Tampa Bay M&A: The Dealmaking Ecosystem

The The Tampa–St. Pete–Sarasota corridor has a real dealmaking bench. These are the people behind it - the bankers, investors, and advisors most responsible for moving middle-market capital through the region.

1. John Hill, Jr. — Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Hyde Park Capital (Tampa)
The dean of Tampa boutique investment banking. He co-founded Hyde Park Capital in 2000 and built it into a national boutique that has advised on more than 300 M&A transactions exceeding $11 billion in value, after earlier leading Raymond James's technology investment banking group and working in Morgan Stanley's M&A department. He was named Boutique Investment Banker of the Year at the 2023 Global M&A Network Middle Market Atlas Awards and is a former chairman of the Florida Venture Forum.

2. Drew Graham — Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Ballast Point Ventures (Tampa)
The face of the region's growth-equity capital. Graham co-founded Ballast Point in 2002 and runs the firm, investing across healthcare, software, and business services out of funds totaling more than $550 million. He's also Vice-Chairman of the board of Tampa General Hospital. Co-founder Paul Johan serves as the firm's COO.

3. Will Weatherford — Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Weatherford Capital (Tampa)
One of the highest-profile investors in the market. Weatherford co-founded Weatherford Capital in 2015 with his brothers Sam and Drew; the family-owned firm now manages over $1 billion and has completed more than 25 platform investments, focused on B2B, B2G, and highly regulated industries. Before founding the firm, he was the 84th Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives — the youngest presiding officer of any state legislative chamber in the country at the time — and has chaired the University of South Florida Board of Trustees.

4. Matt Dawson — Partner, HealthEdge Investment Partners (Tampa); ACG Tampa Bay Board
Representing the healthcare-focused PE that drives so much Bay-area deal flow. As a partner at HealthEdge, Dawson handles deal origination, diligence, financing, and portfolio oversight, and he serves on the board of ACG Tampa Bay — the chapter that, through events like the Florida ACG Capital Connection, draws more than 900 capital-focused attendees and ties the regional ecosystem together.

5. Ron Christaldi — Partner, Shumaker; President & CEO, Shumaker Advisors Florida (Tampa)
The connective legal and civic power center behind the deals. Christaldi is a partner at Shumaker and President & CEO of its advisory arm, Shumaker Advisors Florida, running a dual practice across sophisticated business transactions and litigation. He chairs the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council, is a past chair of Leadership Florida and the Tampa Bay Chamber, and has been named one of the Nation's 100 Most Influential Attorneys. Few people are wired into more of the region's transactions and relocations.

6. Doug Pace — President & CEO, Stonehill (Tampa)
The integration leader in a market full of dealmakers. Where the names above get transactions done, Pace's firm handles what happens after close — the post-merger integration, carve-out and TSA exits, and organizational design that decide whether a deal's value thesis actually lands. He has been named one of the 75 Most Influential Consultants in the United States by Consulting Magazine, Entrepreneur of the Year by the American Business Awards, and Design Leader of the Year by Insight Magazine, and under his leadership Stonehill was recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as Emerging Business of the Year. The firm is built for the middle-market acquirers and sponsors here who close deals faster than they can absorb them.