about us
YOUR ADVISORY PARTNERS
Experience, Philosophy & The Ridge Trail Capital Difference
With nearly 3 decades in commercial banking, finance, and M&A advisory, we bring both capital markets expertise and execution experience to every engagement. We’ve worked with hundreds of business owners in the lower middle market, helping them understand valuation, timing, and strategic pathways.
Client Centered
Your goals shape every recommendation and every strategy.
Relationship Driven
We build trust with owners, buyers, lenders, and advisors, and carry it through to close.
Strategically Disciplined
Every valuation, deal structure, and negotiation is grounded in data, market insight, and long-term value creation.
1276
HAPPY CUSTOMERS
386
AWARDS WON
7254
HOURS WORKED
239
COMPLETED PROJECTS
AWARDS
OUR GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS
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about us
Our Mission
We aim to serve as trusted advisors in moments of transition. We combine market insight, financial rigor, and steady leadership to help clients navigate valuation, negotiation, and ownership changes with confidence.
Sharing our expertise
Our Founder
Matt Uhl
FOUNDER | MANAGING PARTNER
Matt Uhl
Founder | Managing Partner
Our Team
Jeremy Jellerson
Director of Deal Origination
Jeremy Jellerson
Director of Deal Origination
Jeremy Jellerson is an accomplished entrepreneur and business advisor with firsthand experience building, growing, and successfully selling his own company. Having navigated every stage of the business ownership journey, Jeremy understands the challenges and opportunities that come with creating long-term value.
Following the successful sale of his business, Jeremy has dedicated his career to helping other business owners prepare for and achieve successful exits. He works closely with entrepreneurs to maximize the value of their companies, identify qualified buyers, and guide them through the complexities of the sale process with confidence and clarity.
Known for his practical approach, strategic insight, and commitment to his clients’ success, Jeremy combines real-world business experience with a deep understanding of mergers and acquisitions. His goal is to help business owners realize the full value of what they’ve built while ensuring a smooth and rewarding transition.
Jeff Royce
Director of Real Estate
Jeff ROyce
Director of Real Estate
Jeff Royce started his real estate career after getting his MBA in 2005 when he went to work as a developer for Novare Group in Atlanta, Georgia. After successfully helping develop residential towers in Atlanta, Nashville, and Austin, he spent some time with Opus South until relocating his family to Grand Rapids, Michigan. After serving as Director of a local technology incubator, he then served as President of a local Internet Service Provider (ISP). Over the past 5+ years, Jeff has consulted and developed a 120-unit apartment complex on the west side of Grand Rapids. He now looks to leverage this variety of real estate experience as a commercial broker with Cushman Wakefield.
Robert Stasiak, CM&AP
Mergers & Acquisitions Advisor
Robert Stasiak, CM&AP
Mergers & Acquisitions Advisor
Based in Metro Detroit. University of Michigan graduate. For more than three decades, first as a business owner and later as an advisor, Robert has worked alongside privately held business owners across a broad range of industries. Those experiences shaped his understanding of the realities of business ownership, the decisions that create long-term value, and the factors buyers consider when evaluating a business. He advises founder-owned and privately held businesses on acquisitions, ownership transitions, and succession planning, primarily for companies generating $1M to $50M in revenue. Robert holds the CBI, CM&AP, and CEPA designations.
Jim Tassoni
Managing Director
Jim Tassoni
Managing Director
Jim is a seasoned consultant, entrepreneur, and executive specializing in helping privately held business owners increase enterprise value, navigate acquisitions, and execute successful business exits.
With more than two decades of executive leadership experience, Jim has built a reputation for combining institutional-level financial expertise with practical operating experience. Unlike many advisors who have only facilitated transactions, Jim has personally acquired, operated, scaled, and exited multiple businesses, giving him a unique perspective on what truly drives business value and successful transactions.
Over the course of his career, Jim has successfully taken four businesses through the full acquisition-to-exit lifecycle, implementing strategic initiatives that increased profitability, improved operations, and enhanced enterprise value prior to sale. His expertise includes business acquisitions, sell-side advisory, buyer representation, due diligence, valuation analysis, transaction structuring, operational improvement, and exit planning.
Before entering the M&A advisory space, Jim led investment strategy for organizations overseeing billions of dollars in assets. He founded Armor Wealth Strategies, which advised institutional portfolios exceeding $5.2 billion, chaired investment committees responsible for strategic capital allocation, and held senior leadership roles at nationally recognized investment firms. This background enables him to analyze businesses through the lens of sophisticated investors and acquirers, helping owners understand how buyers evaluate risk, growth potential, and value.
