The full Catalyst team.

Stephen Sheriff is a public-company operator, independent sponsor, and go-public advisor with more than a decade of experience building, scaling, and exiting businesses. He serves as Managing Partner of Catalyst Corporate Advisory and Vice Chairman of Catalyst Strategic Credit Group, while also co-leading deal origination and platform development at Sheriff & Co., a founder-led independent sponsor platform focused on acquiring, integrating, and scaling businesses across consumer-facing and essential services sectors.

Before founding Catalyst, Stephen served as Chief Operating Officer of a Nasdaq-listed company, where he led operations, investor relations, communications, sales, and financing strategy while working directly with the Executive Chairman, CEO, and Board. During his tenure, he helped deliver 25%+ net revenue growth, 120%+ gross profit margin expansion, and a 20% reduction in operating expenses, while also supporting Nasdaq compliance remediation, SEC reporting oversight, and bank syndicate restructuring.

Stephen founded Riverhill Ventures in 2012 and has invested in more than 40 companies, including several notable consumer businesses with strategic exits and IPO outcomes. From 2019 through 2025, he also co-owned and operated more than ten Playa Bowls franchise locations, scaling the business to 350+ employees and eight-figure annual revenue while consistently outperforming platform peers by up to 30%.

Aaron Schleicher is a Managing Partner at Catalyst Corporate Advisory, where he leads the firm’s go-public advisory practice for issuers, investment banks, and private equity firms. He advises clients through IPO readiness, transaction preparation, advisor coordination, SEC disclosure, governance, and listing execution, often serving as a de facto chief of staff across the full go-public process.

Aaron has advised on more than $3Bn of IPO transactions, including a landmark $1.2Bn master limited partnership IPO that was, at the time, the largest midstream MLP IPO in U.S. history. His transaction experience spans technology, consumer products, energy, healthcare, and SPAC-related offerings.

Prior to Catalyst, Aaron was a Partner in the capital markets group at Kirkland & Ellis in New York, where he represented issuers and underwriters in IPOs, follow-on offerings, and other capital markets transactions. He also advised on corporate governance, securities law, SEC financial reporting, and disclosure matters, and previously served in the corporate secretary department of an S&P 500 technology company with global operations.

Alan Sheriff is a senior financial services executive with more than 40 years of buy- and sell-side experience across investment banking, capital raising, public and private equities, M&A, and venture investing. Prior to Catalyst, he served as Vice Chairman of the Corporate & Institutional Bank of PNC Financial Services Group. He co-founded Solebury Capital in 2005, which was acquired by PNC in 2014, and served as its Co-CEO until 2020, helping build the firm into a premier independent equity capital markets advisory platform. Solebury advised on more than 1,100 equity transactions totaling over $500Bn of IPO, follow-on, and block trade issuance. Alan has advised leading financial sponsors, including Bain Capital, Ares Management, Apollo, KKR, American Securities, TH Lee, Freeman Spogli, and TSG Consumer, as well as companies such as Dunkin’ Brands, Canada Goose, Aramark, Floor & Decor, Revolve, Planet Fitness, and Casper Sleep.

Earlier in his career, Alan held senior leadership roles at Credit Suisse First Boston, including Co-Head of Equity Capital Markets for the Americas, Chair of the Equity Valuation Committee, and member of the Investment Banking Committee. He began his career at Salomon Brothers. Alan is a graduate of the University of Rochester and Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and has been a member of the Council on Foreign Relations since 1999. He serves on the nonprofit boards of the Travis Manion Foundation and the Telfair Museums, and is a director of the Sheriff Family Foundation, a family-run 501(c)(3) focused on veterans’ organizations and youth education.

Daniel Sheriff is a finance professional with deep analytical and credit expertise across private credit, corporate banking, structured credit, and institutional capital markets. As Co-Founder and Co-Head of Catalyst Strategic Credit Group, he applies financial modeling, underwriting, and capital-structuring experience to evaluate and execute complex credit solutions for growing companies.

Prior to Catalyst, Daniel worked at PNC Bank, where he underwrote sophisticated debt structures for companies ranging from $100mm in revenue to Fortune 500 scale. His responsibilities included credit diligence, financial analysis, underwriting, and complex structure negotiation. Earlier in his PNC tenure, he helped lead the bank’s top marketing channel, generating more than $2Bn in new deposits within the first six months of launch.

Daniel also served six years in the U.S. military, including four years in the Marine Corps as a Battle Tank Technician and subsequent service in the Army as an Infantryman, where he was awarded an Army Commendation Medal. He also serves as an active EMT and firefighter in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

Barry Hopkins is a senior operating executive with more than 40 years of experience across tobacco, consumer products, retail, business development, performance management, strategic planning, organizational development, and regulatory compliance. He most recently served as Executive Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer of a Nasdaq-listed company.

