Our Professional Team
Wayne G. Nielsen
President and Managing Partner
Wayne G. Nielsen
President and Managing PartnerMr. Nielsen is the Managing Partner of W.G. Nielsen & Co. and has more than 30 years of investment banking experience. Since 1996, he has specialized in providing customized mergers and acquisitions services for privately held middle-market companies.
Prior to founding W.G. Nielsen & Co., Mr. Nielsen was Executive Vice President of Kirkpatrick Pettis, a subsidiary of Mutual of Omaha, where he founded and managed the firm’s Rocky Mountain investment banking operations, including corporate and public finance, retail and institutional sales, trading activities and money management services. Before that, Mr. Nielsen managed United Bank of Denver's investment banking activities.
He began his financial career as a commercial loan analyst with Midland Bank, a Norwest Bank, and then moved to Northwestern National Life Insurance Co. as a portfolio investment analyst.
Mr. Nielsen holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Pacific Union College and an MBA from Webster University.
Ronald M. Barber
Executive Vice President
Ronald M. Barber
Executive Vice PresidentMr. Barber joined W.G. Nielsen & Co. in August 2002. Prior to joining the firm, he consulted for several clients of W.G. Nielsen & Co. Mr. Barber previously served as CEO of Corybant, Inc., a company that develops Active Information Models for enterprise applications and social networking. Prior to Corybant, he was a founder and served as Executive Vice President of Sales and International Operations for TomTec Imaging Systems, a manufacturer of medical imaging and information management systems. In addition, Mr. Barber has extensive experience in building corporate sales and marketing organizations, as well as hands-on experience in the biomedical and medical laboratory fields.
Mr. Barber received his Medical Technology degree in Pathology from Bethesda Memorial Hospital/Florida Atlantic University.
Thomas F. Campbell
Chief Operating Officer
Thomas F. Campbell
Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Campbell joined W. G. Nielsen & Co. in July 2008. His responsibilities include performing industry and company research and analysis, corporate valuation, and strategic advisory. He also prepares and assists in the creation of confidential information memoranda and investor target lists.
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Campbell worked for RedPeak Properties and Vandelay Logistics.
Mr. Campbell received a bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Denver.
Craig M. Davis
Director, Financial Services & Special Assets
Craig M. Davis
Director, Financial Services & Special Assets
Mr. Davis joined W.G. Nielsen & Co. in 2000. He began his career in 1982 working with various institutional securities firms in Chicago. His investment banking experience includes work with structured financings, private debt & equity transactions and mezzanine structures, including preferred equity and subordinated/second lien debt. His brokerage experience provided him with an in-depth understanding of corporate debt and asset-backed structures.
Mr. Davis specializes in the financial services sector with an emphasis on commercial/consumer debt and/or receivables (performing and non-performing), distressed assets, special assets, tax credits, tax liens, alternative asset classes and special situations.
Mr. Davis graduated with a degree in finance from the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle, in 1982. Prior to college, Mr. Davis served with the United States Army's 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division.
Michael D. Harris
Associate
Michael D. Harris
Associate
Mr. Harris joined W.G. Nielsen & Co. in July 2016. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Harris was the Controller for DataGryd Data Centers, a start-up urban data center located in TriBeCa and funded by a large, publicly-traded private equity firm. Prior to DataGryd Data Centers, Mr. Harris worked as a Senior Associate within the valuation practice of Duff & Phelps’ New York office where he advised clients on the valuation of tangible and intangible assets on a pre- and post-merger basis. He also performed investment valuations for large private equity groups and provided merger & acquisition advisory services. Additionally, Mr. Harris has investment management experience from roles at Bear Stearns and KM Capital Management. Mr. Harris has extensive financial modeling experience, having taught financial modeling to incoming investment banking analysts at several bulge bracket banks in New York while working with Training The Street. He is currently a Teaching Assistant for a graduate level valuation and finance course taught through the Harvard University Extension School.
Mr. Harris earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and his M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also completed graduate studies at Handelshögskolan (Stockholm School of Economics), and has passed the CFA Level I and Level II Exams.
Ray J. Hernandez
Managing Director, Telecommunications & Technology
Ray J. Hernandez
Managing Director, Telecommunications & Technology
Mr. Hernandez joined W.G. Nielsen & Co. in September 2011 and has over 25 years of investment banking experience. He oversees the firm's efforts in telecommunications, data networking and information technology.
