Jordan graduated with honors from Texas A&M University, where he received his BBA in Finance with a minor in Sports Management. Jordan holds active Series 7, 63, and 79 FINRA licenses. Jordan and his family relocated to Austin in 2023 after working as an investment banker in Houston for four years.

David McLaughlin

Managing Director

David McLaughlin, Managing Director

David is a senior strategic financial executive and industry leader with a deep background and continued focus on growth, revenue generation, and debt financing for founder-owned, private equity-backed, and venture capital-backed companies throughout Texas, the Midwest, and other markets. Throughout his career, David has led and actively managed strategic growth, investor relationships, deal origination, and portfolios across categories and has been directly responsible for closing more than 100 transactions resulting in close to $1B in value. For the past 20+ years, he has held executive positions with Frost Bank, Imperial Bank/Comerica Bank, and Pacific Western Bank/Square 1 Bank, where he played an integral role in establishing and building Square 1’s brand across Texas and the Midwest. David earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Corporate Finance from St. Mary's University summa cum laude. Born and raised in San Antonio and with deep roots in Central Texas, David and his family have lived in Austin for the past 22 years.

Michael Deschene

Incoming Analyst

Michael Deschene, Incoming Analyst

Brandon McNally

Managing Director, CFO Services

Brandon McNally, Managing Director, CFO Services

Brandon has a passion for building and providing value creation solutions for businesses and sponsors through operational expertise in enabling partnership between investors and portfolio executive teams, leveraging proven business operating models, creating managerial bandwidth, developing leadership teams, and instilling best leadership and business practices within enterprise foundations. He serves our clients through projects like operational transformation, financial clean-ups, value creation realization, creating and deploying strategic and tactical operating plans for enterprises, identifying organizational resource infrastructure gaps, and finding ways to tell a company’s story and maximize enterprise value. His qualifications include being a certified SCRUM Master and a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt. He also holds professional certifications and designations in Financial Modeling and Valuation, Business Valuation, Business Intelligence and Data Transformation, Capital Markets & Securities, M&A, Executive Coaching, and Project Management.

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