Brownlie & Braden, LLC, provides services specifically addressing the needs of individuals and families that have accumulated significant wealth. Our approach to providing these services is sensitive to the individual and personal objectives of each client in evaluating the alternatives available. These services address our clients objectives in the areas of gift and estate tax planning, asset protection planning, life insurance due diligence and alternatives, family risk management, private equity due diligence, and various other related issues often important to the wealthy individual and their family. We also are frequently called upon to perform private equity due diligence and address corporate turnaround opportunities, as well as to assist with the selection of asset managers and fiduciaries. The backgrounds of our principals follow. Smith A. Brownlie III, CPA Mr. Brownlie, a Certified Public Accountant and Personal Financial Specialist, has spent over twenty five years working with closely held companies and high net worth individuals. In addition to being a co-founder of the Firm, Mr. Brownlie is president of Cotton Creek Investments, LLC, managing partner of Cotton Creek Investment Company, Ltd. and Managing Director and a principal of Cotton Creek Capital Management, LLC and Cotton Creek Capital Management II, LLC. His previous experience includes work with the accounting firm of Peat Marwick (now KPMG) addressing the needs of privately-held companies in the firm s Private Business Advisory Services section. He has provided his clients with planning and consulting services in which he has addressed various tax and financial issues including estate planning, business continuity planning, income tax planning, investment and insurance due diligence, and non-qualified deferred compensation design. Mr. Brownlie has been active in private equity investing over the last fifteen years. Mr. Brownlie is currently chairman of the board of directors of Waste Partners Environmental, Inc. and Chain Electric Company, serves on the board of managers of Terrace Energy, LLC, serves on the board of directors of Knight Waste Services, Ltd., Coal City Cob, and Royal Baths Manufacturing Company, and previously served on the board of Oncore Onsite Services, LLC. Mr. Brownlie is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and a member of the Personal Financial Planning and Tax Sections of the AICPA. He is also a member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA) and has been a speaker for the TSCPA s continuing education programs. He is past chairman of the board of directors and current member of the Fort Worth Business & Estate Council, UT Southwestern Medical Center Estate Planning Council, the Dallas Estate Planning Council, and the North Texas Chapter of the National Committee on Planned Giving. He has also served on the Estate Planning and Planned Giving Advisory Boards for Baylor University. He was an Anderson Clayton Fund Scholarship recipient and received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Baylor University. Mr. Brownlie is a supporter of several children s charities, is a member of The Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate and is a professional advisor to the Community Foundation of North Texas. Mr. Brownlie has served on the board of directors of the Arlington Independent School District s Education
Foundation, the board of directors of the Community Enrichment Center, the Welcome House Youth Service Center Advisory Council in Arlington, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Arlington, and the board of trustees of Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth, chairing the school s endowment committee from 2002-2011. Mr. Brownlie is married, has three children, and resides in Fort Worth, Texas. James E. Braden, CPA Mr. Braden, a Certified Public Accountant and Personal Financial Specialist, has spent most of his career working with privately owned companies and high net worth families. Prior to co-founding Brownlie & Braden, LLC, his experience included Peat Marwick, Mitchell & Co. (predecessor to KPMG), as well as privately held Lincoln Property Company, a national real estate developer based in Dallas. His expertise includes all areas of investment management oversight, multigenerational gift and estate taxation, business succession planning, charitable planning, and related issues confronted by the wealthy family. Mr. Braden has been active in private equity investing over the last fifteen years. Mr. Braden currently serves as chairman of the board of directors of Graco Holdings, Inc., serves on the board of managers of Terrace Energy, LLC and is a member of the board of directors of Waste Partners Environmental, Inc. Additionally, Mr. Braden manages the general partners of BKB Capital, Ltd., a private investment vehicle. Mr. Braden is active in various civic and charitable organizations. He currently is President of the board of trustees of the Clayton Dabney Legacy Fund. He serves on the advisory board, and is a past director and past chairman of the board of the Clayton Dabney Foundation for Kids with Cancer. He also is a previous member of the board of directors and treasurer of Literacy Instruction for Texas (LIFT). He is an active member of Park Cities Baptist Church, where he has chaired and served on various committees, and is a member of the Fellowship of Deacons. Mr. Braden currently serves on the Advisory Council of the Dallas Foundation. He is a member of the Dallas Estate Planning Council and the Fort Worth Business & Estate Council as well as the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA) and the North Texas Chapter of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning. Mr. Braden is a magna cum laude graduate of Baylor University where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting and was the recipient of the Tenneco Accounting Scholarship. Mr. Braden is married, has two grown children, and resides in Dallas, Texas.
