2025 Dealmakers of the Year Honorees
Presented By: Sales Xceleration
Paul Adams
CEO
Columbia Home Services
Columbia Home Services is a home services platform headquartered in Dallas and serving markets throughout the U.S. CHS was formed by Tenex Capital Management and Oxbow Equity Partners in September 2023. Since then, CHS has completed 10 acquisitions in California, Colorado, Texas, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania with several more pending. As CEO of CHS, Paul has spearheaded CHS’ acquisition efforts, approaching potential sellers as partners to build on their legacy and drive value to the platform and its customers.
Spencer Almy
Partner
Santiago Castelazo
Partner
Citation Capital Management
Spencer Almy and Santiago Castelazo, accepting on behalf of Citation Capital. In 2024, Citation acquired a majority stake in Cibo Vita, a scaled, high-growth innovator in the better-for-you and functional snack category. The company produces a diverse range of products, including fruit snacks, trail mixes, nuts, confectionery, and granola, under the Nature’s Garden brand. Headquartered in Totowa, NJ, with three manufacturing facilities employing over 1,100 people, Cibo Vita is known for operational excellence, innovation, and delivering sustained value to its retail and eCommerce customers. This transaction marks a significant milestone for Cibo Vita, as it welcomed its first non-founding shareholder and gained an institutional partner to help continue to scale the business. The Company’s co-founders, CEO Emre Imamoglu and President Ahmet Celik, retained a significant ownership stake to ensure continuity in leadership and vision. Furthermore, this deal represents the first transaction closed from Citation’s inaugural fund, showcasing the firm’s ability to execute its investment mandate and establish itself in the middle-market PE buyout market. Under Citation’s ownership, Cibo Vita has sustained robust organic top-line growth at a multiple of the underlying category growth rates, further developed the Nature’s Garden brand and executed operational enhancements to position Cibo Vita as a next-generation snacking leader.
Edward Crawford
Co-Founder & Co-Chief Executive Officer
Ralph Manning
Co-Founder & Co-Chief Executive Officer
Coltala Holdings
Coltala Holdings launched Coltala Aerospace with the acquisition of acquired by Coltala Holdings through an LBO in January of 2025 for an undisclosed amount. The transaction was supported by an undisclosed amount of debt financing. This acquisition marks a milestone in Coltala's mission to build lasting, transformative businesses, reinforcing America's leadership in aerospace and defence. APG’s record-shattering 60% growth last year is just the beginning. Together, they’re poised to drive innovation, ensure safe air travel, and fortify national security.
Tricia D'Cruz
Founder & Managing Director
Joe D'Cruz
Founder & Managing Director
Catalyze Partners
A promising new model has emerged for introducing new innovative technologies into the marketplace: corporate innovation capital (CIC). This model leverages the tens of billions of dollars spent on research & development (R&D) within multinational corporations (MNC), applying entrepreneurial startup methods in a repeatable process to spin out assets into large commercial markets, with freedom to launch these products into the most promising orthogonal markets that may be outside of the original MNC’s charter or focus.
The Catalyze Partners team has had success pioneering the approach to corporate innovation capital. Developing their model since 2014, Catalyze Partners has assembled a team of senior executives with diverse industry experience and has built trusted relationships in some of the world’s largest corporations (Lockheed Martin, IBM, General Electric, Textron, Boeing, Boston Consulting Group, etc.). These relationships in turn have enabled Catalyze Partners to begin piloting the CIC Model with promising early results.
Catalyze Partners has generated initial proof-points that the CIC model can be compelling to MNC’s, having successfully executed numerous transactions feeding IP into three NewCo’s to date. This CIC firm has also attracted significant capital from family office investors who have recognized the value of the exclusive access to pre-invested intellectual property and the potential economics of the CIC’s majority ownership stake in each portfolio company.
Sam Glasgow
CFO
Olive & June
Olive & June is the fastest-growing brand of scale in the US nail care market. Founded in 2013, Olive and June is an innovative, omni-channel nail care brand trailblazing the DIY nail revolution across all categories: polish, artificial, tools, treatment, and care. The company was acquired by Helen of Troy (NASDAQ: HELE) on December 16, 2024.
Mike Hanna
Co-Founder, CEO
TrueSpot
TrueSpot is a pioneering technology startup serving the automotive, healthcare and broader markets with it’s multi-patented and award winning AQFind Location Platform as a Service (RTLS PaaS). By inventing the RTLS and Location Intelligence category for the retail automotive industry, TrueSpot among its many industry partners caught the eye of Reynolds & Reynolds, which is an undisputed leader in automotive technology solutions, serving thousands of automotive dealers, with an extensive full solution suite, including their DMS solution, which is what dealerships run their business on. Reynolds also has a sizable investment fund and has invested a sizeable amount in TrueSpot to help it grow, not only in automotive, but Healthcare and other verticals. TrueSpot and Reynolds are also partnering to integrate TrueSpot’s RTLS into the Reynold’s product portfolio which will help see TrueSpot rolled out to 1000s of dealership customers.
Derek Shaw
CEO
Servpro Team Shaw
SERVPRO Team Shaw, based in Grapevine, is proud to be recognized as the 4th fastest-growing company in North Texas. Specializing in restoration and cleanup services, the company has become a trusted partner for property owners across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, responding to emergencies like water, fire, and mold damage. This rapid expansion reflects not just local success but also the team’s ambition to scale its operations across state lines.
Recently, SERVPRO Team Shaw merged operations into new regions, including Houston, East Texas, and South Carolina, further strengthening its ability to serve customers with speed and efficiency. This strategic growth allows the company to extend its high standards of service to new markets, maintaining the same core values that have fueled its success in North Texas.
In addition to regional growth, Team Shaw was on the front lines during Hurricane Milton in Florida, mobilizing resources and staff to assist residents affected by the storm.
To support these expanding efforts, SERVPRO Team Shaw has also made significant investments in advanced equipment and technology. With larger fleets, more specialized machinery, and enhanced drying and dehumidification tools, the company is better prepared than ever to tackle large-scale restoration projects.
With eyes firmly set on the future, SERVPRO Team Shaw is committed to continuous growth, improving its operations, and maintaining the highest standards of service.
Social Impact Investing Award
Elizabeth Wattley
President & CEO
Forest Forward
Forest Forward is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring healthy neighborhood revitalization to South Dallas while preserving the character and history of the neighborhood.
The three areas of focus are:
Culture - renovation, restoration and revitalization of the historic Forest Theater, complete with a concert hall, rooftop deck, studio theater and creative laboratory. This ambitious $80 million project is being funded through a combination of philanthropy, grants and tax credits and is expected to hold its grand opening in spring of 2026.
Education - A multi-year public-private partnership with the Dallas Independent School District has been established to advance educational opportunities by providing student access to the restored Forest Theater. Through this partnership, the Dr. Martin Luther King Center has been transformed into the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Arts Academy, extending its curricular offerings from Pre-K through the eighth grade.
Community - Upon completion of the Forest Theater, Forest Forward will establish collaborative relationships to support the development and construction of mixed-income housing. The approach to housing creation will focus on no displacement of residents and preserving affordability.
Under Ms. Wattley's leadership, the organization has successfully raised the financing to complete the theater project and purchased land surrounding the theater for the mixed-income housing phase of their mission. Elizabeth has been an outstanding advocate for the South Dallas community. She and Forest Forward have received several awards and recognition within the nonprofit community and beyond, for their contributions to this important work.