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Executing Middle-Market Lending Success…Better

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Empowering One Aligned Goal

Our relationships, like all long-term partnerships, are based on being open, real, and upfront with all stakeholders. Ensuring that the interests of stakeholders are always aligned and fundamental, consideration is supported with in-depth research that empowers value-oriented decisions and demonstrates viability

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Charting Pathways Beyond Traditional Financing

Five Crowns Credit Partners was established in 2016 as an affiliate of Five Crowns Capital, which has built a strong record and reputation since 2003 for successfully executing flexible investment partnerships in countless industries. As a flexible, bespoke capital resource outside of traditional financing institutions, Five Crowns Capital is recognized for skillfully and creatively managing buyouts and/or adding growth potential opportunities to middle-market businesses, even within complex situations, such as out-of-favor industries.

Five Crowns Credit Partners was inspired by a compelling market opportunity to form a new platform of direct lending that works with a more wholistic and aligned approach, outside of the limitations of asset-based or cash flow lending parameters. By operating as a hybrid family office and institution investor, we can underwrite situations and industries that traditional lenders and investors can’t.

Consider the Possibilities

The future begins with a conversation.

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Private Credit Professionals

Photo of Jeffrey Schaffer
Photo of Jeffrey Schaffer

Jeffrey Schaffer

Founder and Managing Partner

Photo of David McReynolds

David McReynolds

Managing Partner

Headshot of Andrew Flesch

Andrew Flesch

Principal Partner

Photo of Christopher Taylor

Christopher Taylor

Managing Director

Photo of Lisa Matlaf, PhD

Lisa Matlaf, PhD

Vice President

Headshot of Kyle Macleod

Kyle Macleod

Senior Associate

Christopher Taylor

Managing Director

Christopher Taylor teamed with the partners of Five Crowns Capital in 2016 to build out and lead a new direct lending sister company under the name Five Crowns Credit Partners. He has significant experience across corporate lending, financial and operational restructuring, leveraged buyouts, M&A advisory, and corporate finance with around 20 years of experience in originating, structuring, executing, and managing loans and other debt investments in middle market businesses.  Prior to joining Five Crowns, he was a Director at Tennenbaum Capital Partners, a special situations credit investment firm with over $6 billion of assets under management, where he led credit investments in a variety of industries and executed over $600 million of direct loans to middle market businesses.  Before joining Tennenbaum in 2008, Mr. Taylor worked in investment banking at Credit Suisse and Goldman Sachs where he advised on M&A and leveraged finance transactions.  Prior to this, he also worked at Kayne Anderson Private Investors, a lower middle market buyout firm, and Harvey & Co., a middle-market merchant bank and M&A advisory firm. He has served on the boards of Apothecary Health Solutions, Stadco, Tristrux, AGY Holding Corp, Oxford Resources, and Revere Industries, all lower middle-market businesses. Mr. Taylor holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation and has spoken on the topic of private equity and corporate lending on various industry panels.  Mr. Taylor received his M.B.A. from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and his B.S. in Finance from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business.

Jeffrey Schaffer

Founder and Managing Partner

Jeffrey Schaffer is the Founder and Managing Partner of Five Crowns Capital and Five Crowns Credit Partners. He currently serves on the boards of Streamland Media, Verrex, and Mob Scene. Prior to founding Five Crowns Capital in 2003, Mr. Schaffer was the Managing Director of Private Equity for The United Company, a privately-held Virginia-based corporation founded in 1970. The diverse, multi-billion-dollar portfolio included companies in energy, manufacturing, distribution, pharmaceuticals, real estate, financial services and golf. As an executive officer, Jeff served on the company’s Operating and Investment Committees. Prior to joining The United Company in early 1999, Jeff was a principal at Marwit Capital, a Southern California based private investment fund with a forty-year history focusing on equity and subordinated debt investments in closely-held companies. He has also held senior positions at Price Waterhouse Coopers and the H.J. Heinz food company. Mr. Schaffer is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, and a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in California. He earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California, and an M.B.A. with a dual major in Finance and Strategic Management from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

