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Professionals
Wilson Allen most recently served as President of Signature Capital Securities, LLC, a position he has held since November 1997. In 1996, Mr. Allen was a co-founder of Wind River Capital Company, a venture capital consulting firm with offices in Houston and Austin. With Wind River Capital, Allen created capital investment strategies for development-stage and medium size businesses involved in medical technology, computer hardware and software, hospitality, oil and gas, and consumer non-durable products.
Previously, Mr. Allen served as online content editor for Hoover’s, a business research publishing firm that provides a database of information on 2500 public and private companies. Mr. Allen worked, from 1990 to 1993, with Eagle Management and Trust Company, an investment advisory firm with $1.5 billion of assets under management. At Eagle Management, he served as a senior equity trader and a member of the Equity Asset Allocation Committee. He directed and administered all trades in U.S, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany. Spain, England, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands. Mr. Allen earned a B.A. in economics from The University of Texas at Austin in 1989 and earned an M.B.A. degree from Pepperdine University in 1995. He holds Series 24, 62, and 63 securities licenses.
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Prior to joining the Firm, Randy Finch was Managing Director of the Austin Office of Chiron Financial Group, a middle-market investment banking firm. While at Chiron, Mr. Finch was responsible for corporate finance engagements including debt and equity placements, M&A transactions and other financial advisory services. Mr. Finch was a founder and Chief Financial Officer of GX Technology Corporation, a venture-backed company serving the oil and gas exploration industry. In 2004, he sold the Company to a NYSE listed company for $150 million. Mr. Finch began his career at Deloitte where he served clients in a variety of industries including technology, banking, securities and retail. Mr. Finch holds a BBA degree in Accounting with a concentration in Finance from The University of Texas, and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Texas.
An entrepreneur and private investor, Ben Davis has founded and sold several companies in the commercial diving, telecommunications, specialty chemicals, and energy services industries. In 1995, Mr. Davis co-founded LandTel Communications LLC, currently the market-share leader in mobile satellite communications for onshore drilling platforms. In October 1997, he co-founded Aquatica, Inc., a commercial diving firm. In March 1999, Mr. Davis and his partners exited publicly through a sale to Cal Dive International, becoming as a group the 4th-largest shareholder of Cal Dive.
Ben Davis is a co-founder and Managing Member of Rapid Energy Services, LLC, a holding company for diverse industrial interests (www.rapidenergyservices.com). Started in 1999, Rapid develops and sells solutions for the energy, maritime, and aviation industries. In 2004, Mr. Davis and a group of private investors acquired an 85% interest in Carolina Polymers, LLC. Mr. Davis is a Baylor University honors graduate, with undergraduate and graduate degrees in Finance and Economics and a law degree with a concentration in Business Planning & Drafting.
Calvin Lau serves as the Chief Financial Officer and leads the Financial Advisory side of Westlake. Prior to joining Westlake, he started a real estate business and a financial consulting business specializing in cost recovery, audit/due diligence support and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. He also served as the Corporate Controller at GX Technology Corporation, a technology company servicing the oil and gas industry. GX Technology was sold in 2004 for 150 million to a NYSE listed company. Calvin started his career as an auditor at Deloitte with industry specialization in real estate, oil and gas, technology and non-profits. Mr. Lau is a Certified Public Accountant and licensed Real Estate Agent in the state of Texas. He is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Masters in Professional Accounting with a concentration in Audit and Information Systems.
Brian Gilmore is a co-founding partner of the Institutional Sales & Trading group for Westlake Capital Markets. Mr. Gilmore has more than 10 years of experience in the financial industry including investment banking, institutional sales & trading, as well as hedge fund equity analysis. Prior to joining Westlake Securities, Mr. Gilmore was a Senior Vice President at Tejas Securities where he focused on sourcing and placing block transactions. Mr. Gilmore began his career at H.C. Wainwright & Co. in New York and graduated with a BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
Mr. Ewing has been a successful business and transaction attorney for 32 years, specializing in merger and acquisitions, and venture capital transactions in a variety of industries, including energy service, construction materials, telecommunications, software, high-tech, service, industrial, sports, and wholesale and retail products. During his legal career, Mr. Ewing has represented and advised sellers and purchasers of businesses, investors, and entities raising capital, and various entrepreneurs and executives. Mr. Ewing brings to Westlake substantial expertise in structuring transactions, negotiating business and legal issues, and consummating transactions. Over his legal career, Randolph has represented purchasers and sellers in transactions with an aggregate value over $5 billion. He has performed transactions with entities from or businesses located in Mexico, Canada, England, Scotland, Germany, France, Spain, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, Venezuela, Panama, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Libya, Malta, and Oman. Mr. Ewing received his BBA, MBA and JD from The University of Texas. He is the Past President of the Houston chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth and a longtime board member.
Mr. Allen is a Director for Westlake Securities. Prior to joining Westlake, Mr. Allen worked for the Chicago office of Lincoln International, one of the leading global middle market M&A advisors. He has been involved in more than twenty sell and buy-side transactions totaling over $1 billion in transaction value in a wide variety of industries. Mr. Allen has conducted transactions in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Mr. Allen also previously worked as an Associate for Bentley Associates, a New York-based boutique investment bank and as an Associate with Merlin Biosciences Limited, a biotechnology-focused institutional venture capital firm in London, England. Mr. Allen received his MBA, with concentrations in Finance and International Business from Columbia Business School. Mr. Allen graduated cum laude from Texas A&M University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences and was a member of the Corps of Cadets Army ROTC for four years.
