The core Creo investment team includes
three senior professionals with over thirty years of
cumulative experience in private equity, investment banking,
operations and distressed debt investing. The team is
supported by a group of in-house professionals with key
expertise in law, finance, management, and turnarounds
that serve critical roles in creating significant value
for our portfolio companies.
Gregory
BortzManaging
Partner Email Greg
Greg Bortz has over fourteen years of experience
in private equity, investment banking, and accounting.
Mr. Bortz founded Creo in early 2005, after identifying
a sizable void in the market for private equity
firms focusing on distressed, asset – intensive
companies in the "micro market" (companies
with less than $150 million in revenues). Mr. Bortz
has played an active role in originating, negotiating
and structuring the Firm’s six portfolio investments
to date.
Prior to founding Creo, from 2000 to 2005, Mr. Bortz
served as a Senior Vice President at Lehman
Brothers where he was one of the senior
investment bankers responsible for Lehman's business
and professional services investment banking effort.
During his tenure at Lehman Brothers, Mr. Bortz
led many M&A and capital raising transactions
in a multitude of business and professional services
sub-sectors, including the security, staffing, human
capital management, facilities services, consulting
services, marketing services and business process
outsourcing sectors. Prior to joining Lehman Brothers,
from 1998 to 2000, Mr. Bortz served as a vice president
in investment banking at Credit Suisse,
focusing on providing a full suite of investment
banking services to mid- and large-cap companies
in the Western United States. From 1994 to 1997,
prior to joining Credit Suisse, Mr. Bortz served
as a senior manager in the business assurance practice
at Ernst and Young.
Mr. Bortz graduated from the University
of Cape Town (South Africa) with a Bachelor
of Business Science degree. He qualified as a chartered
accountant in South Africa as well as in England
& Wales in 1996.
Bortz is a member of Young Professionals’
Organization (YPO) and the American Bankruptcy Institute
(ABI).
Nick SternbergPartner Email
Nick
Nick Sternberg has over fourteen years of experience
in accounting, investment banking, and private equity
investing. Mr. Sternberg focuses on transactions
in the food, construction, apparel and energy services
space. Prior to Joining Creo in 2005, Mr. Sternberg
worked at Morgan Stanley in New
York from 2002 to 2005 where he served as a Vice
President in the firm's Financial Institutions Investment
Banking practice and was responsible for capital
raising as well as providing merger and acquisition
and strategic advice to a large number of both private
and publicly held companies. From 2001 to 2002,
Mr. Sternberg was a vice-president responsible for
mergers and acquisitions at National Financial
Partners ("NFP"), a New York-based,
Apollo Group-backed venture involved in the consolidation
of financial service companies such as estate planners,
insurance brokers, financial consultants and money
managers. From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Sternberg worked
as an associate in the Investment Banking division
of Goldman Sachs in New York. From
1993 to1995, Mr. Sternberg was an auditor at Arthur
Andersen & Co. in Cape Town, South
Africa.
Mr. Sternberg has experience in financing investments,
monitoring portfolio companies, and sourcing and
evaluating investment opportunities. Mr. Sternberg
received his Bachelors of Commerce Degree with Honors
from the University of Cape Town in 1992 and his post graduate diploma in Accounting
from the University of Cape Town in 1993. In 1998,
Mr. Sternberg received a Master of Business Administration,
with Honors from Columbia University in
New York. He qualified as a chartered accountant
in South Africa in 1995.
Rob W. HollandPartner Email
Rob
Rob Holland has over seven years of experience in
operations, investment banking, and distressed investing
and participates in all facets of the Firm. Mr.
Holland focuses on transactions in the food, transportation,
and manufacturing space.
Prior to joining Creo, Mr. Holland worked at Trust
Company of the West, a $110 billion Los
Angeles-based asset management firm. While at TCW,
Mr. Holland served in the distressed debt investment
group, where he evaluated dozens of investment opportunities
and was involved in a number of investments in companies
undergoing major operational & financial restructurings.
During Mr. Holland's tenure at TCW, he focused on
the Shared Opportunity Fund IV, which had generated
gross IRRs in excess of 35% for large institutional
investors nationwide. Mr. Holland was also actively
involved in the firm's successful $600 million fund
raising campaign for its fifth distressed investment
fund, Shared Opportunity Fund V.
Prior to joining TCW, Mr. Holland served as an investment
banker at Lehman Brothers. At Lehman
Brothers Mr. Holland focused on M&A and capital
raising transactions in the business services, engineering
and construction, and real estate industries.
Mr. Holland graduated Magna Cum Laude from the
Calloway School of Business and Accountancy at Wake
Forest University where he attended as
a Presidential Scholar.
Holland serves as a board member of the Southern
California Chapter of the Turnaround Management
Association (TMA) and is a member of the American
Bankruptcy Institute (ABI).
Timothy Hoefer Operating
Partner
Timothy Hoefer has over thirty years of operational
experience in the manufacturing, engineering, and
distribution industries. Mr. Hoefer has developed
a strong track record of serving as a problem solver,
change catalyst, strategic planner, and entrepreneur.
Prior to his affiliation with Creo, Mr. Hoefer built
a highly successful career with Mayco Plastics,
Inc. (MPI), managing $1 billion in new
business awards during his 10-year reign as company
president (1994 to 2005). Mr. Hoefer serves Creo
in several capacities, including conducting diligence,
developing strategic business plans, and participating
in the management team of certain Creo portfolio
companies.
Gerald Birin Operating
Partner
Gerald Birin is CEO of Mountain High Hosiery, a
Creo portfolio company, and is CEO of Birfam
Advisors, a leading turn-around consultant
to troubled companies. Mr. Birin has a track record
of over twenty years of fixing and turning around
troubled companies, with a particular expertise
in the apparel, manufacturing and IT services sectors.
