In an effort to bolster its L.A. presence, USBX Advisory Services LLC has hired Brooks Dexter, 44, as managing director. The two-year-old mergers and acquisitions advisory firm represents both buyers and sellers in all aspects of their transactions.
Besides managing staff, Dexter will be charged with building the firm’s presence in the local M & A; market.
“Los Angeles is one of the premier (locations) for middle market transactions by virtue of the diversity of the economy and the size of the businesses in the geographic region,” said Dexter. “We intend to grow our business by adding a degree of professionalism that generally isn’t seen by buyers and sellers in that range.
“The middle market M & A; business is very much an under-served business,” he said. “There are only a few fully-licensed firms that target transactions in the $10 million $100 million size.”
Dexter said he expects the company to close between four and six transactions by the end of 2001 totaling between $50 million and $75 million.
“As large investment banks have continued to consolidate, they’ve moved away from this market,” said Dexter.
He takes over for USBX Chief Executive John E. Mack who had been running the subsidiary since its inception.
Based in Santa Monica, Dexter is responsible for all facets of day-to-day operations, managing 15 professionals located in Los Angeles, Orange County and Dallas.
A New Jersey native, Dexter has lived in Los Angeles for more than 20 years. He received his undergraduate and MBA degrees from the University of Chicago before kicking off his career at First Boston Corp. in New York.
Since then, Dexter has served as a managing director in the Los Angeles office of Lehman Brothers and, for the five years prior to accepting his current position, a senior investment banker with J.P. Morgan & Co. in Los Angeles.
A resident of Manhattan Beach, Dexter is married with two children, aged 9 and 11.
Conor Dougherty
Accounting & Consulting
Michael Duffey, John Sato, Diane Thompson and Chung-Yueh Wang have been admitted to the partnership in the downtown Los Angeles office of Ernst & Young. Duffey serves as director of state relations and coordinates the firm’s relations with governments and regulators at the state level. Duffey joined the firm in 1994. Sato is a member of Ernst & Young’s national office west and specializes in tax due diligence and transaction structuring services. Sato has been with the firm for 11 years. Thompson leads the company’s human resource services group in the Pacific Southwest area. She has more than 17 years in tax planning for compensation and benefits including the design and administration of retirement programs, equity programs and compensation plans. Wang, another member of the national office west, specializes in mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations and spin-offs. He has been with the company for more than 11 years.
Alan Griffith has rejoined the partnership of BDO Seidman LLP, a tax consulting and professional services firm in Los Angeles. Griffith is a tax partner that consults clients on tax accounting methods and periods, executive compensation, corporate organizations and tax-free reorganizations and corporate distributions and liquidations.
Timothy G. Gulling has been promoted to senior accounting manager in the integrated services division of Moore Stephens Frazer and Torbet LLP in City of Industry. He joined the firm in 1993 and supervises and trains staff in the preparation of reviewed and compiled financial statements as well as income tax returns.
Advertising & P.R.
Heidi Bayer has been appointed executive producer of Via Worldwide, a branding strategy and design network in Los Angeles. She oversees all aspects of the company’s project management from inception through completion, including acquisition, strategic planning, marketing, creative development, post-production and client retention. Prior to joining the company, Bayer was a freelance producer and account manager.
Banking & Finance
Michael Mayer has been named vice president and manager at First Coastal Bank in El Segundo. He will be in charge of the bank’s Marina del Rey office. Mayer joins the company from USBank (formerly Santa Monica Bank) where he most recently served as vice president and relationship manager.
Cary Walker has been named senior vice president and manager of the corporate public relations department at City National Bank. He manages media and investor relations and employee communications for the company. Walker joined the bank from Fleishman Hillard Inc., a public relations agency.
Entertainment
Stephen Croncota is now heading up programming for style, a division of E Networks in Los Angeles. He oversees all day-to-day operations in association with the programming and production of the network. Croncota was most recently senior vice president, marketing, for E Networks.
