Team
Lakelet Capital is not the biggest. But it is one of the deepest. We draw from a vast and extensive well of experience and industry expertise. How do our deals get done? Our complementary investment team knows the nuances of business alignment.
A Vast Network of Industry Professionals
Lakelet Capital leverages our wide network of industry-specific, experienced and credentialed leaders through Lakelet Strategy and place them in executive roles. We pride ourselves on aligning with professionals who share our passion for growth as our partnership with the team at Lakelet Strategy drives success and operational results in hundreds of companies. These operating partners also share the Lakelet Capital values which means that legacies can be entrusted to them to fulfill maximum potential. When you become a Lakelet Capital partner, you gain access to high-caliber operating partners—resources you may not have had access to.
Reach OutOur Investment Team
The Lakelet Capital investment team has efficiently and effectively closed hundreds of deals throughout their careers. Regardless of the size of investment or the industry sector, the Lakelet team always maintains a personal, hands-on approach. We’re a well-rounded ensemble or experienced finance, legal, marketing and private equity business professionals who all work toward achieving mutual success and value for you and our investors.
Randy is also a highly skilled interpersonal and inter-operational leader. From founding and running his own start-up, leading a closely held family company to holding numerous leadership positions at a multi-billion dollar service companies, Randy’s leadership and conscientiousness are invaluable assets to Lakelet Capital. These skills are also valuable to a number of community organizations and company boards Randy is involved with. Randy is the President of the Board of Directors for Upstate Capital, the Founder of First Thursday Networking, and has served on the Executive Boards for the Junior Achievement of Western New York and Institute of Continuing Professional Education. Randy has served in these roles in addition to coaching youth hockey in the Western New York region.
Education:
- Certificate in Family Business Advising
- B.A. in Economics from Rowan University
- Executive MBA from University at Buffalo
Accomplishments:
- Nationally Recognized for Prestigious Board of Directors Recipient from a leading service company in three separate business segments.
- Multiple national and regional awards for management, leadership and performance recognition.
- Published numerous articles.
- Frequent lecturer and moderator in private equity, business development and family business investing.
- Judged on several business plan competitions including Ernst and Young Entrepreneurial Award and J.A. Business Plan Competition.
John is also active in the Western New York community and has been for his entire legal career. As a member of the American Bar Association and New York State Bar Association, John is also active in several other organizations and boards. He’s a Vistage Trusted Advisor, and a member of Upstate Capital and the Association for Corporate Growth.
Education:
- B.S. from University at Buffalo, Summa Cum Laude
- M.B.A. from University at Buffalo, with Distinction
- J.D. from University at Buffalo Law School, Magna Cum Laude
Accomplishments:
- Upstate Capital, Dealmaker of the Year
- Chambers USA, Leading Corporate/M&A Lawyer
- Chambers USA, Leading Private Equity Lawyer (Investment Funds)
- Upstate New York Super Lawyers®, Leading M&A Lawyer and Leading Closely Held Business Lawyer
Before joining Lakelet Capital, Tyler spent a large part of his career in Toronto, Canada, serving as a member of the investment team at a sector-focused venture capital & private equity firm. He also held a position in finance at one of the “Big Five” banks in Canada where he provided event-based loans to support North American financial sponsors and corporations. Prior to his time in Canada, Tyler was an Analyst at Buffalo-based private equity firm where he was involved in several transactions across the niche manufacturing and business services sectors. Early in his career, Tyler was a member of an investment consulting group providing asset allocation and third-party asset manager consulting services to pension funds.
Tyler's Western New York Community involvements include being a Nichols School Alumni Board member, volunteering as a mentor for Nichols' student courses, and being a member of Upstate Capital Association of New York.
Education:
- B.S in Finance from Canisius College
Accomplishments:
- Participated in the evaluation and execution of over 20 closed deals
- Implemented multiple analyst training programs for recent college graduates
- Holds the AFM (Accredited Financial Modeler) designation
At Lakelet Capital, Phil assists in business development with a keen focus on driving top-line revenue and sourcing sales talent. His experience is leveraged by Lakelet Capital portfolio companies as they utilize Phil’s unique ability to identify areas of strong growth opportunity and process implementation. Phil understands which processes and resources are required to meet sales milestones and ensures that our companies enhance results.
