Chartwell is pleased to expand the firm’s ownership team by adding eight new shareholders. The individuals are instrumental in supporting Chartwell's vision to be the most highly respected and sought-after financial advisory firm serving the middle market.

Position: 2-Directors & VPs

Matt Dennison

Matt is a member of Chartwell’s corporate finance practice and is experienced in advising companies on the finance, ownership, and compensation strategies for long-term sustainability. He works on a wide range of ownership advisory engagements including strategic alternatives, ESOP transactions, and capital structure analyses. He works with business owners, management teams, and boards of directors at employee-owned companies to provide a holistic perspective of a company’s current financial position and the impact of strategic decisions on the company and key stakeholders. Matt enjoys applying his knowledge to design creative and practical solutions to best help companies achieve their objectives.

Professional Involvement & Certification

Matt is an active member of The ESOP Association and the National Center for Employee Ownership. He regularly attends local, regional, and national conferences held by both associations.

Matt is a registered representative with Chartwell affiliate, CCS Transactions, LLC and holds FINRA Series 7, 63, and 79 licenses.

Professional Experience

Prior to Chartwell, Matt was an equity research senior associate at RBC Capital Markets, where he conducted market and company analysis, including financial modeling, equity valuation, and research reports on publicly-traded companies within the oil & gas industry. He also previously worked as an equity research associate at Northland Securities.

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Nate Dykes

Nate is a member of Chartwell’s corporate finance practice. He supports senior members of the firm in advising on strategic alternatives, mergers & acquisitions, capital markets, and ESOP transactions. Nate provides a range of services throughout the transaction process, including financial and valuation analyses, development of marketing materials, oversight of due diligence processes, and transaction negotiation, management, and execution. Nate’s experience in all of Chartwell’s service lines and his comprehensive knowledge of transaction structures, valuation, and corporate finance enable him to bring specialized counsel to each client situation.

Professional Certification

Nate is a registered representative with Chartwell affiliate, CCS Transactions, LLC and holds FINRA Series 63 and 79 licenses.

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Matt Ewing

Matt is a member of Chartwell’s corporate finance practice and is experienced in advising companies on a wide range of topics including strategic alternatives, mergers & acquisitions, and ESOP transactions.

During his career at Chartwell, Matt has worked in all Chartwell service lines, providing him with a comprehensive knowledge of valuation methodologies, transaction structures, and the workings of different corporate models. Matt has worked with companies in a broad range of industries across the U.S. and has expertise on the issues facing mature ESOP companies. This extensive base of experience allows him to bring specialized counsel to every unique client situation, where he enjoys applying his knowledge creatively to best help companies achieve their objectives.

Professional Involvement & Certification

Matt is an active member of The ESOP Association and the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO), where he regularly attends local, regional, and national conferences focused on employee ownership.

Matt is a registered representative with Chartwell affiliate, CCS Transactions, LLC and holds FINRA Series 7, 63, and 79 licenses.

Professional Experience

Prior to Chartwell, Matt was an equity research associate at Northland Securities, where he conducted market and company analysis, including financial modeling, equity valuation, and writing research reports on publicly traded companies.

Prior to Northland, Matt was an investment banking analyst at George K. Baum & Co., where he worked on middle-market M&A transactions and conducted extensive market research.

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Rachel Flaskey

Rachel provides valuations of companies for a variety of purposes including estate and gift, buy/sell agreements, employee stock ownership plans, ownership transitions, and general corporate planning purposes. She has experience with complex capital structures and valuations of corporate securities issued as equity compensation to comply with IRS (IRC§ 409A) and financial reporting (ASC 718) requirements. Rachel has worked with and understands the varying needs of clients across a range of sizes and industries, with particular expertise valuing early-stage companies.

Professional Involvement

Rachel is a member of the Association for Corporate Growth. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed in the states of Minnesota and South Dakota. She holds membership in the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute for Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). Additionally, Rachel is Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) and is Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) as granted by the AICPA. Rachel maintains certification as an Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) designated in Business Valuation by the American Society of Appraisers.

Rachel has won national and local industry recognition for her work in business valuation. She is a recipient of the Twin Cities Finance & Commerce Top Women in Finance Award, NACVA’s Top 40 Under 40 Award, and the AICPA’s Standing Ovation Award. Rachel has written for The Business Journals on a variety of valuation related topics and also contributes content to other industry publications.

Professional Experience

Prior to Chartwell, Rachel served as a senior manager in the valuation services practice of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP.

Chris Ham

Chris is a member of Chartwell’s valuation and transaction opinions practice, focusing primarily on employee stock ownership plans. He is experienced in providing financial advisory services to ESOP trustees and other corporate fiduciaries. Chris is an expert in valuation analysis for a variety of purposes including ERISA administration, corporate planning, and financial reporting. Throughout his career, Chris has worked with companies across a diverse array of industries.