Antonio J. DiGesualdo Mr. DiGesualdo has spent over fifteen years working with middle market companies as both an advisor and an investor. Mr. DiGesualdo has been a principal and Managing Director of Cotton Creek Capital Management, LLC and Cotton Creek Capital Management II, LLC, the general partners of the firm s private equity funds since 2011. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. DiGesualdo was a Partner at TGF Management Corp., a private equity firm with approximately $700 million under management focused on control transactions with middle-market companies, primarily in the Southwest. Prior to TGF Management Corp., Mr. DiGesualdo was an Associate in the Leveraged Finance and Financial Sponsors Group of NationsBanc Montgomery Securities, LLC. Mr. DiGesualdo is an active investor having invested across a diverse group of companies across a range of industries. Mr. DiGesualdo currently serves as chairman of the board of directors of Royal Baths Manufacturing Company, Coal City Cob Company, and AirReady Holdings, Inc. and is a member of the board of directors of Chain Electric Company and previously served on the board of directors of Magnablend, Inc., M&M Manufacturing, Inc., Omniflight, Inc., and First Texas Holdings Corporation. Mr. DiGesualdo has earned a Master of Professional Accounting degree from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Texas and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Rice University. Mr. DiGesualdo is married, has five children, and resides in Austin, Texas. Steven D. Lankenau, CPA Mr. Lankenau, a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Financial Planner, serves as the firm s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer. He has held executive positions in privately held companies, publicly held companies, and with the offices of high net worth individuals and their families. Mr. Lankenau started his career with the accounting firm of Peat Marwick (now KPMG) in their Private Business Advisory Services department working with small to mid-size businesses to address their financial, tax, and consulting needs. He rejoins the Firm after serving as their Chief Financial Officer from 1998 2000. He has diverse experience in advising wealthy individuals and families in the areas of tax planning, asset protection planning, risk management, and investments. Mr. Lankenau earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in accounting from Drake University. Mr. Lankenau currently resides in Dallas, Texas.
Robert Thomas (Tom) Russell Mr. Russell has been an advisory director of Cotton Creek Capital since formation and is involved in the evaluation and operational oversight with respect to many of Cotton Creek Capital s existing investments. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Russell gained over thirty years of business experience in business consulting and private industry, much of it in manufacturing and construction related areas. He has worked with companies in all stages of their life cycle including restructuring and turnaround, as well as proceedings under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Mr. Russell s private industry experience includes public and private board membership and officer positions, including serving as chief executive officer and chief operating officer. Mr. Russell currently serves on the board of directors of several companies, including AirReady Holdings, Inc., Chain Electric Company, Coal City Cob Company, Graco Supply Company, Royal Baths Manufacturing Company, and Waste Partners Environmental, Inc. Mr. Russell received a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Dallas Baptist University and held a Certified Public Accountant certificate for over twenty years and a Certified Turnaround Professional certificate for five years. Mr. Russell is married, has two sons, and resides in Austin, Texas. J. Lee Rash, CPA Mr. Rash is a Vice President with Cotton Creek Capital and was previously an Associate in the Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory Group at Blackstone, a large-cap private equity firm in New York with approximately $40 billion under management. While at Blackstone, he advised corporate and financial-sponsor clients with respect to over $6 billion in investment opportunities across a diverse group of companies (primarily in the industrial, chemical and consumer sectors). Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Rash worked as a Manager in the Transaction Services Advisory practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. There, he provided financial diligence, valuation and structuring advice to corporate and financial-sponsor clients across a broad range of industries. Mr. Rash currently serves on the board of directors of Coal City Cob Company and Royal Baths Manufacturing Company. Mr. Rash attended the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and earned a Master of Business Administration degree, with a concentration in economics and finance. He also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Master of Science degree in Finance from Texas A&M University. Mr. Rash is a Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Rash is a native of Tahoka, Texas. He is married and now resides in Austin, Texas.
