Capitala Group, a provider of capital to lower middle market companies, expanded its underwriting and investor relations teams. Stuart McGoogan joined the company as investor relations associate, while Nico Mancuso and Kevin Mansfield will serve on the underwriting team as associate and analyst, respectively.

“We are playing a vital role in assisting the middle-market companies of which we’ve invested best navigate the market uncertainty, and I am extremely proud of the hard work Capitala has done in this regard,” Joe Alala, chairman and CEO of Capitala, said. “To that end, we continue to expand our team and services across our entire organization.”

McGoogan previously held various client service roles at Barings (Babson Capital Management) and Vanguard.

Mancuso served on the syndicate desk at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey in the leveraged finance group, where he executed debt financings and provided advisory services across various industries.

Mansfield was a senior analyst in Ernst and Young’s transaction advisory services practice and a staff accountant in the assurance practice.

Capitala Group is a $3 billion asset management firm that has been providing capital to lower middle market companies throughout North America for 20 years.