2025 Dealmakers of the Year Honorees
Presented By: Transform Labs
Matthew Beers
Senior Manager, Corporate Development
Jeff Singleton
Vice President, Corporate Development
Wabtec Corporation
Jeff is responsible for leading global M&A for Wabteec corporation. Matt is a Senior Manager, Corporate Development at Wabtec, which revolutionizes the way the world moves for future generations, providing value-add products and services to the freight rail, passenger transit, mining, industrial products and marine industries worldwide. Under their guidance, Wabtec raised an undisclosed amount of debt financing in December of 2024. Previously, the company completed $725 million debt refinancing round in February of the same year. Wabtec has been instrumental in its last couple transactions, including its recent large acquisition of Evident’s Inspection Technologies. Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies reached a definitive agreement to acquire the company, a subsidiary of Evident Scientific, for $1.78 billion in January. This acquisition positions Wabtec for accelerated, profitable growth while reinforcing its strong commitment to enhancing customer productivity, reliability and safety. Jeff's transaction experience includes more than $7B of buy-side and sell-side M&A, debt and equity capital markets transactions with responsibilities ranging from deal origination and execution to negotiations and closing. Previously, Jeff was leading M&A at U. S. Steel after about 10 years in investment banking.
Ted Bovard
CEO
Todd Douds
Managing Partner & COO
Fort Pitt Capital Group
Fort Pitt Capital Group, a subsidiary of Focus Financial Partners, entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Kovitz Investment Group through an LBO. Ted Bovard, along with COO, Todd Douds, guided and negotiated the sale of our company. The deal closed on Nov. 1. Like Fort Pitt Capital Group, Kovitz is a partner firm within the Focus Financial Partners umbrella of 92 individual RIA firms. Fort Pitt has been part of Focus since 2015. In 2015 it sold 50% of the firm to Focus. At that time, it had approximately $1billion in assets under management and revenue of around $6.5M. Fast forward to 2024 and it has approximately $6 billion in assets under management and $32M of revenue. Given these numbers and our growth rate, it was able to negotiate a substantial multiple for its business. Ted was the lead on these negotiations and responsible for guiding the growth of our firm.
Amy Edgar
Co-Founder & Chief Clinical Officer
Blackbird Health
Blackbird Health raised $22.77 million through a combination of Series A venture funding from undisclosed investors on February of 2024. Amy Edgar, an inspiring nurse practitioner seeking to change healthcare from the inside and embrace the superpowers of our next generation of humans, weaved the threads of mom, entrepreneur, teacher, nurse, primary care provider, and science geek. She founded the Children's Integrated Center for Success (CICS) in 2014. Ignited by her experience raising her now 24-year-old daughter, Amy united systems thinking and integrated care delivery models to create a primary care center focused on children with behavioral health needs. From the latest in genetics research, to nutrition, to occupational therapy and speech, to art and equine therapy, to staffing school advocates and marriage counselors — CICS was built to have the answers their families need to reach every child, every time.
During Amy's tenure as President and Chief Clinical Officer, Blackbird Health successfully raised Series A funding (backed by Define Ventures and Frist Cressy Ventures) and tripled clinical services size while growing new markets in Pennsylvania and Virginia. Currently Amy serves as Founder and Senior Advisor to Blackbird's Executive Leadership team, supporting the ongoing incorporation of the learning and innovation from the original practice, to improve care and health for kids and families everywhere.
Jim Gibbs
CEO
Meter Feeder
Jim Gibbs is the CEO and Co-Founder of Meter Feeder, a company helping fleets save millions by streamlining parking ticket management. With more than 40 years of software development expertise, Jim has built transformative platforms, from domain name registrars and medical software to processing nearly 30% of all mobile retail sales in the U.S. He’s contributed to the redesign of major websites like usatoday.com and enabled American Eagle to expand globally. Jim’s leadership has propelled Meter Feeder into more than 2,500 locations, secured partnerships with Mastercard and WEX, and raised more than $5 million from investors, including Y Combinator, Google, and Trucks VC.
Jim holds two patents in autonomous vehicle technology and serves on the boards of Ascender, Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting, and Eden's Farm, a nonprofit supporting survivors of human trafficking. A member of EY’s Entrepreneur Access Network and Google’s Black Founders Fund, he’s been featured in Forbes, Black Enterprise, TechCrunch, and Rebecca Fannin’s Silicon Heartland. Jim’s software has moved billions of dollars worldwide, reflecting his unique ability to identify what should—and shouldn't—be built.
