Advisory Board

Brent R. Grover Charles L. Irby Jeff Germanotta Gordon C. Spelich

Supply Chain Equity Partners' Advisory Board includes individuals with significant distribution related operating and consulting experience. We draw on the experience and expertise of our Advisory Board for guidance and consultation in reviewing investment opportunities and growing our portfolio companies.

Brent R. Grover

Brent R. Grover is the founder and managing partner of Evergreen Consulting, LLC and an NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence Distinguished Fellow. He serves as an advisor to the distribution channel on strategic planning, profit improvement and acquisitions. He also serves on the boards of several distribution businesses and is a popular speaker at wholesale distribution industry events.

Mr. Grover's 20 year operating experience includes leading National Paper & Packaging Co., a specialty packaging distributor, where he was the CEO and co-owner. In 1999 he led the sale of his company to SupplyOne, Inc. In addition to packaging products, Mr. Grover has significant hands-on experience working with distributors in sectors such as motion control, power transmission, material handling, fuel and lubricants, perishable goods, building materials and supplies and electrical products.

Prior to National Paper, Mr. Grover was a visiting Professor at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management and a manager at Arthur Andersen & Co.

Mr. Grover is the author of many articles related to distribution and logistics. His books include The Acquisitive Distributor: Four Keys to Success When Buying a Wholesale Distribution, The Official Guide to Wholesale Distributor Financial Success (3-volume set) and More to the Bottom Line: Customer Profitability Analysis Tools for Distributors.

Mr. Grover is a member of several non-profit Boards and served as Chairman of three organizations including the National Paper Trade Association.

Charles L. Irby

Mr. Irby's operating company experience includes over 20 years of leading Irby Construction Company, a power line contractor. Irby Construction Company, based in Jackson, Mississippi, built construction projects in forty-five states as well as in Central America, Africa, and the Far East. Irby Construction Company was sold to Quanta Services, Inc, (PWR) in 2000.

Mr. Irby operated IRBY Corp, a real estate development and investment company, from 1998 to its sale to Stamford Capital in 2002.

Mr. Irby formed Irby Investments, LLC, a private investment company, in 2002 and remains active as Manager. Irby Investments' portfolio consists of public stocks, bonds, hedge funds and private equities.

Mr. Irby and Irby Investments were the majority shareholders in Stuart C. Irby Company. Mr. Irby served as Chairman of the Board of this electrical distribution company which was sold to Sonepar in 2005. Stuart C. Irby Company is one of the largest and most widely recognized electrical products distributors in the United States. At the time of its sale, Stuart C. Irby Co. had forty branches in nine states.

Mr. Irby earned his M.B.A. and B.B.A. from the Southern Methodist University.

Jeff Germanotta

Jeff Germanotta is a principal and group head within William Blair & Company’s Equity Research Department. He joined the firm in 2000 and has previously spent six years at Robert W. Baird & Co. as an analyst covering wholesale distributors, industrial and logistics companies. He also has experience in capital markets, corporate planning, and commercial banking with Bank One (now JPMorgan Chase) and U.S. Bank. Mr. Germanotta presently supervises seven analyst teams. His domain expertise and reputation are strongest in logistics, industrial, wholesale distribution and supply chain management.

Jeff has been consistently recognized in the Financial Times/StarMine “World’s Top Analysts” listing. He has been an author and/or a contributor to over 150 published articles since 1994 relating to investments, supply chain management, and wholesale distribution.

He holds a B.A. in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an M.B.A. from Marquette University. He’s served on the boards of several for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.

Gordon C. Spelich

Mr. Spelich is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience in logistics, purchasing and business development. He is currently a member of the executive team and the Vice President of Purchasing and Logistics at Stelco, Inc., one of Canada's largest integrated steel manufacturers serving the construction, manufacturing and automotive sectors with over $2.6 billion in annual sales.

Prior to Stelco, Mr. Spelich was a founding member of the management team that partnered with the private equity firm of WL Ross & Co. to form International Steel Group, Inc. (ISG) and acquire LTV Steel out of bankruptcy. As ISG's Vice President of Business Development, Mr. Spelich initiated, executed and led the acquisitions of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Acme Steel, U.S. Steel's Gary plate division, Weirton Steel, Georgetown Steel and HBI's facilities in Trinidad and Tobago. In April of 2005, Mittal Steel acquired ISG for approximately $4.5 billion.

Prior to ISG, Mr. Spelich worked as an independent consultant in the metal industry and served as a member of the audit committee on the board of directors of Morris Material Handling, a crane manufacturing company. From March 2000 to September 2001, Mr. Spelich was the Vice President of Operations at Pechiney Rolled Products, an aluminum rolling company and a division of Pechiney S.A. From October 1991 to March 2000, Mr. Spelich was an Operations Manager at Nucor Steel, a mini-mill steel producer, where he worked on the start-up of Nucor plants in Hickman, Arkansas and Berkeley, South Carolina.

Mr. Spelich earned his M.B.A. from the Northern Illinois University and a B.S., from Wesleyan University.