FOCUS LLC, a national middle market investment banking firm providing merger, acquisition, divestiture and corporate finance services, announced W. Robert Gold and Walter W. Nielsen have joined the firm's Chicago office as managing directors, and Robert A. Wagner has joined the Los Angeles office as a managing director.
With more than 15 years of transaction experience, Gold owned a legal practice primarily focused on tax, corporate and securities matters with a concentration on structuring businesses and transactions through partnerships and other flow-through entities. Prior to that, Gold served as director of legal affairs for Ocean Tomo, LLC, an intellectual property merchant banc. Previously, Gold practiced law with Sachnoff & Weaver (now Reed Smith) as a partner in the tax group. He also worked at Schiff, Hardin & Waite and Shefsky & Froelich.
For nearly 20 years, Nielsen formed and directed Midwest Property Advisors, LLC, providing integrated consulting, development, equity and debt financing, legal and brokerage services. Nielsen handled complete IRS Section 1031 like-kind exchange transactions from sale negotiations through closing the purchase of qualifying replacement properties.
Previously, he was president and COO of Financial Investment Advisors, Inc., senior vice president of The Balcor Company division of Shearson-Lehman Bros, and vice president and general counsel at the holding company for Inland Steel Company's real estate group. Nielsen was also an attorney with the Chicago law firm McBride, Baker, Wienke & Schlosser. Following active service as an officer in the U.S. Navy, Nielsen began his business career at the Harris Bank in Chicago.
Wagner joins FOCUS from Janas Associates, a boutique investment banking firm in Pasadena, CA where he was most recently a managing director. He also founded Wagner & Associates, LLC, a corporate development advisory firm that specialized in buy-side support for the middle-market. Prior to Wagner & Associates, he served as SVP of Mergers & Acquisitions at Leggett & Platt, a Fortune 500 diversified manufacturer of engineered components and products.
Previously, Wagner worked for Graco Inc. as vice president of Corporate Development and later served as treasurer. He also lived in Yokohama Japan for three years, working as vice president, Asia Pacific and President of Graco KK. Wagner also worked for Texas Instruments as vice president Corporate Development and Diamond Shamrock International Petroleum as vice president of Development & Planning. He began his career at Booz Allen & Hamilton working in its Acquisition Services Group.
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