Leadership
Team
Our partners bring decades of hands-on financial and operating experience globally inside metal processing and industrial operations — not just boardrooms.
Andy Smith
Managing Partner & Chairman
Andy Smith is a Partner at OCTAD, specializing in deal valuation, transaction structuring, and sourcing new investments. He co-founded Houlihan Capital in 1996 and continues as its President, directing valuation and investment banking activities including M&A and capital raising. Under his leadership, Houlihan has grown into a well-recognized firm with offices in Chicago and Cleveland. Andy also co-owns four leading metal stamping businesses. He holds a BA in Economics from Ohio Wesleyan University, is a CPA, Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) by the AICPA, and is FINRA-registered as a General Securities Principal and Financial Operations Principal.
Michael "Mike" Mehwald
Founding Partner
Michael Mehwald is the Founding Partner at OCTAD, specializing in transaction valuation, investment structuring, and post-investment execution. As Managing Director at Croley, Martell & Associates Ltd. (CM&A), he advises middle-market manufacturing companies with revenues between $45 million and $400 million. With over 30 years of experience as an owner and Board Member of private and private equity-backed manufacturing firms, Mike possesses significant expertise in driving revenue growth and enhancing enterprise value. He was a long term Board Member of the PMA (Precision Metalforming Association) in Cleveland and has a robust network among Tier 1 and OEM automotive manufacturers worldwide. Mike earned a BA from Michigan State University.
BILL GERACI
Partner
Bill Geraci is a Partner responsible for transaction valuation, structuring, and sourcing investment opportunities, along with overseeing post-acquisition operations. At Dove Stamping, LLC. as CEO, he emphasizes strategic planning and customer development. He previously founded Resourceful Consulting Services, focusing on corporate valuations and M&A in the lower middle market, and worked as Director of Corporate Development at a publicly traded energy company. Bill has additional experience as an associate at a Cleveland investment banking firm and spent 12 years in the U.S. Government and Army, also consulting in operational intelligence. He earned an MBA in Corporate Finance from John Carroll University and a BA in Political Philosophy and International Relations from Cleveland State University.
SHAWN WYNNE
Partner
Shawn Wynne, Partner at OCTAD is responsible for fund administration, transaction structuring, and sourcing new investment opportunities. He founded and was General Partner at Banc Capital Markets Group, LP (BCMG), a Private Debt / Equity Partnership and of BCIF Bridge Finance, LLC (BCIF), a Mezzanine Debt and Senior Stretch Debt Partnership. Mr. Wynne has served as Managing Member of Stone Creek Capital Advisors, LLC. He also worked as a General Partner at Canal Mezzanine Partners LP, an operational-focused financial partner to lower middle market businesses. He is a current co-owner of three metal stamping businesses. Shawn holds an (MBA) in Finance from Ohio State University and a BBA in Finance from Kent State University.
LARRY HOTALING
Partner
Larry Hotaling, Partner spearheads strategic growth initiatives, particularly in emerging markets, and identifies new investment opportunities. Since 1999, he has served as Managing Director at Global Diligence, Ltd. the Hong Kong-based consultancy, offering strategic advice to global manufacturing firms. Mr. Hotaling played a pivotal role in the development of Chatham Technologies, transforming it from a concept in a emerging market to a company generating $1 billion in sales within three years, culminating in an enterprise value exit of $958 million. With over 40 years of experience, he specializes in operational excellence, mergers and acquisitions targeting, and integration. Education - Electrical Engineering from Mohawk Valley Community College.
BILL WESTOVER
Partner
Bill Westover, Partner is responsible for driving significant sales growth supporting post-transaction commercial execution, with a particular focus on emerging, industrial and manufacturing markets. Mr. Westover, the owner of WJ Williams Company, has spent more than 18 years establishing strategic supplier relationships with industrial manufacturers with Fortune 500 company customers. Utilizing unique techniques he successfully nurtures strong long-term, strategic relationships. Under his leadership, WJ Williams Company has generated in excess of $1 billion in sales across a diverse range of industrial markets. Bill holds a BBA in Accounting and Finance from Bowling Green State University.
JEREMY DEBENEDICTIS
Partner
Jeremy focuses on post-acquisition operational execution, value-creation planning, and new investment opportunities. A manufacturing and operations executive with 25+ years experience, he has led leading industrial companies through growth and operational transformation. A founding leader at Alterra Energy (formerly Vadxx Energy), he expanded the business from early stage to a leading advanced recycling platform with a significant institutional valuation. Mr. DeBenedictis has held senior manufacturing leadership roles at General Electric, specialty medical component operation. Jeremy earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Dayton and an MBA in Banking & Finance from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. He is a GE-certified Six Sigma Black Belt and GE-certified Lean Mfg. Expert.
EDWARD "ED" COCHRAN
Partner
Ed is a Partner at OCTAD and is responsible for evaluating and sourcing investment opportunities. Ed is a private investor in 50+ businesses and multiple industries in the Midwestern United States, and the Founding Member of a private legal practice focusing on class action litigation involved in over 200 class actions involving billions of dollars. Prior to this, Mr. Cochran worked at Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Arnoff LLP, Squire Sanders (now Squire Patton Boggs), and Kohrman Jackson. Ed holds a Juris Doctorate (JD) from Columbia University and Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Harvard University (Harvard National Scholar).