GC Andersen Partners, LLC
 
 

G. Chris Andersen | Paul M. Higbee | Douglas T. McClure
James L. Rawlings | Randy F. Rock | Thomas C. Blum
Randall J. Shaw | Scott W. Hadfield | Daniel E. Rosen
David J. Hertz | Thomas F. Zipser


G. Chris Andersen
Founder | Partner

Mr. Andersen was once referred to by the New York Times as one of the five most creative investment bankers on Wall Street. As a financier for over thirty years who has been involved in deals totaling over $100 billion in value, Mr. Andersen has been responsible for some of the most innovative and notable transactions in the investment banking and high yield bond industries, and he is widely recognized for playing an integral role in the creation of the high yield bond industry. Before founding G.C. Andersen Partners in 1996, Mr. Andersen served as Vice Chairman of PaineWebber from 1990 to 1995. At PaineWebber, he helped propel the bank to record corporate finance revenues and, with the acquisition of Kidder Peabody in 1994, launched the development of its international banking operations. Prior to PaineWebber, Mr. Andersen was head of the Investment Banking Group at Drexel Burnham Lambert Incorporated and one of the most senior executives of the firm. He served on Drexel’s Board of Directors, Investment Banking Executive Committee, and Underwriting Assistance Committee (which reviewed, amended, restructured or approved an average of 600 transactions per year). Mr. Andersen began his career as a securities analyst in the trust department at the National Bank of Detroit, after which he became Vice President of Corporate Finance at Dominick & Dominick, Inc., Partner at Prescott Ball & Turben, and Partner at Wm. D. Witter.

Mr. Andersen has been a guest lecturer and commentator at university forums around the world. He was a member of the faculty of the Saltzberg Seminar and has appeared on business television programs including CNN’s “Money Line.” Mr. Andersen has written articles for the New York Times and other newspapers and, for several years, authored a weekly column for Inc. Magazine.

Mr. Andersen has been an active participant in academic and public policy circles in the United States and abroad, supporting educational programs and institutions worldwide. He was a founder and trustee of the Garn Institute at the University of Utah, a public service financial think tank designed to promote ideas in cooperation with the corporate and academic worlds and public policy makers. As a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at the University of Colorado, he endowed an assistant professorship in communications at the College of Business to promote effective communications skills throughout the curriculum. Recently he has become a member of the International Advisory Council of the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University in Beijing, China. Both he and his wife sponsored a project of the Manhattan School of Music to build the 19-story recital hall and dormitory building; this new facility is the cornerstone of a project to solidify the school’s position as a leading international conservatory of music.  Mr. Andersen is a member of the Executive Committee for the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of New York and Co-Chairman of the Endowment Campaign.

Mr. Andersen is Chairman of the Board of Millennium Cell, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCEL) as well as lead director of Terex Corporation (NYSE: TEX). His previous board memberships include United Waste Systems and United Artists Theatres. Mr. Andersen received a BS from the University of Colorado and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.  He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Paul M. Higbee
Partner

Mr. Higbee has over 25 years of experience as an investment banker. During his entire investment banking career has worked with middle-market companies. Mr. Higbee has particular expertise in private equity transactions and middle market advisory services. Before joining G.C. Andersen Partners in 2001, Mr. Higbee was a Managing Director of Deutsche Banc Alex Brown, having joined Bankers Trust in 1996. From 1990 to 1996, Mr. Higbee was a Managing Director and head of the Industrial Group at PaineWebber, and from 1981 to 1990, he worked at Drexel Burnham Lambert where he became a Managing Director and head of the Energy Group. Mr. Higbee started his career at Shearson Loeb Rhoades. At each firm where he was a senior investment banker he served on underwriting, commitment and management committees. Mr. Higbee has served as a board member to public and private companies and currently serves as a board member of several companies that G.C. Andersen Partners has an investment including ComCam International and Risk Solutions International. Mr. Higbee received an A.B. in Economics from Princeton University and an MBA from the Wharton School.

