Will Jaco has over 35 years of banking and corporate finance experience and is President of the firm. He co-founded Statesman in 1995 and has been instrumental in the successful completion of numerous advisory assignments for Statesman’s middle-market business clientele including merger and acquisition transactions, recapitalizations, financings, restructurings, and strategic planning. Prior to forming Statesman, Will worked for a merchant bank with equity and mezzanine investments in middle-market businesses where he was active in all facets of the firms activities including valuation, acquisition and financing strategy, growth plan development, and sales strategies for portfolio companies. Will´s finance career also encompasses 6 years of commercial and asset based lending with a major bank where he focused on financing high-growth middle-market companies. He has extensive experience in structuring and negotiating complex financing transactions and working with middle-market companies to maximize value.

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Will holds a BA in in Economics and Managerial Studies from Rice University and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin. Will is registered with FINRA as a General Securities Principal / Investment Banker (Series 7, 24, 63, and 79). He is married with three grown children.

Clarke Anderson has over twenty years’ experience in trading, energy, and private equity. As co-founder of GHI Energy, he developed an innovative renewable fuel marketing platform that catapulted the company into the position of the largest third-party provider of CNG in the state of California. As an industry leader, GHI Energy was recently acquired by UGI Energy Services, who continue to expand GHI into other parts of the country. 

In addition to founding GHI, Clarke previously co-founded Grounds Anderson, LLC, a civil engineering consulting firm and Alta Capital Fund, a natural gas and electricity trading venture. Clarke also oversees various public and private investments of his parents’ Houston family-office.

A graduate of Rice University in 2001 with a B.A. in Political Science and Policy Studies, Clarke continues to be actively involved with Rice and in the civic community, through platforms like the Children’s Fund and the St. Francis Episcopal School Board of Trustees.

Clarke resides in Houston with his wife, Elle, and their two daughters.

J.J. is a proven executive with over 15 years of experience building and leading businesses and transactions. Most recently, J.J. served as Chief Investment Officer for NRDC Equity Partners, a NY-based private equity firm focused on retail and real estate. Prior to NRDC, J.J. founded and led two successful energy companies: UpCurve Energy, and Verdad Exploration, both focused on acquiring rights to and developing oil and natural gas resources. Previously, J.J. spent 5 years at ConocoPhillips, where he taught economic evaluation for major capital projects, and led or co-led seven transactions with a total value of ~$2 Billion. J.J. began his career as an analyst and associate for NRDC Equity Partners (a firm he would later rejoin as CIO).

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JJ has served and currently serves on various boards and is actively involved in the Houston community, including serving on the St. Francis Episcopal School Board of Trustees.

 

J.J. received his B.S. in Hotel Management from Cornell University and his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.