Fluent in multiple languages and a dedicated husband and father of five boys, Jim balances his professional accomplishments with a personal commitment to inspiring the next generation of builders.
Jimmi Sue Smith
CFO
Koppers
Helping bring together Koppers’ $498 million debt refinancing round in March, Jimmi Sue Smith, Chief Financial Officer, leads all aspects of the company’s global financial functions, including accounting, internal audit and control, financial shared services, financial planning and analysis, treasury, tax and investor relations.
Jimmi Sue joined Koppers in 2020 as Vice President of Finance and Treasurer, providing oversight of the global treasury management function. She was responsible for managing relationships with the company’s banking partners and bond rating agencies, leading cash forecasting and working capital management efforts, overseeing shared services and playing an integral role in M&A activities.
Prior to Koppers, Jimmi Sue spent 11 years with natural gas producer EQT, serving in a number of significant roles, including Director of Corporate Accounting, business unit VP/Controller, Chief Accounting Officer and Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer. Previously, she held finance roles of increasing responsibility at a number of Pittsburgh-area manufacturing companies.
Jimmi Sue graduated from West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an Accounting concentration and earned her law degree from the Duquesne University School of Law.
John Thornton
CEO
Astrobotic Technology Inc.
Under the leadership of John Thornton, Astrobotic Technology received $34.6 million of grant funding from National Aeronautics and Space Administration on July 25, 2023. The funds will be used for a mission on the Moon called LunaGrid-Lite, a rover system that will demonstrate the first transmission of power between assets on the lunar surface.
Patrick Welch
CEO
Noveome
Noveome raised $36.18 million of Series E venture funding in a deal led by MAK Capital on in August of 2024. UPMC Enterprises and seven other investors also participated in the round. The funds will be used to support the advancement of the company's clinical stage program investigating its proprietary, cell-free platform biologic, ST266, for the treatment. Patrick Welch formed WeGo Consulting, LLC in Loudon, TN in 2014 after almost 27 years with Allergan, Inc. At Allergan, he was Vice President Sales and Marketing for the U.S. Retina Business Unit, and Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Allergan Medical Dermatology while continuing in his role with U.S. Retina. Outside the U.S., he was Vice President/Managing Director of Allergan Asia Pacific Region for Medical Aesthetics and Neuroscience, as well as President & Managing Director of Allergan Korea. Welch was also U.S. Director of Marketing, Glaucoma, directing the entire Glaucoma portfolio, and managed the pre-approval planning of RESTASIS® and LUMIGAN®. Patrick was also Vice President of the U.S. Managed Healthcare Reimbursement Division and created the initial Government Affairs Operation for Allergan.
Derrick Wilson
Founder & CEO
The Wilson Group
In 2012, Derrick Wilson founded The Wilson Group with just a spreadsheet containing the names of decision-makers from 300 prospective customers. Starting with himself and two other employees, the company has since grown exponentially. It was the fastest growing company in Western Pa in 2016, with growth of 662 percent. Today, The Wilson Group has more than 20,000 machines in the field and employs more than 50 people. Derrick has built a business that not only serves commercial clients but also supports numerous nonprofits. To date, The Wilson Group has donated over $1.5 million to various causes. Additionally, the company has a strong presence in school districts and is a proud sponsor of WPIAL.
Initially focused on selling copiers and printers, Derrick soon expanded the business by acquiring a postage company. In 2020, he launched BRI, a document storage and distribution company, and recently added IT services and physical security solutions to the company’s offerings. The company was named one of the best places to work in our region.
2025 Social Impact Award
Will Allen
Founder
Will Allen Foundation
After winning a national championship for The Ohio State Buckeyes and being a consensus first-team All-America selection at OSU, Will Allen was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004 and went on to play in the NFL for 12 years, most notably with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Off the field, Allen has been driven by two things: his desire to help others and to keep learning. In 2008, he established the Will Allen Foundation to provide resources for underprivileged youth around academics and education. The Will Allen Foundation strives to support every individual it engages. It’s the bridge to help each individual discover their personal Pathway to Success by providing necessary tools and resources to navigate life’s journey. Through its programs Quest, PAK and Holiday Giving, the Will Allen Foundation helps level the playing field in under- resourced communities.
Allen has led by example, taking on a number of internships and continuing ed programs at both Harvard and Northwestern.
In 2008, Allen made his first investment in a real estate opportunity. Despite the financial crisis, the investment paid off and kicked off Allen’s career in investing. Today, Allen is a partner at the newly formed Magarac Venture Partners, a fund focused on backing historically overlooked founders, such as those in the Midwest and women and minority entrepreneurs.