Anil A. Ali Mr. Ali is a Senior Associate with Cotton Creek Capital Management, LLC. Prior to joining Cotton Creek Capital, Anil was an Analyst with Harris Williams & Co. in Boston, a middle-market investment bank specializing in sell-side M&A advisory. While at Harris Williams, Anil worked on a broad range of industries and focused on M&A transactions and minority private placements. Furthermore, he started his career as an Equity Research Analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. Mr. Ali earned his B.S., summa cum laude, in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and International Business from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. Mr. Ali is a native of Austin, Texas and currently resides in Austin, Texas. Ryan M. Childress Mr. Childress is a Senior Associate with Cotton Creek Capital and has spent most of his career working with middle-market companies as both a debt and equity investor. Prior to joining the firm, he was an Assistant Vice President at Madison Capital Funding, a Chicago-based leveraged finance firm with over $4 billion under management, providing senior debt and equity co-investments for middlemarket private equity buyout transactions. While at Madison, his primary responsibilities included deal structuring, due diligence and portfolio management, and legal negotiation. Prior to joining Madison, he began his career at Comerica Bank as a commercial credit analyst specializing in middle-market and distressed debt financing. Mr. Childress earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University and his Master of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin where he was also a McCombs Venture Fellow. Mr. Childress is a native of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He is married and now resides in Austin, Texas. Alan W. Goldstein Mr. Goldstein is an Associate with Cotton Creek Capital. Previously, Mr. Goldstein was an investment banking analyst at Jefferies Group LLC in New York, specializing in Mergers and Acquisitions. In his time at Jefferies, Alan advised clients ranging from small to large capital companies and financial sponsors on both buy-side and sell-side transactions across several industries.
Mr. Goldstein received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin, with minors in Accounting and Psychology. Mr. Goldstein is a native of San Antonio, Texas and currently resides in Austin, Texas. Clayton J. Milburn Mr. Milburn is an Associate with Cotton Creek Capital and was previously an Associate in the Leveraged Finance Group at ORIX Corporate Capital, a Dallas-based investment arm of ORIX Corporation. While at ORIX Corporate Capital, Mr. Milburn was responsible for underwriting and executing middle market debt and equity investments in support of growth financings, recapitalizations, leveraged buyouts, and acquisitions across a variety of industries. Mr. Milburn earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. Mr. Milburn is a native of St. Louis, Missouri and currently resides in Austin, Texas. Christopher D. Weems Mr. Weems is an Associate with Cotton Creek Capital and was previously an Associate in the General Industrials investment banking group at Raymond James & Associates in St. Petersburg, FL where he specialized in mergers & acquisitions for middle market companies and debt and equity capital raises for public companies across a variety of sectors. Mr. Weems began his career at Raymond James as an Equity Research Associate covering the healthcare sector. Mr. Weems earned his Masters of Finance degree and Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, magna cum laude, from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University. Mr. Weems is a Chartered Financial Analyst. Mr. Weems is a native of Savannah, Georgia and currently resides in Austin, Texas. Courtney H. Faison Mrs. Faison is the Controller for the firm. Her duties include overseeing the accounting functions. Prior to joining the firm, she was an auditor for Deloitte & Touche with a concentration in the Energy industry.
Mrs. Faison graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Culverhouse School of Accountancy at the University of Alabama. She also earned a Masters of Accountancy at the University of Alabama while being a Graduate Assistant Teacher. Mrs. Faison is a native of Mobile, Alabama and now resides in the Dallas area. M. Susan Wilson, CPA Mrs. Wilson is a Financial Analyst with the Firm. She is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of New Jersey and she holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. She obtained a Paralegal Certification from the University of California, Irvine where she graduated with honors. And, she received an academic award for excellence in CPA Education from Raritan Valley Community College in New Jersey where she obtained her Certificate of Accountancy. Prior to joining the Firm, Mrs. Wilson was the Director of Administration for ADT Security (Tyco) and had the responsibility for managing the administrative operations for 12 national offices. She received the President Circle Award for achievement and excellence in recognition of her extraordinary contributions to the organization. Other areas of experience are in licensing, contracts, due diligence, credit and compliance. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (TSCPA). Mrs. Wilson is married and resides in Fort Worth, Texas. Zachary A. Kuhlman Mr. Kuhlman is a Financial Analyst with the Firm. Prior to joining Brownlie & Braden, Mr. Kuhlman worked as a Financial Advisor with AXA Advisors, LLC. in Austin, Texas. While at AXA, Mr. Kuhlman worked to write holistic financial plans for small businesses and individuals, primarily using investment accounts and risk management products to achieve client goals. Mr. Kuhlman is a graduate of The Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University where he earned a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance and Real Estate. Mr. Kuhlman is a native of Austin, Texas and now resides in Dallas, Texas. Robert E. Sajovich Mr. Sajovich is a Financial Analyst with the Firm. Prior to joining Brownlie & Braden, Mr. Sajovich worked with The Harvard Companies as a commercial real estate broker. Later, he founded Match
Point Assets, a real estate investment company focused on acquiring distressed assets for rental income. In starting Match Point Assets, he excelled at generating creative financing models which maximized the return on the investments, as well as using tax efficient strategies. Mr. Sajovich graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Real Estate Finance from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. While attending SMU, Mr. Sajovich was a student-athlete and captain of the Men s Tennis Team. Mr. Sajovich grew up in Austin, Texas and now resides in Dallas, Texas.