David McReynolds

Managing Partner

David McReynolds is a Partner of Five Crowns Capital, LLC and Five Crowns Credit Partners, LLC. He has nearly 30 years of experience originating, advising, structuring, and investing in middle-market special situations transactions. Throughout his career, he has participated in private equity, structured special situations and distressed debt investments, special situations lending, and M&A and creditor restructuring advisory transactions. Mr. McReynolds was previously with Twin Haven Capital Partners and Versa Capital Management, each with approximately $1 billion in capital under management. He was a Principal and head of the Los Angeles office of the Special Situations Group within American Capital, Ltd., a publicly-traded investment company (NasdaqGS: ACAS) with $20 billion in capital under management at the time of his employment. He is a Past-President of the Southern California Turnaround Management Association Chapter and a Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) member. Mr. McReynolds received his M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and B.S. from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Andrew Flesch

Principal Partner

Andrew Flesch is a Principal with Five Crowns Capital and is responsible for deal origination, transaction execution, portfolio management, and administration of the firm’s investments. He has over 20 years of investing and other relevant experience and is on the Board of Directors for Broadcast Microwave Services (BMS/Data911).

Mr. Flesch has experience with CapitalView Investment Partners and with American Capital Special Situations. Mr. Flesch was involved with American Capital’s investments in Evans Analytical Group, Paradigm Precision Holdings, and Pan Am International Flight Academy, and its investments in Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Trigeant, Republic Financial Corporation, Resort Funding, and LCW Holdings. Mr. Flesch has served on the Board of Directors for numerous portfolio companies and has extensive experience with rapid scaling and restructuring situations.

Prior to joining American Capital, Mr. Flesch was an Associate with Wachovia Securities’ Corporate and Investment Bank in its Special Situations Workout Group where he focused on restructuring transactions across a broad range of industries. Prior to that he started with the bank in its the Leveraged Finance Group. His career began as an Analyst with SunTrust Bank.

Mr. Flesch holds a B.B.A. in Finance and Information Technology from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst and a member of the Washington Society of Investment Analysts.

Lisa Matlaf, PhD

Vice President

Lisa Matlaf, Ph.D. is a Senior Associate at Five Crowns Capital as well as the Executive Vice President of Beautisol Holdings, LLC. Dr. Matlaf assists in the firm’s deal origination, marketing, communications, and portfolio company oversight in addition to managing the operations of the sunless tanning portfolio company, Beautisol. Prior to joining Five Crowns Capital, Dr. Matlaf spent 10 years in the fields of oncology, molecular biology, infectious disease, and neuroscience. Her investigations have led to over a dozen publications in peer reviewed scientific journals as well as collaborations with several academic laboratories and biotechnology companies.

Dr. Matlaf received her Ph.D from the University of California, Irvine in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (M&MG), followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco, where she conducted research on novel anti-viral strategies for the treatment of brain tumors in affiliation with the UCSF Brain Tumor SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence). Dr. Matlaf was the recipient of competitive research fellowships from The American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) and the NIH, which contributed to the funding of her studies. Dr. Matlaf is a member of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR), the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO), and Beauty Industry West (BIW).

Kyle Macleod

Senior Associate

Kyle Macleod is a Senior Associate at Five Crowns Capital and Five Crowns Credit Partners, specializing in middle market buyouts and direct lending. He conducts comprehensive industry and business analysis, financial modeling, and due diligence. Kyle also develops deal origination, manages investor relationships and supports marketing initiatives. Previously, Kyle was an Analyst and Assistant Portfolio Manager at M360 Advisors, where he co-managed the flagship fund, growing assets under management from $3 million to $1 billion helping secure multi hundred million dollar investments from ultra-high-net-worth individuals, institutional investors, and sovereign wealth funds. He revised portfolio models for projections and valuations, worked with fund administrators, and collaborated with in-house counsel to negotiate credit facilities and resolve disputes. Earlier in his career, Kyle worked as a Research Assistant at Wharton School, performing financial valuation analyses. He later managed bankruptcy and litigation portfolios at a private legal practice. Kyle holds aa B.B.A. in Finance from the University of San Diego, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he completed the Private Equity Program at the Wharton School. Before transitioning to finance and law, Kyle was a professional soccer player.