Our Team
Kachi Partners has assembled a team of experienced, hard-working professionals. We approach each transaction, and we work with each of our portfolio companies, with dedication and enthusiasm. We genuinely enjoy working with one another.
John D. Helson, Managing Director [ Email | vCard ]
John Helson has been with Kachi Partners since co-founding the firm. John focuses on all stages of our business, from deal sourcing and structuring to portfolio company development and governance. John serves on the boards of Chase Lumber Company, Platte Valley Woodworks and Genesee Group.
Prior to entering the leveraged buyout and financial advisory business, John co-founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of Restream Inc., a provider of reverse logistics solutions and inventory management services to the computer hardware industry.
Previously, John spent three years at UBS/PaineWebber as a broker managing retail and institutional accounts. He also worked as an associate at Helson Associates, a middle market leveraged buyout firm. John completed his undergraduate work at the University of California, Berkeley, where he received a BS. He holds an MSc from the London School of Economics and an MBA from Cornell University.
John’s personal time is spent with his son and daughter, traveling the world, in the mountains skiing and hiking, and on the water sailing.
Eric A. Weissmann, Managing Director [ Email | vCard ]
Eric Weissmann is a Managing Director and cofounder of Kachi Partners. Together with his partners, he leads all of Kachi’s activities, including investor service, investments, and portfolio company operational support. Eric is on the board of LBM Holdings (the parent company of Chase and Platte Valley) and chairs the board of Photo Stencil.
Before entering the private equity industry, Eric founded and grew Decisioneering, Inc., a Denver-based maker of desktop analytic software. He was Decisioneering’s CEO until 2000 and chaired the company’s board of directors until it was sold to Hyperion Solutions (now Oracle) in January 2007. Eric has also held engineering and leadership positions with Hewlett-Packard, Quark and Health Data Corporation, and was most recently a partner in a private investment group. He holds an MBA from the University of Colorado, where he was the top-ranked graduate, and a BS from the University of the State of New York.
Eric’s personal interests include tennis, skiing, yoga, and traveling by Cessna with his wife and children. His charitable interests are focused on supporting freedom and personal responsibility for adults and children.
Gary M. Jacobs, Special Partner [ Email | vCard ]
Gary Jacobs joined Kachi Partners at its founding as a Special Partner advising and working on transaction evaluation, structure, and portfolio management. Gary advises Kachi on transaction negotiation and execution issues as well as portfolio company opportunities. Gary currently serves on the board of directors of several firms controlled by Kachi Partners.
Prior to joining the Kachi team, Gary had extensive experience with transaction negotiation, acquisitions, investments, financing and business execution, in a broad range of industries. While Gary’s focus was typically on successful transaction selection and execution, he also devoted significant energy to managing internal growth and operational transformation. Gary’s career included work in the publishing industry (at Random House and Grove Press); as a sales business planning and financing professional with Storage Technology Corporation (now a subsidiary of Sun Microsystems); as Founder, CFO, and Senior Executive of Capital Associates, Inc., an equipment and project finance firm where he was responsible for more than $1.0 billion of financing, including the execution of a successful IPO; and at Corporate Express, Inc., where Gary served as the company’s CFO and managed its strategic transactions, acquisitions, legal and purchasing functions, including the Company’s successful IPO, secondary offerings, debt financing, and ultimate sale to Burhmann N.V., a Netherlands based product distribution firm.
Gary and his wife have two adult children and he serves on the Executive Committee of the Advisory Board of the University of Colorado College of Engineering (from which he is a graduate) and on several non-profit and corporate boards. Gary is a true Coloradan enjoying skiing, hiking, good food, and world travel.
Nathan E. Drake, Vice President [ Email | vCard ]
Nathan Drake joined Kachi Partners as our Vice President in early 2006. Nathan works on all aspects of our business, from deal sourcing and intermediary and seller relations through due diligence and transaction negotiation and execution to portfolio company support and investor relations. Nathan has served as interim chief financial officer of one of our portfolio companies and is a member of the board of directors of Photo Stencil.
Prior to joining Kachi, Nathan was a corporate attorney at Holme Roberts & Owen LLP, a leading Denver-based law firm, where his practice focused on mergers and acquisitions. Previously, he worked at Goldman Sachs and Bain & Company and co-founded a web-enabled delivery company. Nathan graduated from Brown University and received an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a JD from Harvard Law School.
Nathan's free time is filled with his wife and two young daughters and his responsibilities as chairman of the board of trustees of Collegiate Cycling, the governing body of collegiate competitive bicycle racing in the United States. Formerly a competitive bike racer, fatherhood has transformed Nathan into an avid runner.
Shawn P. Hallinan, Analyst [ Email | vCard ]
Shawn Hallinan joined Kachi Partners in February 2006. He divides his time between reviewing transactional opportunities, performing due diligence and assisting portfolio companies to improve systems and operations. Shawn has served as interim controller and chief financial officer of two portfolio companies and provides accounting and financial guidance as needs arise.
Shawn’s brief work experience prior to Kachi includes analytic and operational capacities at Paragon Dynamics (NasdaqCM:ZANE) and Lennar (NYSE:LEN). He holds an MS in accounting, a BS in finance and a minor in economics from the University of Colorado. He was nominated to the Air Force Academy by Colorado Senator Wayne Allard.
Shawn’s time outside of Kachi is spent with his wife and new son. He also enjoys running and mountain biking.
Megan Trombley [ Email | vCard ]
Megan Trombley joined Kachi Partners as Executive Assistant in June 2005. Megan provides administrative support to Special Partner Gary Jacobs and assists in daily operations. Previously, Megan worked as Executive Assistant and Conference Coordinator in Park City and Logan, Utah.
When not at work, Megan spends her time with her two teenage children, who keep her busy with their baseball, basketball, football and volleyball.
Advisory Board
Our Advisory Board assists us in generating investment opportunities, evaluating potential investments, and advising portfolio companies on both strategic and operational matters.
Bradley Feld
Brad is a Managing Director at Foundry Group and Mobius Venture Capital. He has initiated dozens of private equity investments and has sat on the boards of dozens of companies and numerous non-profits. Prior to working in venture capital, among other positions held, Brad was founder and co-Chairman of Interliant, founder and Chairman of Email Publishing, founder of Intensity Ventures, and Chief Technology Officer of AmeriData Technologies.
Tucker Hart Adams
Tucker, a leading regional economist, is founder and President of The Adams Group, a consulting firm specializing in economic research and analysis of the Mountain West. A longtime client is US Bank, where she serves as Chief Economist, Rocky Mountain Region.
John Wright
John has extensive leadership experience in a manufacturing environment. His nineteen year tenure at Ariel Corporation, the world leader in natural gas compression, included time as Operations Manager, President, CEO and Chairman. In addition, he co-founded and was Chairman of Optigas until its sale in 2006. John has served on the boards of several other companies.