Brad Purifoy is a seasoned deal maker with over 25 years of executive experience in investment banking, Fortune 500 corporate finance, and Big 4 public accounting. Prior to joining Westlake Securities, Mr. Purifoy served as Managing Director for Corporate Finance Associates. As Director of Finance for Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway, Mr. Purifoy helped arrange and negotiate several billion dollars in financings including leveraged and operating leases, public and private debt, and equity instruments. As a Senior Manager of KPMG and Manager with Deloitte, he assisted private and public clients with transactional and tax planning. Mr. Purifoy also served as Director of U.S. Taxes for Flowserve Corporation, one the world’s largest manufacturers of pumps, valves, and mechanical seals. Mr. Purifoy is a Texas licensed Certified Public Accountant and graduate of Texas A&M University with Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Science degrees in accounting. Mr. Purifoy is President and a long time board member of the Dallas/Fort Worth chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth. (ACG has over 13,000 members worldwide dedicated to corporate growth through mergers and acquisitions).
Terry Fick has been an investment banker in the lower middle market for over 25 years. He has closed over 60 transactions, mostly representing the owners of privately held companies. Prior to entering the investment banking sector, Mr. Fick was a successful entrepreneur, having started and later sold three companies. His experience includes international transactions, transactions with private equity groups from across the world, and mergers of synergistic corporations of all sizes. He is the Past President of Corporate Finance Associates where he spent almost 20 years completing transactions and building a reputation with buyers and investors of all types from all parts of the world. He focuses on the sale, recapitalization or refinancing of middle market companies. Mr. Fick is the Past President of the Dallas chapter and past National Board Member of the Association for Corporate Growth where he also served as Chairman of the Texas Capital Connection. He is on the board of an electronics manufacturing company, on the advisory board of a wind energy company, and on the advisory board of the Texas Health Resources Institute, the research and educational arm of a large hospital holding company.
Jules Scruggs specializes in fixed income institutional capital markets with an emphasis on high yield and distressed securities. Prior to joining Westlake Securities, Mr. Scruggs was a Senior Vice President at APS Financial for 15 years, trading a wide range of fixed income securities for institutional clients. Mr. Scruggs began his career as a floor trader in the 10 Year Treasury at the Chicago Board of Trade. He graduated with a BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
Mr. Alexander has over 20 years of expertise in corporate development, financial leadership and deal execution. Prior to joining the firm’s Houston office in 2009, Mr. Alexander was a Senior Vice President with GulfStar Group where he participated in over 25 client transactions involving sell-side and buy-side M&A transactions, private placements of equity and debt as well as corporate advisory assignments. Mr. Alexander has held a variety of key executive positions for Fortune 100 companies, including serving as operations leader and board member of a $2 billion financing company and as financial executive for businesses with $5 billion in assets. Mr. Alexander was Vice President of Operations for American Express Business Finance, a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Express Company and a Vice President of Finance in American Express Company in New York City. Prior to his tenure at American Express, Mr. Alexander held corporate development and financial executive roles at First Union Corporation, where he was involved in over 30 acquisition and integration efforts. He holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Business Administration with a finance concentration from Old Dominion University.
J. Sulester is a co-founding partner of the Institutional Sales & Trading Group at Westlake Capital Markets. He manages the daily operations of the group as well as trading equities. Prior to joining Westlake Securities, Mr. Sulester was Vice President of Equity Trading at Tejas Securities for more than 6 years. Mr. Sulester graduated from the University of Texas where he earned a BA in Math.
Joel D.Luton is the Director of Research for Westlake Securities’ Capital Markets Group. Mr. Luton has almost 30 years experience in investment research including high yield, investment grade and equity analysis. Previous affiliates have included American General (now a part of AIG), Texas Commerce Bank(now JP Morgan Chase), Rauscher Pierce Refsnes, Inc. (now RBC Dain Raucher, Inc.) and APS Financial. Mr. Luton has significant buy-side experience, including overseeing a $6 billion investment-grade industrial corporate portfolio. As APS Financial’s Director of Research for 14 years, Mr. Luton built a seasoned research team and developed a quality and in-depth research product that was instrumental in establishing business with a wide variety of institutional accounts. Also at APS, he was a key member of a bondholder committee which successfully renegotiated the timing of a sinking fund payment, averting a possible bankruptcy and ultimately providing significant returns for bondholders. Mr. Luton has been sought out by media for interviews and is a guest lecturer on the high yield/distressed markets for finance classes at The University of Texas at Austin, the institution where he earned his MBA and BBA.
Michael Ashby has over 10 years of experience in institutional capital markets with a special emphasis in high-yield securities. Prior to joining Westlake Securities, Mr. Ashby was Vice President at APS Financial and he began his financial career at Tejas Securities. Mr. Ashby holds an MBA with a concentration in Finance from St. Edwards University. Mr. Ashby received his BS in Geological Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin.
Jon D’Andrea is an Associate for Westlake Securities and participates in the execution of a variety of transactions including M&A, debt and equity financings and financial advisory assignments across various industries. Prior to joining the Westlake team in 2008, Mr. D’Andrea worked in operations at Anchor Marine & Industrial Supply. Mr. D’Andrea graduated with High Honors from The University of Texas at Austin where he received a BBA in Finance and a minor in Accounting. While completing his degree, Mr. D’Andrea spent one semester on exchange at The University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
Josh Cobb is an Associate for Westlake Securities and has been with the firm since 2008. Mr. Cobb participates in all phases of the execution process for M&A transactions, public and private debt and equity placements, and financial advisory assignments. Mr. Cobb has experience across a broad range of industries including oil and gas exploration and production, oilfield services, general industrial, aviation, health care, and business services. Mr. Cobb is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin where he received an MPA in Accounting and a BBA in Accounting with a concentration in Finance. While pursuing his degree, Mr. Cobb worked in the operations and lending departments at PlainsCapital Bank and obtained internship experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers. As part of the MPA program at The University of Texas, Mr. Cobb experienced a summer studying abroad in Paris.