Brad Carlson, Finance Expert in Providence, RI, United States
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Brad Carlson

Verified Expert  in Finance

Finance Expert

Location
Providence, RI, United States
Toptal Member Since
March 15, 2017

As a trusted, transaction advisor, Brad provides deal execution support and CFO services. Clients hire him to raise capital, value M&A targets and real estate assets, and establish FP&A rigor. His specialty is providing objective, fact-based advice in support of mission-critical transactions and preparing institutional investor-grade deal materials: financial and valuation models, teasers, investor decks, due diligence support. Since 2014, he's executed over 150 assignments with 5-star ratings.

Transaction AdvisoryFinancial ForecastingCommercial Real EstateReal EstateFinancial ModelingRevenue & Expense ProjectionsFinancial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)Due Diligence ConsultantProject ManagementMarket SizingValuation

Career Highlights

Deal and Strategy Advisor
Transaction Advisor: M&A | Venture Funding | Real Estate Acquisitions & Financings
Managing Director
KEB Investment Banking | Ravinia Capital LLC
Director of Strategy and Business Development
Alcan Packaging

Education Highlights

Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Engineering Management Degrees
Kellogg School of Management | Northwestern University
Bachelor's Degree
University of Pennsylvania

Case Studies

Work Experience

Deal and Strategy Advisor

2014 - PRESENT
Transaction Advisor: M&A | Venture Funding | Real Estate Acquisitions & Financings
  • Prepared three-statement, three-case, flexible, and assumptions-driven Excel-based five-year corporate planning tool for high-growth, and a VC-backed SaaS business, which helped facilitate a successful US $43 million Series C financing led by KKR during COVID-19.
  • Developed a user-friendly, three-case, assumptions-driven, five-year monthly LBO model for a Boston-based PE firm to replace its “buggy” legacy model.
  • Prepared institutional investor-grade deal materials (financial and valuation model, one-page teaser, and investor deck) and advised Wellesley, an MA-based medical device company with its convertible note offering and Series B capital raise.
  • Prepared financial valuation and an FP&A model for a laundromat SaaS business seeking to raise US $6 million Series A and implement a five-year monthly FP&A process with rolling forecast and budget-to-actual variance capabilities.
  • Prepared a “bottoms-up”, 40-month, three-statement financial and valuation model with KPIs and a dashboard for a K-6 education short-video learning content company to help facilitate its US $3 million seed raise.
  • Prepared a “bottoms-up”, three-statement financial and valuation model for an independent PE investor partnering with a sophisticated NYC family office on a US $50 million Series B investment in a Seattle-based cloud infrastructure SaaS company.
  • Replaced a GE Capital modeler to prepare a sophisticated, three-statement model for 15-location roll-up of express car washes to help facilitate PE investor’s LBO and debt capital-raise.
  • Engaged by Sacramento CA homebuilder to prepare a financial and valuation model and one-page teaser on US $24 million for a second-phase, 134-unit development of build-to-rent (B2R) single-family homes in Surprise, AZ.
Focus areas: Due Diligence, Transaction Advisory, Capital Raising, Finance, Real Estate, Valuation, Financial Modeling, Investment Banking, Corporate Development, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Consulting, Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)

Managing Director

2011 - 2014
KEB Investment Banking | Ravinia Capital LLC
  • Pitched the sale of an analytical instruments company.
  • Arranged a working capital revolver for an investor-backed manufacturer and marketer of niche sporting goods products.
  • Marketed a JV equity capital-raise to help fund a $26.5 multi-million acquisition of a 596-unit multi-family property in Milwaukee, WI.
  • Executed the buy-side M&A engagement for a PE firm seeking to add on bakery business acquisitions for companies with sales between $3 million and $25 million.
Focus areas: Finance, Real Estate, Capital Raising, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)

Director of Strategy and Business Development

2007 - 2010
Alcan Packaging
  • Drove M&A and corporate strategy initiatives for a $1.6 billion global food packaging business.
  • Led cross-functional teams in very structured and rigorous annual strategic planning process for 6 businesses, ranging in size from $15 million to $630 million in sales.
  • Conducted a quarterly benchmarking study to evaluate the sector performance relative to five publicly-traded competitors and inform the business units about significant threats/opportunities in their respective markets.
Focus areas: Strategic Planning, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Corporate Development

Senior Consultant

2006 - 2007
Stax, Incorporated
  • Performed primary and secondary research market studies to generate important insights in support of investment decisions by private equity firms.
  • Engaged by the Carlyle Group to evaluate the revenue and earnings stability of a specialty chemicals and engineered materials company, which Carlyle subsequently acquired for $1.5 billion.
Focus areas: Secondary Research, Due Diligence, Transaction Advisory, Focus Groups, Surveys, Primary Research

Founder | Managing Director

2001 - 2006
Skills-Drills Media, LLC | Hudson Project Management
  • Founded an educational publishing company to help close the learning gap for inner-city students.
  • Developed the product, test-piloted program, became an approved vendor of Chicago public schools, and secured a licensing deal with the Chicago Bears.
  • Executed project-based consulting assignments to help fund the development of an entrepreneurial venture.
  • Identified and evaluated middle-market M&A opportunities on behalf of Illinois Tool Works (ITW). Analyzed private equity firm portfolios to assess fit with acquisition criteria. Screened more than 3,000 companies and wrote more than 150 analyses—resulting in discussions of interest with 5 candidates.
  • Worked as a member of a 25-person Enron bankruptcy consulting team tasked to investigate 165 questionable financial transactions. Performed forensic accounting on eight critical transactions that showed Enron had employed more than $400 million in questionable accounting entries related to how it treated debt, income, and cash flow.
Focus areas: Management Consulting, Entrepreneurship

Senior Strategy Consultant

1999 - 2001
Cap Gemini Ernst & Young U.S. LLC
  • Participated with the engagement teams and executed work streams in the development of growth strategies for Fortune 1000 companies.
Focus areas: Consulting, Strategy

Finance/Project Manager

1995 - 1997
Acme Manufacturing Company
  • Advised the senior management team and helped execute the financial and operational turnaround of a middle-market, capital equipment manufacturer with annual sales of $20 million.
Focus areas: Performance Improvement, Project Management, Capital Raising

Associate | Financial Analyst

1990 - 1995
Bank of America | Continental Bank
  • Performed financial modeling, industry research, and transaction due diligence in support of credit decisions for leveraged finance, corporate restructuring, and real estate finance transactions.
  • Learned complex cash flow modeling and valuation techniques structuring buyout and recap transactions for leading private equity sponsors—Clayton, Dubilier, & Rice, The Blackstone Group, Morgan Stanley Venture Partners, Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, and Richmont Holdings Investments.
  • Began my career in Continental Bank’s Real Estate Capital Markets Group during a down cycle and gained valuable industry and underwriting experience in all major property types. As an analyst, I wrote offering materials and helped arrange over $100 million of debt financing for five multi-family and two retail properties, including four controlled by Sam Zell.
  • Participated in a complex, multi-creditor corporate restructuring of California's largest privately-held homebuilder.
Focus areas: Leveraged Finance, Corporate Restructuring, Finance, Real Estate
1997 - 1999

Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Engineering Management Degrees in Finance, Strategy, Operations, and Organizational Behavior

Kellogg School of Management | Northwestern University - Evanston, IL, USA

1985 - 1989

Bachelor's Degree in Economics

University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, PA, USA

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