Professional Involvement & Experience

Chris is an active member of The ESOP Association and the National Center for Employee Ownership. Prior to Chartwell, Chris was Director at an independent trustee practice where he led ESOP transactions and maintained responsibility for numerous ongoing ESOP company relationships.

Chris began his career at a national firm where he executed various engagements including analysis of derivatives and complex securities, opinions for fairness and solvency, and valuations for financial reporting and ESOP administration purposes. He managed the execution of multiple projects and was responsible for the training and development of junior staff throughout the firm.

Olivia Kowalski

Olivia joined Chartwell in 2013 and is a member of the firm’s valuation and transaction opinions practice. She provides financial advisory and valuation services, with a focus on employee stock ownership plans. Olivia also has experience advising companies on ownership transition strategies, including buy-side and sell-side transactions. Throughout her career, she has worked with a diverse array of companies across various industry sectors and has extensive experience advising architecture and engineering firms.

Professional Involvement & Certification

Olivia is an active member of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), where she currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Portland chapter and as chair of the Excelling Leaders group. She is also a member of The ESOP Association and the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO).

Olivia is designated as an Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) in Business Valuation by the American Society of Appraisers. She is a registered representative with Chartwell affiliate, CCS Transactions, LLC and holds FINRA Series 63 and 79 licenses.

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Dillon Lewchuk

Dillon is a member of Chartwell’s corporate finance practice. He supports senior members of the firm with mergers & acquisitions and capital markets transactions, including performing financial analyses, creating marketing materials, and gathering and preparing due diligence information. He also assists in overall business development for the firm.

Professional Involvement & Certification

Dillon is an active member of The ESOP Association and the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). He regularly attends local, regional, and national conferences held by both associations.

Dillon is a registered representative with Chartwell affiliate, CCS Transactions, LLC and holds FINRA Series 63 and 79 licenses.

Professional Experience

Prior to Chartwell, Dillon was an associate at Houlihan Lokey where he supported the execution of numerous M&A transactions across a wide range of industries. He has also previously worked at Mill City Capital, Piper Sandler, and Marquette Capital Partners.

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Katie Lind

Katie is a leader in Chartwell’s consulting practice, leading the execution of executive compensation-related client engagements. Katie has spent over 14 years focused on strategic compensation design and planning, including annual and long-term incentives, as well as broader total rewards. She has significant experience working with privately held companies and has also worked with multinational companies to tailor individual solutions to meet their challenges.

Professional Involvement

Katie is an active member of The ESOP Association, the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO), WorldatWork – Total Rewards Association, and the Twin Cities Compensation Network..

Professional Experience

Prior to Chartwell, Katie held multiple client facing roles over 14 years at WTW and has worked with clients on a variety of executive compensation topics including competitive pay level benchmarking, incentive design, and pay-for-performance assessments.

Collin Mayer

Collin is a member of Chartwell’s valuation and transaction opinions practice, focusing primarily on employee stock ownership plans. He joined the firm in 2012 and is experienced in providing independent financial advisory services to ESOP trustees and other corporate fiduciaries. Collin is passionate about employee ownership and partnering with boards of directors, management teams, and other transaction counterparties. Throughout his career, Collin has worked within a diverse array of industries and has extensive experience valuing general and specialty construction contractors and manufacturers.

Collin is passionate about mentoring the next generation of finance professionals. He co-leads Chartwell’s on-campus recruiting and new analyst training and development programs. Collin is a student mentor for the University of St. Thomas Aristotle Fund, a student-run investment fund.

Professional Involvement & Certification

Collin is an active member of The ESOP Association, the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO), and the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA).

Collin is a registered representative with Chartwell affiliate, CCS Transactions, LLC and holds FINRA Series 63 and 79 licenses.

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Ashleigh Newlin

Ashleigh is a leader in Chartwell’s consulting practice, where she advises privately held companies with a special focus on ESOP-owned businesses. Ashleigh brings significant experience in executive incentive design, ESOP repurchase obligation planning, and financial modeling and analysis. She enjoys helping a diverse range of clients develop successful compensation and ownership strategies tailored to their unique philosophies and objectives.

Professional Involvement

Ashleigh is an active member of The ESOP Association, where she currently serves on the Administration Advisory Committee. She is also a member of the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) and the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA).

Ashleigh speaks regularly at national and regional conferences on topics related to executive compensation and ESOP planning.

Professional Experience

Prior to Chartwell, Ashleigh was a Director and Software Practice Manager for ESOP Economics.


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