Today, Jim works with entrepreneurs, family-owned businesses, investors, and private companies seeking to acquire businesses, accelerate growth, prepare for a future sale, or maximize transaction value. His approach focuses on creating transferable, profitable businesses that command premium valuations while guiding clients through every stage of the M&A process—from initial strategy through closing.
Jim believes that selling a business should never be treated as a single transaction. It should be the culmination of a deliberate value creation strategy that positions owners to achieve the highest possible return on the business they’ve spent years building.
Andy Uhl
Director of Marketing and Research
Andy Uhl
Director of Marketing and Research
Andy is a West Michigan native and graduate of Central Michigan University with nearly two decades of entrepreneurial leadership experience. After successfully launching and exiting his first venture in North Carolina, he went on to build and lead businesses in Tennessee and Michigan over the past 13 years, gaining firsthand experience in growth strategy, operational scalability, and long-term value creation.
Catie Welsh, PhD.
Data Consultant
Catie Welsh, PhD.
Data Consultant
Catie is a data consultant with a doctorate in Computer Science and extensive experience in advanced analytics and quantitative modeling. She applies rigorous data analysis to financial and operational due diligence, risk assessment, and performance evaluation across complex business transactions. Her work transforms complex datasets into clear, actionable intelligence that strengthens valuation and strategic decision-making.
Steve Wilcox, MBA
Business Development Director
Steve Wilcox, MBA
Business Development Director
Born and raised in Davison, Michigan and now based in East Lansing, Steve holds a finance degree from Eastern Michigan University and an MBA from Michigan State University. He brings a diverse background in entrepreneurship, finance, and mergers and acquisitions, with experience in investment, lending, and asset liquidation. Steve has worked with business owners across diverse industries, applying disciplined valuation, thoughtful negotiation, and relationship-driven strategies to support growth, transitions, and successful transactions.
Matt Uhl
FOUNDER | MANAGING PARTNER
Matt Uhl
Founder | Managing Partner
Andy Uhl
Director of Marketing and Research
Andy Uhl
Director of Marketing and Research
Andy is a West Michigan native and graduate of Central Michigan University with nearly two decades of entrepreneurial leadership experience. After successfully launching and exiting his first venture in North Carolina, he went on to build and lead businesses in Tennessee and Michigan over the past 13 years, gaining firsthand experience in growth strategy, operational scalability, and long-term value creation.
Catie Welsh, PhD.
Data Consultant
Catie Welsh, PhD.
Data Consultant
Catie is a data consultant with a doctorate in Computer Science and extensive experience in advanced analytics and quantitative modeling. She applies rigorous data analysis to financial and operational due diligence, risk assessment, and performance evaluation across complex business transactions. Her work transforms complex datasets into clear, actionable intelligence that strengthens valuation and strategic decision-making.
Jeff Royce
Director of Real Estate
Jeff ROyce
Director of Real Estate
Jeff Royce started his real estate career after getting his MBA in 2005 when he went to work as a developer for Novare Group in Atlanta, Georgia. After successfully helping develop residential towers in Atlanta, Nashville, and Austin, he spent some time with Opus South until relocating his family to Grand Rapids, Michigan. After serving as Director of a local technology incubator, he then served as President of a local Internet Service Provider (ISP). Over the past 5+ years, Jeff has consulted and developed a 120-unit apartment complex on the west side of Grand Rapids. He now looks to leverage this variety of real estate experience as a commercial broker with Cushman Wakefield.
Steve Wilcox, MBA
Business Development Director
Steve Wilcox, MBA
Business Development Director
Born and raised in Davison, Michigan and now based in East Lansing, Steve holds a finance degree from Eastern Michigan University and an MBA from Michigan State University. He brings a diverse background in entrepreneurship, finance, and mergers and acquisitions, with experience in investment, lending, and asset liquidation. Steve has worked with business owners across diverse industries, applying disciplined valuation, thoughtful negotiation, and relationship-driven strategies to support growth, transitions, and successful transactions.
Robert Stasiak
Mergers & Acquisitions Advisor
Jeff ROyce
Director of Real Estate
Jeff Royce started his real estate career after getting his MBA in 2005 when he went to work as a developer for Novare Group in Atlanta, Georgia. After successfully helping develop residential towers in Atlanta, Nashville, and Austin, he spent some time with Opus South until relocating his family to Grand Rapids, Michigan. After serving as Director of a local technology incubator, he then served as President of a local Internet Service Provider (ISP). Over the past 5+ years, Jeff has consulted and developed a 120-unit apartment complex on the west side of Grand Rapids. He now looks to leverage this variety of real estate experience as a commercial broker with Cushman Wakefield.
