Meet the experts.
The CGK Business Sales team represents years of experience in mergers and acquisitions in virtually every industry.
Greg Knox
Managing Principal
Greg Knox, MBA, CFA, CAIA has spent his twenty-five + year career in finance and business, including a diverse background in middle-market investment banking, private equity, a multi-billion dollar hedge fund, and institutional trading, at such institutions as Deutsche Bank, T. Rowe Price, and Wachovia Securities. Mr. Knox also has experience as a multiple-time business owner, giving him unique insight into a founder’s mindset. Previous to his work at CGK, Greg spent multiple years with local, regional, and national business owners as a middle-market mergers and acquisitions investment banker and at an international business brokerage, where he was a top-ten M&A advisor worldwide for three consecutive years. Mr. Knox has a BA degree in Business Administration from Franklin & Marshall College, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Cornell University, and a Master of Data Science from the University of Michigan. Greg currently holds the FINRA Series 79, 65, 63, & 55 licenses and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder, a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Charterholder, and a Financial Data Professional (FDP) Charterholder.
Derik Polay
Managing Director
Derik Polay has over twenty-five years of experience with mergers and acquisitions, distressed securities, and markets, worldwide. Derik also has seven-plus years of upper-management positions at small and middle-market businesses. Derik’s previous experience includes MD (Managing Director) at IFI Capital and SVP (Senior Vice President) for Fulcrum Capital here he focused on distressed investments and securities. Previously, as a top producer at APS Capital, Derik helped grow the business. Before his finance career, Derik had important positions in management roles and as a consultant, where he increased productivity, the quality of various products and services, and communication within major manufacturing, auto supply, and telecommunications companies. Mr. Polay holds a Bachelor of Science from DePaul University in Finance.
Eric Lewis
Managing Director
Eric Lewis has over twenty years of experience in the financial industry. He has worked for a breadth of companies ranging from investment banks to proprietary trading firms. While spending the last 10 years in the energy business, he has built a physical commodities business and traded financial products. He has also created valuation models for physical assets, projects, and companies. His financial career has led him to work for Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Cargill, and TD Options, along with a few private financial firms. Eric is also the owner and founder of a digital marketing company. Eric holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Jason Clendaniel
Managing Director
Jason Clendaniel has been in “business” since he was seven years old. Whether mowing lawns, delivering papers or shoveling snow, Jason learned business from the ground up. His professional career is multi-faceted and well-rounded. He has 20 years of experience in leadership and finance; ten years as a Naval Officer and ten years leading his own businesses. He has over ten years of experience working with S&P 500 companies in Sales, Business Development, Mergers and Acquisitions. He also spent a year working with a Fortune 500 Company as an internal consultant and Industrial Engineer. He has a deep understanding of finance, operations, business development and business valuation. Jason holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics with Honors from the United States Naval Academy.
Matthew Mistica
Managing Director
Matthew Mistica has more than 15 years of experience in finance and entrepreneurship. Matthew has 7 years of experience in Corporate Finance working for Chevron Corporation and Shell Oil as a financial analyst with various upstream drilling business units and downstream refinery margin optimization. In recent years, Matt’s entrepreneurial spirit drove him to start, grow, and eventually sell (with CGK) a very successful biohazard remediation and hoarding removal company, with locations in Houston and Austin. He graduated at the top of his class with a Bachelor of Science from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo concentrating in Finance with a minor in Economics. During his oil and gas tenure, he obtained his MBA from the University of Houston focusing in Business Management, and he was the recipient of the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence. Matthew is an M&A Advisor for CGK’s Houston branch.
Wes McDonough
Managing Director
Wes McDonough has over 20 years of experience in M&A, corporate finance, and entrepreneurship. Previous to CGK, Wes held numerous positions, including accounting, payroll, billing, project management, and IT/Application Support at a privately-held, global talent solutions firm based in Tennessee. Wes’s entrepreneurial spirit started at a young age and originated in music, where he studied, composed, and performed from his earliest days. Developing this talent into a successful music career, he found himself touring the East Coast, self-releasing an album that sold 5,000+ units and attracting major record label attention in the 10 years during and following college. In doing so, he learned valuable business principles by managing, booking, promoting, and marketing himself and his band. Now, as a 10+ year resident of Nashville, Wes still follows his passion for music, building his song catalog by collaborating with other artists/writers and playing writer’s nights around the ‘Music City’. Wes has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a minor in Vocal Performance from Towson University. As valedictorian of his high school senior class, Wes attended Towson on the Maryland Presidential Scholarship. Wes is an M&A Advisor for CGK’s Nashville branch.
