Investment banking professional Steve Mayer has formed his own company, Milwaukee-based Franklin Place Capital. It opened last week at 1313 N. Franklin Place on Milwaukee’s East Side.
The investment banking firm specializes in transaction advisory services, capital raising and debt restructuring services for privately-held Midwestern manufacturing, industrial and service-based businesses with revenues between $5 million and $250 million.
Mayer previously was a partner at Milwaukee-based investment bank Promontory Point Capital. He has 10 years of experience in assisting privately-held middle-market clients with liquidity assignments, mergers and acquisition activities, consulting, lending and profit improvement. Mayer also has worked as a division manager-corporate banking at JPMorgan Chase, as well as in management roles at ABN Amro, Wells Fargo and BMO Harris Bank. And he spent the first 10 years of his career working in manufacturing.
He has brought on his son, Christopher Mayer, as an associate banker, and also has hired a marketing professional and a legal counsel. The team has a background in investment banking, commercial banking and manufacturing, and has worked with both business-to-business and consumer facing companies.
“(Promontory and I) had a 10-year partnership, a good run, and it was time to do something on my own,” Mayer said. “One of the people joining me will be my son, Christopher, and it was a good way to integrate him into a business. It was a chance to do that and kind of pass the torch and do something together.”
Mayer said he helps business owners develop an acquisition thesis and design an audience around that to make a deal happen from A to Z.
“Five million to $250 million (is) where there’s a significant need for investment banking services for business owners who need a road map or a plan for that next event in their life,” he said. “That really provides a nice full solution to a business owner, especially in the manufacturing world – someone who can really relate to the manufacturing world and the challenges they face, because I’ve been there.”