Earlier in his career, Barry held senior leadership roles at Altria, including Vice President of National Accounts, where he led a team responsible for more than 50% of Philip Morris USA sales and delivered consecutive market-share gains over a three-year period. As Regional Vice President, he led a 600+ person sales organization managing a $1.2Bn operation that consistently exceeded sales, market-share, and revenue expectations.

After retiring from Altria, Barry joined Turning Point Brands (NYSE: TPB), where he held senior leadership roles across sales, marketing, executive organizational development, and post-acquisition integration. As acting COO of the combined VaporBeast/Vapor Shark businesses, he helped grow revenue from $48–98mm in less than eight months. He also helped develop performance management and strategic planning systems that contributed to eight record-setting quarters of revenue growth.

Frank Vignone is a senior executive, strategic advisor, and board leader with nearly four decades of leadership experience driving growth, commercial transformation, and market expansion across consumer products, retail, beverage, wholesale distribution, and commercial operations. He has built high-performing organizations, developed industry-leading teams, and forged strategic partnerships across some of the nation's largest retailers and distributors.

Most recently, Frank served as Senior Vice President of Sales at Turning Point Brands (NYSE: TPB), where he led international and national sales operations and helped guide the company through a period of significant growth and value creation. During his tenure, he oversaw large-scale commercial organizations, managed substantial P&L responsibilities, expanded distribution networks, and implemented data-driven sales strategies that enhanced execution across more than 200,000 retail locations nationwide.

Prior to Turning Point Brands, Frank held senior leadership positions with Altria, where he managed a business approaching $750mm in annual revenue across more than 5,000 accounts. Under his leadership, the organization achieved significant market-share gains, double-digit segment growth, and industry-leading execution metrics, including Altria's President's Gold Buckle Award for innovation in retail execution and product launch excellence.

Frank is also an entrepreneur and the founder of FJV & Associates, an advisory firm focused on helping emerging and established consumer brands accelerate growth, strengthen go-to-market strategies, and build strategic partnerships. He currently serves as a strategic advisor to multiple companies and industry associations, leveraging his extensive network and expertise across convenience retail, wholesale distribution, and consumer packaged goods.

Frank was also a founding partner of Global Brewing Solutions, a craft-beverage development company whose custom brands achieved national scale and the #2 craft-beer brand position with retailers such as Circle K before the business was successfully sold to a national brewer in 2018. His broader commercial network spans major retailers, wholesalers, and distributors including 7-Eleven, Circle K, Speedway, Murphy Oil, RaceTrac, Dollar General, McLane, Core-Mark, Casey's, Publix, and numerous regional chains and independent operators.

Frank brings governance experience through service on the boards of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets (NATO), the American Wholesale Marketers Association (AWMA), and RP Distribution. His board contributions have focused on strategic planning, industry advocacy, and long-term value creation.

Frank earned a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida. A former collegiate baseball pitcher and three-time Ironman triathlon finisher, he remains active in charitable and community initiatives supporting veterans, youth athletics, and special-needs organizations.

Christian Watson is a business development and corporate banking professional with a decade of experience advising senior management teams on financial operations, financial technology, treasury management, and working capital strategy. As Co-Founder and Co-Head of Catalyst Strategic Credit Group, he brings disciplined advisory capabilities rooted in institutional banking and technology-enabled financial operations.

Prior to Catalyst, Christian served as Vice President of Corporate Banking at PNC Bank. He co-founded PNC’s Venture Bank, helping design advisory services and banking products for venture-backed startups, and built the foundational customer portfolio for PNC’s Emerging Tech & Venture Bank in response to the 2023 U.S. banking crisis. He also served as a key migration leader during PNC’s $11.6Bn acquisition of BBVA USA, helping guide commercial banking customers through a 15-month cash management platform migration.

Christian previously spent eight years on PNC’s Treasury Management team, advising senior management teams of businesses with $5mm to $250mm in revenue on cash management, financial operations, technology integrations, and working capital strategy. He completed Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School Strategy & Innovation program and holds a B.S. in Applied Economics from The Ohio State University.

Charles Rushing is a Senior Associate at Catalyst Corporate Advisory, where he supports the firm’s executive leadership team and helps advance day-to-day operations across the Catalyst platform. He plays an active role in IPO and pre-IPO organization, transaction management, independent sponsor initiatives, M&A advisory, and support for the firm’s credit and healthcare-related advisory efforts.

Charlie brings a relationship-driven and execution-oriented background spanning real estate, coaching, and team leadership. In real estate, he earned national recognition as a Five Star Professional “Rising Star” in 2023, advising clients across residential and commercial transactions and developing experience in negotiation, client management, and transaction execution.

A lifelong competitor, Charlie captained the Men’s Division II tennis team at West Chester University from 2014 to 2018 and was a USTA Team Tennis National Champion in 2014. His athletic and coaching background informs the discipline, teamwork, and leadership he brings to clients and colleagues at Catalyst.