Chartwell is pleased to announce the promotions of several Chartwell team members across the country. Congratulations on a job well done!

Team Category: Valuation/Opinions

Steve leads Chartwell’s transaction opinion practice. He has provided financial advisory services to privately-held companies for more than 30 years and is an expert on valuation issues related to employee stock ownership plans. He also advises clients on a wide variety of corporate finance, valuation, financial fairness, mergers & acquisitions, divestitures, and general corporate matters. Steve has performed valuations as a court-appointed appraiser and provided expert witness testimony. His financial opinions have consistently withstood scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor.

Professional Involvement & Certification

Steve is an active member of The ESOP Association, where he previously served on the Valuation Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) and the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA). Steve has written articles and made various presentations on valuation and ownership transition for a variety of professional groups and boards of directors.

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

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Nick joined Chartwell in 2007 and leads the firm’s Portland office. He provides financial advisory and valuation services to the middle market, with extensive valuation experience related to fairness opinions, employee stock ownership plans, corporate planning, and shareholder liquidity alternatives. Nick also has significant experience in corporate finance engagements, including transaction advisory and corporate development. He works with clients across the United States, covering a broad scope of size, industries, and capital structures.

Professional Involvement & Certification

Nick is an active member of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), The ESOP Association, and the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). Nick has been a featured speaker for these organizations on employee ownership and valuation issues. He also regularly presents to management teams, boards of directors, ESOP trustees, and employee groups.

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

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Richard has been with Chartwell since 2015 and leads the delivery of the firm’s West Coast financial advisory and consulting services. For over 25 years, Richard has worked with privately-held companies and shareholders with an emphasis on employee ownership. Richard is a recognized authority in fiduciary compliance, corporate governance, ESOP consulting and transaction execution, ownership transition strategies, corporate sustainability, and other business issues involving capital planning for privately-held businesses.

Professional Involvement

Richard is an active member of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), The ESOP Association, and the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). He is a frequent speaker at local, regional, and national ESOP conferences.

Professional Experience

Prior to Chartwell, Richard was a Managing Director with Alerus Financial’s ESOP Services practice, where he regularly engaged with companies on a broad range of topics including ESOP formation, fiduciary issues, stock transaction structure, corporate governance, repurchase obligation, stock valuation and capital analysis, ESOP sustainability, and participant communications.

Tim has provided financial advisory and valuation services to privately held companies since 2007. A substantial portion of his work relates to employee stock ownership plans and providing independent financial advisory services to ESOP trustees and other corporate fiduciaries. He also has experience with corporate ESOP advisory engagements, providing services for transaction-related purposes. Throughout his career, Tim has worked with a diverse demographic of companies. In particular, he has significant experience valuing construction companies.

Professional Involvement & Certification

Tim is an active member of The ESOP Association and National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). He has been a featured speaker for both organizations at national, regional, and local events on employee ownership and valuation issues. Tim also regularly presents to management teams, boards of directors, ESOP trustees, and employee groups.

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

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Dennis has been active in business valuation for over 30 years. He has served as financial advisor to over 150 ESOP-owned companies across a broad range of industries for numerous purposes including transaction opinions, annual plan administration, corporate planning, and litigation support. Dennis is a well-known presenter to business owners, accountants, attorneys, and bankers on topics such as financial management, business valuation, and estate planning.

Professional Certification

Dennis is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and is designated as an Accredited Senior Appraiser (ASA) in Business Valuation by the American Society of Appraisers. He is a member of the CFA Society of Seattle, the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts, and the American Society of Appraisers. Dennis has testified as an expert witness in business valuation cases and has been published in recognized industry publications.

Professional Experience

Prior to Chartwell, Dennis was founder and Managing Director at Legacy Equity Valuations. Before starting Legacy from 2019 to 2023, he spent 25 years as a Partner at Moss Adams LLP where he led the ESOP valuation practice.

Matt leads Chartwell’s valuation practice. He has provided financial advisory services to privately-held companies for over 25 years for a wide variety of purposes. In addition to providing valuation services for corporate planning, financial reporting, gift and estate planning, and tax planning, Matt is an expert on valuation issues related to employee stock ownership plans and ESOP sustainability. He advises clients on a wide variety of corporate finance, valuation, tax, and fairness issues for ESOPs, mergers & acquisitions, divestitures, and general corporate related purposes. His valuation opinions have withstood scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Labor.

Professional Involvement & Certification

Matt is an active member of The ESOP Association, where he currently serves as a member of the Valuation Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). Matt has been a featured speaker at national conferences held by these organizations on employee ownership and valuation issues. He also frequently speaks to employee and professional groups, boards of directors, and ESOP trustees.

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

Check the background of this investment professional on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.

Joe has provided valuation, corporate finance, and consulting services to privately-held companies since 2004. Much of his professional career has been dedicated to providing independent financial advisory services to boards of directors and ESOP trustees. Joe has worked on many M&A transactions, representing both buyers and sellers. He also has experience advising clients on ownership transition alternatives as well as helping mature ESOPs operate sustainably. 

Joe leads Chartwell’s architecture and engineering practice, which has grown to serve more than 150 clients over the years. Decision makers seek out Joe for his expertise and experience advising AE firms owned by their employees in financial matters. Joe is passionate about advancing the business of engineering and educating people about the value of employee ownership. 

Professional Involvement & Certification

Joe is a member of The ESOP Association, the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO), and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC). He has presented a variety of valuation related topics at conferences across the country.

Joe is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Minnesota. He is a registered representative with Chartwell affiliate CCS Transactions, LLC and holds FINRA Series 63 and 79 licenses.

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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 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 a member of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), The ESOP Association, and the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO). 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 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.

Check the background of this investment professional on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.


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