FIDUS PARTNERS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Vice President With
Adam Dings is a Vice President with Fidus Partners. Mr. Dings has more than nine years of experience in financial services across public accounting, valuation services, and investment banking. His prior experiences span across industries including financial services, logistics and distribution, specialty chemicals, and healthcare.
Prior to joining Fidus Partners in 2023, Mr. Dings worked in the healthcare investment banking groups at North Point M&A and Edgemont Partners. He also spent several years with Lincoln International and PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he started his career.
Mr. Dings holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance from Villanova University, as well as the CFA designation.
Benson Easley is an Analyst with Fidus Partners.
Mr. Easley graduated from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and a concentration in Global Commerce with a minor in Spanish.
Charlie Jones is an Associate with Fidus Partners. Prior to joining Fidus Partners in 2021 as an analyst, Mr. Jones interned with TAP Advisors.
Mr. Jones graduated from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and accounting with a minor in real estate investments.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director With
Chris Haza is a Managing Director with Fidus Partners. Mr. Haza has more than 15 years of investment banking experience focused on merger and acquisition and debt and equity capital raise transactions. He also has 8 years of corporate operating experience with business services companies. He has extensive transaction experience in the consumer and business services sectors, including fitness & lifestyle, multi-unit businesses, facilities services, and transportation & logistics.
Mr. Haza joined Fidus when the firm was founded in 2005. Prior to joining Fidus, Mr. Haza held financial management roles at both private equity-backed and publicly traded companies.
Mr. Haza earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Wake Forest University and a Master of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Christopher Widger is an Analyst with Fidus Partners. Prior to joining Fidus Partners in 2023, Mr. Widger worked as a State Park Ranger in Colorado.
Mr. Widger graduated magna cum laude from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and a second major in history.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director With
Ed Imbrogno is a Managing Director with Fidus Partners. Mr. Imbrogno has more than 30 years of investment banking experience focused on merger and acquisition and corporate finance transactions. He has extensive experience in the industrial sector, including water infrastructure, flow control, and engineered industrial products..
Mr. Imbrogno co-founded Fidus in 2005. Prior to co-founding Fidus Partners, Mr. Imbrogno served as Managing Director and Head of Financial Sponsor Coverage at Wachovia Securities. Previously, Mr. Imbrogno was a Managing Director in the mergers and acquisitions group at Wachovia Securities and a partner with its predecessor, Bowles Hollowell Conner & Co. Prior to joining BHC, Mr. Imbrogno worked in the investment banking group of Morgan Stanley
Mr. Imbrogno earned a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Davidson College and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia's Darden School.
Jackson Begley is an Analyst with Fidus Partners. Prior to joining Fidus Partners in 2023, Mr. Begley worked as an Analyst in the Diversified Industrials and Services Group at Piper Sandler.
Mr. Begley graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and from the McIntire School of Commerce with a Master of Science in Commerce.
Job Titles:
- Office Administrator
- in 2022 As the Office Administrator
Jennifer Gaston joined Fidus Partners in 2022 as the Office Administrator of the Charlotte office. Prior to joining Fidus, Ms. Gaston was the client services director for a law firm.
Ms. Gaston graduated from Manhattanville College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management and minor in Psychology.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director With
John Cheek is a Managing Director with Fidus Partners. Mr. Cheek has more than 15 years of investment banking experience focused on merger and acquisition and debt and equity capital raise transactions. He has extensive transaction experience in the consumer, healthcare, and building products sectors.
Mr. Cheek joined Fidus when the firm was founded in 2005. He has also held corporate operating roles across multiple sectors.
Mr. Cheek currently serves on the Board of Directors for Mental Health America of Central Carolinas.
Mr. Cheek earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business, magna cum laude, from the Calloway School at Wake Forest University, where he was an Honor Scholarship recipient.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director With
John Grigg is a Managing Director with Fidus Partners. Mr. Grigg has more than 25 years of investment banking experience focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and restructuring transactions. He has served on numerous corporate boards of directors.
Mr. Grigg co-founded Fidus in 2005. Prior to co-founding Fidus Partners, Mr. Grigg served as a Managing Director and Partner at Bowles Hollowell Conner & Co. and its successor, First Union Corporation. Prior to joining BHC, Mr. Grigg worked in the investment banking group of Merrill Lynch & Co.
Mr. Grigg earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia's Darden School.
John Herring - Chief Legal Officer, COO, Managing Director
Job Titles:
- Chief Legal Officer
- Chief Operating Officer
- Managing Director
Prior to joining Fidus in 2023, John was a shareholder at Robinson, Bradshaw, & Hinson, P.A., a law firm based in Charlotte, NC, where he worked for approximately 29 years. He has been the lead attorney and legal advisor for Fidus Partners since its formation. John earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School, with a focus on finance. He also earned a Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Law School, with honors, and was inducted into the Order of the Coif.