Matthew Zienty
Managing Director
Matthew Zienty has 20 years of financial industry experience in areas ranging from institutional equity trading, currency trading, financial sales, RIA valuations, payout/loan negotiations & compliance. He has worked for such notable firms as Deutsche Bank, SunAmerica Securities & AIG Financial Advisors. Upon leaving AIG Financial Advisors, Matt went to work for AIG’s largest Managing Branch Office as Vice President, responsible for the oversight of 45 sales offices nationwide. In addition to Sales, Matt was also responsible for managing the firm’s litigation and arbitration issues. During his ongoing affiliation with AIG Financial Advisors, Matt was selected by their Executive Leadership Team to serve on the AIG Financial Advisors Management Advisory Committee and Subcommittee for Compliance. Matt has held the Series 3, 4, 7, 24, 53, 63, & 66 licenses, as well as the IACCP Designation. A Scottsdale resident, Matt is an M&A consultant for CGK’s Phoenix branch. Matt graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Justice Studies.
MyresTilghman
Managing Director
Myres Tilghman has had a 25-year career in finance, investments, and capital markets. He has worked with both niche and regional investment banks up to multinational institutions. Prior to CGK Myres spent 18 years trading international derivatives for hedge funds and global investment companies, where he honed his knowledge of macro-economic trends. At the same time, Myres is a commercial real estate investor that carefully watches the small business environment. Myres holds and MA in Economics from the University of Richmond, as well as securities licenses and the professional designation of Chartered Market Technician. Native to North Carolina, he works from Baltimore covering transactions in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Thomas “Jay” Lennon
Managing Director
Mr. Thomas “Jay” Lennon is an Air Force veteran, combat aviator, and distinguished leader with 26 years’ experience leading multi-million dollar projects, finance, and organizational transitions, inside and outside of the government. National and international leaders consistently seek Jay’s counsel and vision for some of the most complex and sensitive defense issues. Mr. Lennon’s extensive background in system acquisitions, procurement, organizational function, including facility construction, and real estate provide him with an outstanding background to support a wide variety of requirements. Jay holds a Bachelor of Science from the United States Air Force Academy and two Master’s degrees in National Security Policy and Military Science with a focus on Leadership, System Acquisitions and Project Management.
Lance Hupfeld
Director of Business Development
Lance Hupfeld brings over 25 years of experience in sales and business development management to CGK Business Sales. With a broad array of valuable experience, Lance has deep knowledge in healthcare consulting, revenue cycle management, physician practice management, and employee benefits, with both regional and national companies. Key performance metrics include contract negotiations, strategic partnerships, and client development. Mr. Hupfeld also brings the added experience of owning and operating multiple business entities. Highlights include building and selling a business as a franchisee of a nationally recognized franchisor. Lance was the main liaison/principal responsible for orchestrating the sale of his last two companies. Mr. Hupfeld holds a BA degree from McDaniel College and is a licensed Life and Health agent. Lance is Director of Business Development for CGK Business Sales.
Let's Talk
Austin Office:
2720 Bee Caves Road
Austin, TX 78746
(512) 900-5960
San Antonio Office:
700 N Saint Mary's St
San Antonio, TX 78205
(210) 526-0094
Houston Office:
1200 Smith St
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 588-0240
Dallas Office:
325 N Saint Paul St
Dallas, TX 75201
(469) 998-1968
Phoenix Office:
40 N Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 714-7470
Colorado Springs Office:
102 S Tejon St
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 471-0115
Denver Office:
1600 Broadway
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 974-7978
Nashville Office:
424 Church St
Nashville, TN 37219
(615) 800-7118
Louisville Office:
312 S 4th St
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 287-0332
Baltimore Office:
111 S Calvert St
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 777-5759
Washington DC Office:
1050 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 888-6120