Douglas T. McClure
Partner

Mr. McClure has over 23 years experience in the investment and merchant banking arenas. Before joining G.C. Andersen Partners in 2002, Mr. McClure was a partner at The Private Merchant Banking Company, a boutique investment and merchant banking firm focused on middle market and emerging growth companies. From 1992 to 1994, Mr. McClure was a Managing Director at New Street Capital, a merchant banking firm, where he co-managed a $400 million portfolio invested in distressed, mezzanine and private equity securities and high yield bonds. From 1990 to 1992, Mr. McClure served as a Managing Director at Drexel Burnham Lambert during its bankruptcy, where he co-managed the firm's portfolio of investments in distressed securities and high yield bonds. He was also responsible for most of Drexel's major distressed securities positions and was chairman of several creditor committees. Prior to 1990, he was a Managing Director in Drexel's Corporate Finance Department. Mr. McClure has served on the Board of Directors of nine publicly traded and private companies including Westpoint Stevens, Grand Union, and Memorex Telex. Mr. McClure received an A.B. from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

James L. Rawlings
Partner

Mr. Rawlings has over 35 years experience in investment banking and related financial activities. Before joining G.C. Andersen Partners in 1998, Mr. Rawlings was a Managing Director, principal and member of the Board of Schooner Asset Management Co. LLC, where he was responsible for new product development and investment oversight. Before joining Schooner, Mr. Rawlings was a Managing Director of Robert Fleming & Co., based in New York, where he was responsible for the London-based firm's investment banking activities throughout the Americas. Before joining Fleming in 1993, Mr. Rawlings was an Executive Director of Southern Equities Corporation, an Australian-based industrial holding company, where he had responsibility for the executive level management and reorganization of the group's U.S. activities. Mr. Rawlings was with Drexel Burnham Lambert from 1979 to 1988, where, as a Managing Director in the Corporate Finance Department, he was responsible for initiating and developing relationships with international companies in most parts of the world. From 1967 to 1979, Mr. Rawlings was with Bank of America where he held responsibility for Bank of America's U.S. merchant banking, venture capital, and project finance activities. Mr. Rawlings has served on a variety of public and private company boards and is currently a director of Millennium Cell, Inc. Mr. Rawlings received a B.S. from Indiana University and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Randy F. Rock
Partner

Mr. Rock has over 25 years of investment experience in capital-raising, complex restructuring and advisory services for a broad range of companies, both in size and industry.  Before joining G.C. Andersen Partners in 2004, Mr. Rock was a Managing Director at Ryan Beck & Co. for five years where he co-founded the Middle-Market Investment Banking Group.  He also served as a member of the firm's Commitment, Fairness Opinion, and Private Placement Committees.  Prior to joining Ryan Beck, Mr. Rock was a Managing Director at Josephthal & Co. Inc. and from 1990 to 1996 was a Managing Director at Prudential Securities.  At Prudential, he served as head of the Restructuring Group and was a key advisor in major bankruptcies such as Integrated Resources, Lomas Financial Services, TransWorld Airlines, Eastern Airlines and PanAm.  He also served as a member of Prudential's Fairness Opinion Committee.  Mr. Rock began his career practicing venture capital and securities law at Reavis & McGrath. After five years as an attorney, Mr. Rock moved to Drexel Burnham Lambert, specializing in highly structured leveraged financings and recapitalizations, including master limited partnerships for many of the firm's leverage buyout clients.  Mr. Rock received a BA, cum laude, from Columbia College and a JD from the Columbia University School of Law.

Thomas C. Blum
Partner

Mr. Blum has spent 22 years as an investment banker and an investor in private equity and venture capital opportunities. Before joining G.C. Andersen Partners in 2006, Mr. Blum ran Channel Capital LLC, a firm he founded in 2001 to provide venture capital and financial advisory services to emerging companies.  While with Channel Capital, he became an active angel investor, backing eleven companies.  From 1998 to 2001, Mr. Blum was a Managing Director in the private equity firm, Columbia Financial Partners, during which time he helped manage the reorganization and liquidation of ContiFinancial Corp., an $11 billion mortgage company.  Previously, Mr. Blum spent 14 years as an investment banker with Salomon Brothers Inc. and Bear Stearns & Co.  During 1992 to 1998 he was actively involved in mergers & acquisitions, IPO's, high-yield and investment grade debt and corporate advisory transactions for a wide range of insurance and specialty finance companies.  From 1989 to 1992, he was based in Tokyo and oversaw the Salomon Brothers’ Japanese and Asian Financial Institutions activities.  In the 1980’s, Mr. Blum was deeply involved in the then emerging commercial mortgage securitization market. Mr. Blum serves on the Board of Directors of Landauer Metropolitan Inc., Supertron Technologies, Inc., SkyFuel, Inc. and Interactive Frontiers, Inc.  Mr. Blum received a BS in Engineering from Princeton University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Randall J. Shaw
Managing Director

