Los Angeles, CA – May 12, 2016 – FocalPoint Partners, a leading investment bank, today announced the hiring of its second and third Managing Directors of 2016 with the addition of Stanley (Stan) Koss to its Chicago office, and Robert (Bob) Woolway to its Los Angeles office. These additions follow the announcement that Rick Phillips, another industry veteran, joined the firm earlier this year. FocalPoint Partners continues to expand its national presence and broaden key industry verticals – Industrials, Consumer, and Aerospace and Defense.
Duane Stullich,Co-founder and Managing Partner of FocalPoint, commented, “We are very pleased to add such high quality bankers to the firm. Each of these individuals bring a wealth of talent and industry experience, and will be a great fit with our firm’s culture. FocalPoint has experienced strong growth and record performance in recent years, and now with eleven Managing Directors, we will continue to build on our reputation for driving high-quality outcomes for clients.”
“What attracted me to the firm was the culture,” added Bob Woolway. “I spent a great deal of time diligencing FocalPoint and was impressed with the reputation its bankers have for achieving extraordinary results for their clients through exceptional transaction execution. The firm has a unique entrepreneurial spirit and client-first focus that matches what I was looking for in a platform.”
“FocalPoint has established itself as a growing and well-respected investment bank in the Midwest region,” stated Stan Koss. “I have been impressed with the talent of the firm’s professionals and am excited to contribute to the growth and continued success of the Chicago office.”
“The combined set of M&A, capital markets and financial restructuring expertise allows me to leverage my industry relationships across the A&D sector to provide a variety of inter-related services depending on the needs of my clients,” continued Rick Phillips. “FocalPoint is an emerging leader in the middle market and very unique in this regard.”
Mr. Woolway has been a successful investment banker for more than 30 years and has executed a wide variety of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and financing transactions. Based on his vast experience, Mr. Woolway offers middle-market clients a unique combination of larger investment bank sophistication combined with boutique-style service and responsiveness. Prior to joining FocalPoint, he served in senior positions with Trinity Capital (where he focused on the food, beverage and restaurant industries) as well as J.P. Morgan, Merrill Lynch & Co. and Salomon Brothers. Mr. Woolway graduated from Harvard University with Honors in Economics and received an M.B.A. from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.
Mr. Koss has spent more than 20 years developing relationships with large, international corporations, middle market companies and entrepreneurs in addition to private equity firms and family offices. His experience has centered around leveraged finance and M&A transactions, including complex corporate divestitures, across a number of industries. He has worked with a number of marquee clients in the aerospace, automotive, chemicals, diversified iIndustrial, electrical equipment, mining, and tools sectors. Prior to joining FocalPoint, Mr. Koss served in senior positions with Bear Stearns, CIBC Oppenheimer, Bankers Trust, and TTK Partners (which he co-founded). Mr. Koss graduated from the University of Michigan where he earned a B.A. with Honors in Economics and Psychology.
Mr. Phillips spent more than 15 years working in the Aerospace and Defense industry with Hughes Aircraft, Jet Propulsion Lab and TRW in the fields of cryogenics, infrared sensors, space systems and superconductivity. During this time, his roles included technology management, research and development, project management, and new business development. After transitioning to investment banking in the late 1990’s, Rick co-founded the Aerospace-Defense-Government industry group at Houlihan Lokey, led CIT/Edgeview’s A&D team, and was the CEO and Managing Director of Janes Capital Partners, a boutique Aerospace & Defense focused investment bank. He earned his B.S. in Applied Physics from the California Institute of Technology and received his M.B.A. with Honors from UCLA’s Anderson Graduate School of Management.
FocalPoint is an independent investment bank, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, private placements (both debt and equity), financial restructurings, and special situation transactions. With offices in Los Angeles and Chicago, the firm serves middle-market clients throughout the U.S. Since its inception in 2002, FocalPoint has completed over $5 billion in transactions. For more information on FocalPoint Partners, visit focalpointllc.com