John Kuhns is an Analyst with Fidus Partners. Prior to joining Fidus in 2023, Mr. Kuhns interned with Spencer Stuart.
Mr. Kuhns graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Enterprise Management with a concentration in Financial Analysis.
John Ross - Chairman, Managing Director
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Managing Director
- Managing Director With
John Ross is a Managing Director with Fidus Partners and the firm's Chairman. Mr. Ross has more than 25 years of investment banking experience focused on merger and acquisition, corporate finance, and strategic advisory transactions. He has extensive experience within the consumer, business services and industrials sectors.
Mr. Ross co-founded Fidus in 2005. Prior to co-founding Fidus, Mr. Ross served as a Managing Director at Bowles Hollowell Conner & Co. and its successors First Union Corporation and Wachovia Securities.
Mr. Ross earned a Bachelor of Science from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Business. Prior to attending graduate business school, Mr. Ross played on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour.
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Vice President With
Kevin Glascott is a Vice President with Fidus Partners. Prior to joining Fidus Partners in 2021, Mr. Glascott worked at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in equity capital markets and at CoreSite Realty Corporation.
Mr. Glascott graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance.
Krista Thomas is the Chief Financial Officer for Fidus Partners, responsible for the firm's financial and administrative functions. Prior to joining Fidus in 2013, Ms. Thomas was the controller for Rusty Wallace, Inc. Previously, she was a Tax Manager for GreerWalker, LLP, a Charlotte-based accounting firm.
Ms. Thomas earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting, cum laude, as well as a Master of Science of Accountancy degree from Appalachian State University. Ms. Thomas is a Certified Public Accountant.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director With
Mike Miller is a Managing Director with Fidus Partners. Mr. Miller leads the business development activities for Fidus Partners, including coverage of financial sponsors and family businesses, and general firm marketing. He has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions and debt and equity capital markets.
Mr. Miller joined Fidus in 2010. Prior to joining Fidus, Mr. Miller was Managing Director and head of business development for Allied Capital Corporation, where he worked for five years until the company was sold. While at Allied, Mr. Miller was responsible for managing the origination activities for the firm. Prior to joining Allied Capital, Mr. Miller spent more than 16 years with JPMorgan Chase and its predecessors where he worked in their middle market leveraged finance, asset based and corporate lending groups.
Mr. Miller earned his Bachelor of Science in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University and his Master of Business Administration from The Stern School at New York University.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director With
Patrick Clark is a Managing Director with Fidus Partners. Mr. Clark has more than 15 years of investment banking experience focused on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance transactions. He has extensive experience in the industrial and business services sectors, including metals, flow control, HVAC and electrical, and transportation and logistics.
Mr. Clark initially joined Fidus in 2005 and, after earning his MBA, rejoined the firm in 2011. Prior to joining Fidus in 2005, Mr. Clark worked in the diversified industrials investment banking group at Wachovia Securities.
Mr. Clark earned a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Davidson College and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia's Darden School.
Job Titles:
- in 2019 As Administrative Coordinator
- Operations and Marketing Manager
Rebecca Gross joined Fidus Partners in 2019 as Administrative Coordinator and is now the Operations and Marketing Manager for the New York City office. Prior to Fidus, Ms. Gross worked in business operations and client service while also performing as a professional actor and dancer in film and television roles.
Ms. Gross earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics with a minor in applied physics, summa cum laude, from Stockton University. In addition, she was one of sixteen scholars selected from across the country to participate in a rare iteration of the Summer Program for Women in Mathematics at George Washington University.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director With
Stephen Dockery is a Managing Director with Fidus Partners. Mr. Dockery has more than 25 years of investment banking experience focused on merger and acquisition and corporate finance transactions. He has extensive transaction experience in the industrial, building products, and distribution sectors.
Mr. Dockery joined Fidus in 2006. Prior to joining Fidus, Mr. Dockery served as Managing Director and Head of Building Products Investment Banking at Wachovia Securities. Previously, Mr. Dockery was a Managing Director in the mergers and acquisitions group at Wachovia Securities and an officer with its predecessor, Bowles Hollowell Conner & Co. Mr. Dockery also served as a corporate M&A attorney with Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, P.A.
Mr. Dockery earned a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Davidson College, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and valedictorian, and received a J.D. degree from Yale Law School, where he was Managing Editor of the Yale Law and Policy Review
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director With
Tom Temple is a Managing Director with Fidus Partners. Mr. Temple has more than 25 years of investment banking experience focused on merger and acquisition and strategic advisory transactions. He has extensive experience in many subsectors including engineered industrial products, industrial services and laboratory equipment and supplies.
Mr. Temple joined Fidus in 2015. Prior to joining Fidus, Mr. Temple co-headed Brookwood Associates for twenty years, served as an officer of Bowles Hollowell Conner, served as an officer of Bear Stearns and a consultant with Bain & Company.
Mr. Temple earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University. He has served on multiple boards of directors of both for-profit and non-profit entities.