Prior to joining W.G. Nielsen, Mr. Hernandez was a Managing Director at Janco Partners Inc. in Denver and Roth Capital Partners in Los Angeles, CA. Before that he founded an IP telephony business focused on the SMB market. Also, Mr. Hernandez has served as a Vice President in the Corporate Development group at Covad Communications, a broadband access and network services company. He began his investment banking career in 1990 with Falkenberg Capital Corp.
Prior to joining the investment banking industry, he was a cable television entrepreneur and served as Director of Acquisitions for Tele-Communications, Inc., formerly the largest cable television systems operator in the U.S.
Mr. Hernandez began his career as a tax and corporate attorney and is a graduate of the University of Colorado and Harvard Law School. He holds the Series 7, 24, 63 and 79 securities licenses.
J. Gregory Karsh
Vice President
J. Gregory Karsh
Vice President
Mr. Karsh joined W.G. Nielsen & Co. in December 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Karsh was a senior associate in the Dallas office of Houlihan Lokey where he was a member of the Financial Opinions & Advisory Services practice. While at Houlihan Lokey, he specialized in fairness and solvency opinions as well as enterprise valuations, tangible and intangible assets valuations, valuations of investments for large private equity groups and other advisory services.
Before Houlihan Lokey, he was a senior associate in the New York office of Standard & Poor’s (formerly PriceWaterhouseCoopers Corporate Value Consulting and currently Duff & Phelps), where he worked on enterprise valuations, valuations of tangible and intangible assets and other advisory services. Earlier, he was an associate at a boutique investment bank in Denver that focused on M&A advisory services.
Mr. Karsh earned his bachelor’s degree in finance with a concentration in accounting from the University of Texas at Austin and his MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Michael Mazer
Managing Director, Telecommunications
Michael Mazer
Managing Director, Telecommunications
Michael Mazer has been an active investment banker in the telecommunications field for more than 20 years. Since 1993, Michael has personally represented over 30 owners of minority cellular interests and represented 23 owners of privately owned local exchange carriers in the sale of their assets. We believe this number of closings is more than anyone else in the industry.
Before launching Mazer Telecommunications Advisors, Michael was Senior Vice President of another investment banking firm, where he directed the company’s efforts in the independent telephone company industry.
Prior to that, Michael held various management posts in media, marketing and financial management at TIME Magazine, HBO, and Credit Suisse Group, all based in New York City.
Michael graduated from Yale University with a BA degree in Administrative Science. He holds his Series 79 license.
Richard L. Millett, Jr.
Senior Vice President
Richard L. Millett, Jr.
Senior Vice President
Mr. Millett joined W.G. Nielsen & Co. in December 2010 and has more than 28 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions and private and public company financings. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Millett was the Chief Financial Officer of Office Source, Inc. where he acquired five regional companies to form a national office furniture wholesale company with $125 million in revenues.
Before Office Source, he served as the Vice President of Acquisitions and Corporate Development of Corporate Express, Inc., where he was responsible for 185 acquisitions completed in six years, both public and private, including 73 international acquisitions. He also practiced law at Davis, Graham & Stubbs, one of Denver's largest and oldest law firms, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate securities and finance, and general corporate law.
Mr. Millett received his law degree from J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, and a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Brigham Young University. He is also a former Certified Public Accountant.
W. Blake Nielsen
Senior Vice President
W. Blake Nielsen
Senior Vice President
Mr. Nielsen joined W.G. Nielsen & Co. in March 2005. In his decade with the firm, he has held varying roles with increased levels of responsibility. He now oversees all facets of M&A transactions.
Mr. Nielsen has experience within Manufacturing and Distribution, Automotive Retail, Food and Beverage, and Oil and Gas. He has been recognized with the Denver Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 award, and brings a unique perspective to transactions as a fellow business owner as co-owner of Johnson & Held in Denver.
Mr. Nielsen holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Occidental College and received his Master in Finance from the University of Denver.
Patrick O'Keefe
Director, Telecommunications
Patrick O'Keefe
Director, Telecommunications
Patrick has more than 15 years of experience in the investment and commercial banking industries, with a focus on telecommunications companies. His completed transactions have included small to medium-sized companies that provide telephone, cable television and internet access services throughout the U.S.
Prior to joining Mazer Telecommunications, Patrick held a variety of management and senior financial positions at telecommunications companies, investment banking firms (including Shearson Lehman and Wells Fargo), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in Chicago.
Patrick graduated from University of Denver Graduate School of Business with an MBA in Finance, and from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with a BS in Economics. He holds a Series 79 license.