Jen Kelly has been named director of development at Diplomatic, a production company in Los Angeles. In addition to heading up development for the company, Kelly will oversee “Smush,” Diplomatic’s newest game show that premieres on USA Networks this fall. Kelly was most recently producer on Diplomatic’s ESPN series “2-Minute Drill.”
Erik Lomis has been promoted to president of MGM Distribution Co., a unit of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. in Santa Monica. He is responsible for the sales and distribution of the company’s domestic theatrical releases. Lomis has been with the company since 1993.
Stephen McKenna has been named sales director for BBC Technology in Los Angeles. He oversees all U.S. initiatives for the London-based company. McKenna was most recently global sales director for entertainment & media at Sun Microsystems.
Lean Porteneuve has been promoted to vice president, corporate communications at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in Santa Monica. She serves as a corporate spokesperson and manages internal and external communications for MGM and its subsidiaries, in addition to having a role in developing and executing the company’s strategic communications efforts. Porteneuve was an executive director prior to her promotion.
Rick Rosen has been elected by the board of the Hollywood Radio & Television Society to head the society for the 2001-2002 term. Rosen is an agent and founding partner of Endeavor.
Environmental
Denise Clendening has joined Haley & Aldrich, a national environmental consulting and underground engineering firm in Los Angeles, as a vice president. She has 18 years of experience providing technical oversight and performing human health risk assessments at various RCRA, Superfund and contaminated sites.
Hospitality
Mike Mugnai has joined Angel City Designs, a Los Angeles-based corporate event design and production company, as vice president of group travel services. He is responsible for sales and management, including destination selection, travel fulfillment, travel logistics management and online data base registration management. Mugnai was most recently director of new business development for McCord/Hoffman Travel Management.
Insurance
Bernadette M. Jackson has been promoted to administrative manager for the Torrance branch of Dodge, Warren & Peters Insurance Services Inc. She will oversee facilities operations, staffing and client services and is also the liaison between sales and technical staff members.
Non-Profits
Nina Hachigian has been named director of the center for Asia-Pacific Policy at Rand Corp. in Santa Monica. Hachigian, who served in the second term of the Clinton Administration, held successive fellowships at the Council on Foreign Relations and the University of Southern California-based Pacific Council on International Policy before accepting her new position.
Professional Services
Loren Miner has been promoted to vice president of finance and administration at Decision Toolbox, a national recruitment firm in Long Beach. She manages an executive information system, negotiates relationships with vendors and partners and is involved in the company’s business planning process. Miner previously served as vice director of finance.
Real Estate
Cary Booth has joined Stone Company, a commercial real estate consulting firm in Los Angeles, as an associate. She specializes in representing clients in commercial office leasing needs. Booth previously worked in property management with Douglas Emmett & Co., Investment Development Services and Homart Development Co.
Frank Campbell has been promoted to vice president, leasing, for the Los Angeles region portfolio of properties at Equity Office Properties Trust in Los Angeles. He oversees the activities of all of the company’s Southern California leasing teams, including those based in West Los Angeles, Central Los Angeles, Central Orange County, South Orange County and San Diego. He has been with the company since 1996 and most recently served as a managing director. David Hitzel has been appointed leasing director for Equity’s West Los Angeles portfolio of properties. He will have direct responsibility for all leasing activity and personnel at seven buildings totaling more than 1.7 million square feet. Hitzel most recently served as leasing director for Tishman Speyer Properties.
Eric L. Olofson has been appointed senior managing director in charge of the West Los Angeles office for Cushman & Wakefield, a real estate services firm. He will be responsible for the West Los Angeles office and its professional brokerage staff of 16. Olson, the former managing director of Cushman Realty’s West Los Angeles office, joined the firm in July when the two firms merged their operations.
Don Smith has been appointed vice president of acquisitions at Crown Realty & Development Corp. in Los Angeles He will lead the growth of the firm’s property portfolio by identifying and recommending strategies to complete the purchase of retail properties appealing to Crown’s investment goals.