Mr. Shaw has over 10 years experience in investment banking, primarily covering financial sponsors and executing leveraged finance transactions. Before joining G.C. Andersen Partners in 2008, Mr. Shaw was an Executive Director in the Financial Sponsors & Leveraged Finance Group at UBS. During 4 years at Citigroup, he managed complex multi-party LBOs, Going Privates and IPOs for leading sponsors such as Bain Capital, Fortress and Oak Hill. Mr. Shaw also specialized in the health care sector for several years while at DLJ. Prior to Wall Street, Mr. Shaw was an attorney at Greenberg Traurig in Miami. Randall is a senior board member of Union Settlement Association, providing a variety of services to the indigent community in East Harlem. Mr. Shaw received a B.S. in Finance and Political Science from the Wharton School, a JD with honors from the University of Florida Law School, and graduated beta gamma sigma with an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Scott W. Hadfield
Principal

Before joining G.C. Andersen Partners in 2004, Mr. Hadfield was a Director in the Middle Market Investment Banking Group at Ryan Beck & Co., where he headed the private equity area of the firm and also advised in mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining Ryan Beck, he established the New York office of Trinity Capital Group. Over his career, he has advised companies in various areas including raising growth capital, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations and mergers and acquisitions, with a particular focus in the consumer, business services, education, manufacturing, healthcare and technology sectors. Mr. Hadfield was previously a Vice President in the Private Equity Financing Group at Prudential Securities in New York and an officer in the investment banking group of Janney Montgomery Scott. Earlier in his career, Mr. Hadfield was a Syndication Manager in the Capital Markets Group of Textron Financial Corporation, where he focused on placing high yield debt and structured finance products. Mr. Hadfield began his career at Arthur Andersen LLP. Mr. Hadfield received BS degrees in Economics and Government from Connecticut College. He has also studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science and has earned a Masters Degree in Professional Accounting. Mr. Hadfield is a member of the New York Chapter of the Association of Corporate Growth.

Daniel E. Rosen
Vice President

Mr. Rosen has a broad transactional background as a private equity professional, M&A investment banker and corporate attorney on over eighty transactions. Before joining G.C. Andersen Partners in 2006, he was a Vice President in a private investment firm and family office with real estate and business assets exceeding $2.5B, where he assisted to manage certain portfolio companies, international projects and mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. Over his career, Mr. Rosen has advised public and private companies in various areas including foreign direct investment, joint ventures, M&A, and strategic advisory with a particular focus in the real estate, manufacturing, retail, clean technologies, and business services sectors. Previously, Mr. Rosen was an Associate with Maxcor Inc. and MTN Capital Partners LLC, boutique private equity, M&A and restructuring firms, where he managed and executed sell-side M&A projects. His international projects have included, among others, extended assignments in Europe, Central America and the Middle East. Mr. Rosen has been published on the subject of media law and business in the Russian Federation. He received his J.D. with a concentration in International and Comparative Law from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University where he was Executive Editor of the Cardozo Journal of International & Comparative Law. He received his B.A. in International Relations from Clark University, magna cum laude. Mr. Rosen is a member of the New York State Bar Association and the State Bar of Florida.

David J. Hertz
Associate

Mr. Hertz rejoined G.C. Andersen Partners in 2008 following his graduation from business school. Prior to G.C. Andersen Partners, Mr. Hertz spent four years with Newtek Business Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: NEWT), a nationwide provider of business services and financial products to the small and medium-sized business market. At Newtek, Mr. Hertz last served as CEO of Channel Management Partners, LLC, a sales channel marketing affiliate of Newtek that he founded. Before that, Mr. Hertz was a Director and CFO of Harvest Strategies, LLC, Newtek’s former strategic planning, marketing and operations affiliate. He began his career in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group of CIBC World Markets. Mr. Hertz received a BS, summa cum laude, in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Thomas F. Zipser
Financial Analyst

Before joining G.C. Andersen Partners in 2006, Mr. Zipser spent two years with Ferris, Baker Watts, Inc. as a part-time analyst in the financial institutions group of the corporate finance department. Prior to Ferris, Baker Watts, Mr. Zipser interned at Banco Santander and Bear Stearns & Co. Previously, Mr. Zipser spent four summers interning at Bloomberg L.P. Mr. Zipser received a B.A. in Political Science from the Johns Hopkins University.

   
 


430 Park Avenue
Suite 701
New York, NY 10022
212.842.1600