Financing Business Growth & Acquisitions

Ben is the leader of the Mergers & Acquisitions group at Sullivan. His practice focuses on corporate and securities law, representing public and private companies in complex transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, capital markets transactions, real estate investment trust (REIT) conversions, SEC reporting and other general corporate and securities matters.

Ben counsels clients through all stages of the corporate life cycle – from initial formation and financing through successful initial public offering or acquisition. He also plays an active role in the firm’s blockchain initiative, and advises companies with respect to blockchain and related technologies, virtual currencies and digital token sales, and related securities laws and regulatory matters, including (i) structuring and documenting the offering of Ethereum-based smart contract digital securities for a real estate fund, and (ii) structuring and documenting the offering of a principal-protected digital security in the hospitality industry.

In addition, Ben is a leader of the firm’s Opportunity Zones practice group, and he advises a range of clients in forming private investment funds, partnerships, joint ventures and other investment structures to take advantage of the U.S. Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017's Opportunity Zone Program.

Alex is the co-founder of Heritage Holding, an investment firm that specializes in building private equity platforms in the middle market. Heritage has completed 16 business acquisitions to-date across multiple industries including business services, tech services and healthcare services. Alex is also the outgoing CEO of Maicom, a telecom service company that he acquired with partner Ross Porter. Alex led Maicom's revenue growth from $55m to $130m between 2017-2021, built the business development, sales, M&a functions, oversaw international expansion. Alex holds an MBA with honors from Harvard Business School and a BS in international affairs from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

Caio Malufe has a background in investment banking with Credit Suisse in Brazil, a decade in food & agriculture investments with The Blackstone Group in Latam, which included managing value creation for two portfolio companies, and over 4 years in corporate strategy and M&A for Cargill in Asia and in the US. He's currently at HNRG's team investing in vertically integrated agricultural companies, with a long-term value creation strategy.

Mr. Richardson is the Founder and CEO of IMB which was started in 2010. He has 25 years of private equity experience, has invested over $500 million of capital and completed over 20 platform buyouts and add-on acquisitions.

Prior to IMB, Tarrus co-founded ICV Partners, a $440 million minority-owned private equity firm from 1998-2010 and worked at JLL Partners, a private equity firm with over $2 billion of AUM, and Citibank (formerly Salomon Brothers).

Tarrus is the founder of the Council of Urban Professionals (CUP), a top leadership development and networking organization based in New York and Los Angeles and a founding board chair of All Star Code, a leading non-profit focused on helping boys of color code.

Mr. Richardson received a BS in Accounting from Purdue University (where he has served as the Purdue Black Alumni President and as Student Body President) and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Robert Toigo Fellow.

Lynn Schade is an experienced, cash flow banker in the Commercial Banking group at Middlesex Savings Bank. She is focused on working with middle market companies throughout New England providing acquisition finance, equity recaps and sponsor finance.