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About
Us l Our
Team l Why
Clients Select Rockland
About Us
There is an increasing need among middle market
businesses for sophisticated investment banking services. Due
to smaller transactions, this demographic often receives limited
access to, as well as little attention from, larger investment
banking firms. Rockland was founded to change this dynamic and
provide middle market businesses with the same depth and quality
of strategic advisory services that are available to larger companies.
One of our core principles is to ensure that all clients receive
relationship driven advice and solutions to their strategic and
financial goals. The Partners at Rockland have extensive investment
banking experience and expertise that are unique in a middle market
investment bank. Our senior team has participated in transactions
as both intermediaries and principals, thereby giving us a unique
perspective and understanding of the strategic and financial issues
that confront our clients.
While the Partners have broad experience across
multiple industry segments, there is particular specialization
in the following industries:
- Consumer and Retail
- Food and Beverage Manufacturing and
Distribution
- Natural and Organic Products
- Media and Publishing
- Medical Services and Devices
- Manufacturing and Industrial
- Leveraged Transactions
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Our Team
Francis P. Carr
Partner
fcarr@rocklandadvisory.com
Mr. Carr has more than 30 years of investment
banking experience, specializing in mergers and acquisitions advisory
and capital-raising for clients. He has advised owners, senior
management and boards of directors of companies of all sizes,
ranging from the world's largest multinationals to start-up businesses.
Mr. Carr has advised on sales and acquisitions of publicly traded
companies and privately owned businesses. He has managed corporate
divestitures and executed capital markets transactions, including
IPOs, private equity raises and private debt placements. His experience
covers a wide range of industries, including basic industry, consumer
products, financial services and energy.
Mr. Carr became a Partner of Rockland Advisory
Group in 2010. Prior to joining Rockland, he was Founder and Managing
Director of FPC Capital, LLC, a provider of financial and strategic
consulting services to privately owned businesses. He was also
Founder and Managing Director of the Investment Banking Group
of CRT Capital, LLC, a boutique sales, trading and research firm.
Previously, Mr. Carr was with J. P. Morgan & Co. where he
was a Managing Director in Investment Banking. There, he headed
the North American Mergers and Acquisitions Group for both the
Consumer Products sector and the Basic Industrial sector, and
was Chairman of the Fairness Opinion Committee.
Mr. Carr received a B.S. from Trinity College,
Hartford, Connecticut and his M.B.A. from The Wharton School,
University of Pennsylvania.
Richard Conroy
Partner
rconroy@rocklandadvisory.com
Mr. Conroy has more than 30 years of experience
in investment and commercial banking as well as consulting. He
has led and executed numerous and complex leveraged transactions.
Mr. Conroy has provided debt and investment banking services to
public, private, domestic and international corporations in the
consumer products, energy, food and beverage, infrastructure,
manufacturing, medical, mining and minerals, retail, transportation
and warehousing industries. Mr. Conroy has been involved in debt
and capital-raising transactions representing total consideration
in excess of $25 billion.
Prior to co-founding Rockland in 2003, Mr.
Conroy was a Managing Director at Millburn Capital Group and Amper
Investment Banking. Previously, Mr. Conroy was head of the Leveraged
Finance Group in New York and founded the Real Estate Group and
the Public Finance Group at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein. At
Dresdner, Mr. Conroy was also responsible for developing and monitoring
investments in private equity groups related to Dresdner's Leveraged
Finance Business. Prior to Dresdner, he served in various capacities
at Fortis Capital, Citibank and PNC.
Mr. Conroy received a B.S. and M.B.A. in accounting
from The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
R. Matthew Scherer
Partner
mscherer@rocklandadvisory.com
Mr. Scherer has more than 25 years of corporate
finance experience that includes investment banking, corporate
finance, corporate development, leveraged finance, corporate strategy
and fund raising. He has led numerous and complex transactions
as both intermediary and principal. Mr. Scherer has provided advisory
and investment banking services to public, private, domestic and
international corporations in media and publishing, medical technology,
energy infrastructure and consumer products. Over the last 15
years, Mr. Scherer has been involved in merger, acquisition and
divestiture transactions representing total consideration in excess
of $6 billion, and debt and equity capital-raising in excess of
$15 billion.
