LCG Advisors, a leading national financial services advisory firm, has announced James Russo joined the firm as Managing Director within its Investment Banking Group. In this role, Mr. Russo will advise founder-led, privately held, and middle-market companies on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, strategic growth initiatives, and ownership transitions across a broad range of industries. He will also help expand LCG’s national investment banking presence within the food, food-related distribution, and manufacturing sectors, while developing relationships and opportunities across other sectors.
Mr. Russo brings more than 25 years of experience in corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, strategic finance, and business development. His career combines Fortune 500 transaction experience with entrepreneurial and operating leadership, providing him with the perspective of both a dealmaker and a business owner who has built, financed, scaled, and exited businesses. His transaction and strategic experience spans food and consumer products, manufacturing, hospitality, technology, financial services, and other middle-market industries.
Mr. Russo brings a particularly strong perspective to the food sector through his experience as Chief Administrative Officer and Partner of Sopra Cheese, a specialty food manufacturer serving retail, foodservice, industrial, and distribution customers throughout the United States and international markets. His experience encompasses many of the issues facing founder-led businesses, including manufacturing and operations, sourcing, customer and distributor relationships, growth capital, strategic planning, geographic expansion, and ownership transition. At LCG, he will focus nationally on developing relationships with food manufacturers, distributors, and other businesses throughout the broader food supply chain, while advising companies across other industries as part of LCG’s broader investment banking practice.
Mr. Russo also co-founded and served as CEO of MunchOn, an international restaurant technology company, leading it from startup through the sale of its intellectual property. Earlier in his career, he spent more than a decade with Wyndham Worldwide in corporate development, strategic planning, and investor relations, where he worked on acquisitions, divestitures, strategic investments, joint ventures, and commercial partnerships. His career also includes international finance and business development roles with Western Union, MetLife, and Centrex Energy.
“Having spent my career both executing transactions and building businesses, I understand the opportunities and challenges facing business owners firsthand. I’m excited to join LCG, help clients navigate important strategic and transactional decisions, and expand our relationships across the middle market, particularly within the food, distribution, and manufacturing sectors,” said Russo.
Kevin Groff, Senior Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking at LCG Advisors, commented, “We are excited to welcome James to LCG. He brings a unique combination of corporate development experience, entrepreneurial perspective, and proven relationship-building ability. Having sat on both sides of the table, James understands the opportunities and challenges facing business owners as they evaluate growth, capital, and liquidity alternatives. His broad transaction experience strengthens our investment banking team, while his background in food, distribution, and manufacturing gives us an opportunity to further develop those sectors on a national basis.”
About LCG Advisors:
With offices in Tampa, FL, Nashville, TN, and Denver, CO, LCG provides transaction advisory services on a nationwide basis. LCG provides investment banking services through its affiliate LCG Capital Advisors, LLC, which is a boutique investment banking firm that assists companies in a wide range of transactions including mergers and acquisitions, corporate debt placements, growth capital, management and leveraged buyouts, and general financial advisory services. LCG has a reputation for handling complex transactions and has built relationships with some of the nation’s most active private equity firms, family offices, and funding sources.
For more information regarding LCG Advisors, or its affiliate LCG Capital Advisors, LLC, a FINRA registered broker-dealer and SIPC member firm; please call (813) 226-2800 or visit www.lcgadvisors.com.