Mr. Birin, through his firm Birfam Advisors, represents
numerous national lenders in ensuring that their
loan collateral and loans are protected and recoverable
when the borrower is in financial distress. Mr.
Birin has extensive experience in all areas of in
and out of court restructurings, including Chapter
11s, Chapter 7s, pre-packaged bankruptcy filings,
ABCs, Article 9 foreclosures, and the like. Mr.
Birin is a Certified Public Accountant.
John Turner Operating
Partner John Turner
John Turner is responsible for overseeing all of Creo’s food sector investments. Mr. Turner has over thirty years marketing, sales and operational experience in the food industry across all channels of distribution. Mr. Turner has an extensive track record of brand and strategy development, organizational leadership and turnaround management. He has particular experience in integrating financial metrics across marketing, sales and operational strategies and driving both top and bottom line growth. Mr. Turner has worked for public and private companies like Coca-Cola Foods, Lever Brothers, Rich Products, Hatfield Quality Meats and WLR Foods. He has successfully led two food portfolio companies for J W Childs and Riverside Partners.
Bob Moran Operating
Partner Bob Moran
Robert Moran serves as an operating partner focusing on the Firm’s investments in the transportation and logistics space. Mr. Moran has over 25 years of experience in the transportation industry with executive and ownership tenures at Alliance 3PL Corporation, Amware Logistics Services, Sterling Logistics Corporation, and Pullman Warehouse, among others. Mr. Moran serves as CEO of Lucky Horseshoe, LLC and is chairman of Creo-owned VTI Transport. Mr. Moran has served on the board and is a member of the International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA).
Howard Nurtman CFO Email Howard
Howard Nurtman has worked in financial control and accounting for 17 years. He qualified as a chartered accountant in 1992 with the Cape Town office of the auditing firm Arthur Andersen and Co. Howard worked in financial control for Lehman Brothers in London from 1993 to 1994. In 1995, Howard joined the London office of Nomura International PLC. In eight years at Nomura, he worked in various roles within financial control.
In 2004, Howard moved to Los Angeles, and accepted a position as the Controller at Triline Medical LLC, a company that provides specialty support surfaces to long-term care facilities and the VA.
Howard joined Creo Capital Partners as the CFO in August 2007.
Mr. Nurtman graduated from the University of Cape Town (South Africa) with a Bachelor of Business Science degree and received a Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting in 1989.
Adam Grayman, CFA, CA (SA)Associate Email Adam
Adam Grayman has over 5 years experience in financial services and related interests, and joined Creo in 2007. His key responsibilities include monitoring Creo's existing portfolio companies and identifying, diligencing and negotiating new opportunities for the Firm.
Prior to joining Creo, Adam worked for Deloitte (South Africa) in the Corporate Finance division in 2007, involved in financial diligence and valuation engagements. Prior to that, in 2006, Adam was involved in the hedge fund industry, working for Ernst & Young (Cayman Islands) in the Hedge Fund assurance division and for Macquarie Bank (Australia) in the Hedge Fund of Funds Financial Operations division. In the three years prior, he was a part of Deloitte's Financial Institution and Services Team, involved in a considerable number of audits of some of the largest financial institutions in South Africa.
Adam graduated from the University of Johannesburg with a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and a postgraduate Honors degree in Accounting and Finance. Adam qualified as a Chartered Accountant in South Africa in 2005, and became a CFA Charterholder in 2007.
Donald LiftonSenior
Advisor
Donald B. Lifton was the founding partner of a well-known
Michigan-based law firm. He has served as chief
executive officer, chairman, advisor and/or member
of the board of directors of a variety of private
and publicly held companies in the United States,
Europe, Asia and the Pacific Rim.
Mr. Lifton currently serves on the boards of a number
of companies and is the Chairman of Veritas
Global, an international intelligence and
risk consulting firm.
Mr. Lifton serves as a senior advisor to Creo, providing
strategic and legal advice throughout the life cycle
of its investments.
Rachel BayneOffice
Manager Email
Rachel
Rachel Bayne has more than 18 years of combined experience in consumer banking, investment banking, and venture capital. Prior to joining Creo in 2007, Rachel was at Anthem Venture Partners, a Santa Monica-based venture capital firm, whose focus is early-stage technology company investing. While in New York City, prior to moving to Los Angeles, Rachel was at Dillon Read Investment Bank (subsequently merged with SBC Warburg and UBS) in their Mergers & Acquisitions Department for eight years; the last five of which were spent working directly with the UBS Vice Chairman of Corporate Finance/Global Head of the Consumer Products Group. Rachel’s career began working with the CMO in Corporate Marketing of Dime Savings Bank (now Washington Mutual).
Charlane EzekielMarketing Representative Email
Charlane
Charlane is responsible for the advertising, event planning, and public relations of Creo Capital Partners. Prior to joining Creo, Charlane worked at Busby South Africa, a leading wholesaler and distributor of apparel goods, in their Trends and Public Relations Department. Her responsibilities involved working with a number of international brands, including Aldo, Nine West and Guess.
Charlane graduated from Vega University in 2005 with a Bachelors degree in Marketing and Communications Management.
Jung ParkJunior Accountant Email
Jung
Jung joined the Creo team in February of 2008, as Junior Accountant. He graduated from Cal. State University, where he attained a B.S. degree in finance. Prior to joining Creo, Mr. Park was president of Pro Academy, a math tutoring academy in Los Angeles. Jung has worked in accounting throughout Southern California since 2000.