Prior to co-founding Rockland, Mr. Scherer
was affiliated with Catalyst Capital Advisors, an investment banking
and financial advisory firm that addressed the growing demand
for investment banking services to middle market companies. Previously,
Mr. Scherer founded and was Managing Partner at Peregrine Capital
Partners, a boutique investment bank that focused on middle market
transactions of private and publicly held companies. Before Peregrine
Capital Partners, Mr. Scherer created and managed the Capital
Markets Group for M&T Bank as well as all capital markets
joint venture relationships. At M&T Bank, Mr. Scherer sat
on the Board of Advisors for several investment funds. Prior to
M&T Bank, Mr. Scherer served in numerous different capital
market positions at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein. Mr. Scherer
also held the position of Director of Corporate Development at
Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Mr. Scherer is a member of the Advisory Board
of Alliance Mezzanine Investors LP, a SBIC Mezzanine Fund. Mr.
Scherer earned his B.B.A. from The George Washington University,
with concentrations in Finance and Political Science, and his
M.B.A. from Fordham University Graduate School of Business.
Robert Sroka
Partner
rsroka@rocklandadvisory.com
Mr. Sroka has more than 30 years of investment
banking experience. He specializes in mergers, acquisitions and
capital-raising for clients in a variety of industries, including
forest products, packaging, transportation, real estate, basic,
consumer, service and leisure companies. Mr. Sroka has completed
projects of all sorts and sizes, from traditional buy and sell
assignments to hostile and defense transactions to reorganizations.
His assignments range in size from $5 million to $3.7 billion.
Mr. Sroka became a Partner of Rockland Advisory
Group in 2010. Previously, Mr. Sroka was a Managing Director of
Corporate Solutions Group, a boutique investment bank providing
mergers and acquisitions, ESOP and capital advisory services to
middle-market clients. Before that, he founded and was Managing
Partner of Lighthouse Partners, a boutique mergers and acquisitions
advisory firm. Mr. Sroka began his investment banking career at,
and became a Managing Director in, J.P. Morgan’s M&A
group. Additionally, he helped establish the firm’s M&A
presence in Tokyo.
Prior to his banking career, Mr. Sroka served
as General Manager at Geon Intercontinental Corporation, an importer
and distributor of parts for foreign cars, running the headquarters
and all distribution centers. When Geon was sold, he founded Interco
Parts Corporation, a successor parts importer and distributor.
Mr. Sroka received
a B.A. in History from the State University of New York at Buffalo,
an M.A. in Latin American History from New York University and
his M.B.A. from New York University.
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Why Clients Select Rockland
Outstanding Professional Expertise
All of our Partners have more than 25 years of experience
in financial services and are experienced in structuring, financing,
negotiating and closing complex transactions across multiple industries.
An Advisor, Not an Investor
Unlike many of its competitors, Rockland is not seeking opportunities
to invest capital for its own account. Our compensation is earned
from successfully completing engagements for clients — not
from future investment returns. We are only successful when we
successfully complete client engagements.
Commitment to Our Clients
Our total resources are committed to ensuring that all transactions
meet our clients' stated goals and objectives. Every client and
assignment is important to us.
Transaction Team Approach
Our Partners lead every engagement and a complete professional
team is involved from "start to finish." This team approach
ensures that all aspects of an engagement get the attention they
deserve in a timely manner.
Focus on Core Competency
The middle market is not a side line business for Rockland. Our
Partners commit 100% of their time to advising middle market companies
and their owners. We have significant experience advising middle
market companies on mergers and acquisitions and capital-raising.
We understand the intricacies and options available to successfully
complete transactions in this market.
Industry Expertise
Each of the Partners has extensive experience across a number
of industry segments and we specialize in bringing our in-depth
industry knowledge to each assignment.
Registered Broker Dealer
The partners of Rockland Advisory Group own a Broker Dealer registered
with FINRA to provide merger and acquisition advice as well as
to raise capital on behalf of clients through private placement
transactions. The partners of Rockland Advisory Group are registered
with the Broker Dealer and their licenses and registrations are
available upon request.
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