Accomplishments:
- Multiple President's Club Qualifiers.
- Multiple Super Starts Qualifiers.
- 100% Breadth of Participation Amongst Teams, Within His Sales Organizations.
- Multiple Sales Associate, President's Club Qualifiers on Teams He Has Led.
- Promoted Several Successful Sales Leaders.
- VP Advisory Board.
Bonnie has extensive experience in investment banking and volunteered for Conscious Capital NEO to help grow and align businesses culturally. Additionally, Bonnie had a very successful direct sales business for over a decade where she sourced, trained and developed a sales force to provide in-home demonstrations. During that time Bonnie was recognized as one of the top contributors in both training/development and personal sales.
Accomplishments:
- Was an integral part of the management team which created an investment bank focused on aligning cultures for M&A work
- Created a business plan with a client from an initial concept to become a finalist for the - Rochester Venture Capital Challenge
- Established an online order system for a large distributor and worked with several other clients to improve their website, digital marketing and data management capabilities to increase the top line of each client several fold
- Implemented operations overhaul for a client to increase efficiency and productivity and reduce errors
At Lakelet Capital, Connor assists in conducting due diligence on investment opportunities and all aspects of the M&A deal cycle, from screening to closing. Connor builds and modifies financial models while incorporating pro-forma and return sensitivity analyses offering related critical thinking communication. Connor helps to support existing value creation activities for portfolio management. Connor delivers an ability to manage multiple projects and extraordinary critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities.
Ava coordinates internal and external communications including press releases, website updates, newsletters, and advertisements. She helps assess and report on the effectiveness of communication and marketing strategies and continuously researches ways that the organization can make improvements and reach our set goals for each quarter.
Darrell has over 10 years of experience working in digital marketing and social media management. He has spent the last five years working for a local college where he managed the institution’s social media outlets while providing writing expertise and video production. Darrell's expertise for social media and film are evident by his 2.5 million views across his social media platforms.
Darrell develops sequential marketing plans to increase customer reach and responds to the specific needs of each and every one of Lakelet Capital’s clients.
Education:
- B.S. in Public Communications
- M.S. in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration
Accomplishments:
- Wrote and published several public interest stories.
- Produced content-based videos for CCM Hockey which resulted in brand partnership.
- Established marketing campaigns resulting in increased student enrollment.
- Photographed and published event images for media outlets to increase awareness
Tony has served as Board Chair of Stanley G. Falk School, served on Board and as Treasurer of Child & Family Services as well as serving on Board of CASA Voices for Children and Hamburg Academy of Finance.
Jennifer’s background as a human resources professional includes building HR departments from the ground up, developing and administering processes, policies and procedures, recruitment, new hire orientation and on-boarding, employee relations, performance management and employee development, benefits administration, 401(k) administration, worker’s compensation, leave management, HRIS and payroll systems, state and federal compliance regulations, and mergers and acquisitions.
Jennifer operates an effective Human Resources Department with communication, respect, and honesty. She has a passion for working with people and supporting our organization’s human resource needs while ensuring the company is in compliance.
Education:
- B.S. in Human Resource Management
Accomplishments:
- Created and launched new hire orientation and on-boarding program.
- Played an essential role in company acquisitions by ensuring employees were integrated into company culture.
- Successful oversaw the benefit administration in six states for over 1000 employees.
- While working in HR in the healthcare field, worked with executive team to ensure we met and achieved the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) Standards.
- Success in building and re-building HR departments.
Amy is an innovative thinker who enjoys finding creative ways to support employees that lead to productive outcomes while mitigating risk for the employer. She takes pride in being able to help companies navigate the ever-changing HR landscape and improve their culture.
Accomplishments:
-Graduate of Leadership Buffalo’s Class Experience in 2018
-Developed a wellness program that had approximately 90% participation, assisting in the reduction of high-cost claims
-Successfully onboarded 99 employees during the acquisition of a partnership program
-Created a hiring plan for a multimillion-dollar project to support Florida’s homeowners’ insurance requirements and increased field staff retention by 12% in one year
-Recognized as a certified HR professional holding PHR and SHRM-CP designations