Bernard I. Zaia, Managing Partner, Battalion Crest, LLC.

Bernie Zaia is the Founder and Managing Partner of Battalion Crest, an investment banking firm that specializes in advising entrepreneur and family owned companies on sale, recapitalization, merger, acquisition and capital raising transactions. Bernie has nearly 30 years of mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance experience.

Since 1986, Bernie has led M&A and financing transactions for companies in a wide variety of industries, including consumer products, food & beverage, agriculture, nutraceuticals, specialty retail, manufacturing, distribution, business services, franchising, financial services, healthcare, medical devices, media and technology.

Selected clients Bernie has advised include SAS Safety Products on its sale to Bunzl plc; gloProfessional on its recapitalization with Swander Pace Capital; Franklin Machine Products on its sale to Diversified Foodservice Supply, Inc. (a portfolio company of KRG Capital); Promises Treatment Centers on its sale to Frazier Healthcare Ventures and New Enterprises Associates; Acoustical Material Services on its sale to Quad-C Management; Keystone RV Company on its sale to Thor Industries, Inc.; Pasqua Coffee on its sale to Starbucks Corporation; Sunrise Growers/Frozsun on its recapitalization with Heritage Partners; and Stauber Performance Ingredients on its separate recapitalizations with both Whitney & Co. and ICV Partners.

Prior to forming Battalion Crest, Bernie was a Managing Director and head of Mergers and Acquisitions for the Middle Market Investment Banking group at Wells Fargo Securities. Before WFS, Bernie was a Managing Director and Partner at Barrington Associates, a leading middle market M&A firm his partners and he sold to Wells Fargo Bank in 2006. Previously, Bernie served as Vice President of Financial Development for Falcon Cable TV. In his seven years at Falcon, Bernie played a key role in Falcon’s raising over $2 billion of equity and debt capital and acquiring more than 25 cable television companies. Prior to joining Falcon, Bernie was an Analyst in the Corporate Finance and Investment Banking department of Dean Witter Reynolds Inc., where he was involved in a number of successful public equity offerings and M&A transactions.

Bernie holds a B.A. degree from Stanford University.

He has previously served as a long term board member of Westcoast Sports Associates, a charitable organization that provides disadvantaged youth in Southern California with the opportunity to participate in sports programs.