Meet Our Team

Max Friar has been working in mergers and acquisitions since 2005, beginning his career as the Director of Marketing for a premier Midwest mergers and acquisitions firm. While there, he reinvented and managed a revolutionary marketing program for their clients. The program was instrumental in new client acquisition, and garnering interest from new, qualified buyers.

Max has a passion for entrepreneurship, technology, psychology, process improvement and personal development. As the owner of multiple small businesses, he understands the strategic (vision/planning) and tactical (daily “fires”) challenges that small businesses face. He brings energy, focus, creativity and unique ability to create order out of chaos. These abilities have been essential to Max’s mergers and acquisitions successes over the past decade.

Max specializes in new business development, marketing initiatives, negotiations, and project manager for both sell-side and buy-side engagements. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Alma College (2003) where he majored in International Relations and became the college’s first Fulbright Scholar. Max resides in Grand Rapids with his three children Brenna, Max and Jack.

Ghazey Aleck joined Calder Capital in 2014. Ghazey’s prior experience includes working as a financial analyst at two West Michigan mergers & acquisitions firms before joining Calder.

At Calder, Ghazey specializes in administration, project coordination and specializes in marketing automation for Calder Capital clients as well as the firm itself.

Ghazey graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Finance. He lives in Grand Rapids, MI.

Rick joined Calder Capital in 2015. He has an extensive background in all aspects of the qualities necessary to fill the M&A Advisor role Calder Capital’s clients deserve.

He began his career as a magna cum laude graduate of Grand Valley State University, earning a BBA with an emphasis in accounting prior to passing the Uniform CPA Examination in the State of Michigan. Since that time Rick has accumulated a vast knowledge of the inter-workings of all types of business entities through his experiences as a public accountant for five years and then in private sector positions ranging from financial analyst to controller. In conjunction with the financial expertise Rick has gained handling all components of the monetary affairs for many companies in a wide variety of industries, he brings to that a unique blend of sales experience not found in other Merger and Acquisition Advisors.

Subsequent to his tenure in the financial arena, Rick embarked on a highly successful career in sales where he was bestowed with numerous awards for outstanding performance and achievements. Rick is an active member in the AICPA, MACPA, Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and also holds State of Michigan licenses as both a CPA and Mortgage Loan Originator. The passion, enthusiasm and energy he brings to everything he approaches has created opportunities where they may not have existed before. Rick resides in West Michigan and his commitment and drive towards his business endeavors is only surpassed by his love of being a dedicated full time father for his two daughters, Faythe and Kennedy!

Pankaj has been working in the Mergers and Acquisitions field since 2013. Since then, he has had the pleasure of helping numerous business owners through the challenging and often emotional process of selling their businesses successfully. Pankaj believes in putting his clients’ needs first and developing long-term relationships.

Prior to working in the Mergers and Acquisitions field, Pankaj spent 20 years working in a community banking environment primarily covering the Holland/Zeeland market. As a commercial banker and trusted advisor to many long term clients, he also had the opportunity to finance several acquisitions.

His volunteer experience includes serving as the interim Chair of the Policy Committee of the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council, a Metropolitan Planning Organization serving local units of government in the Holland/Zeeland area. In addition, he is a member of the Lakeshore 504 loan committee, a past President of the Zeeland AMBUCS and a former Board Member of India-Link.

Pankaj graduated from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1993.

Patrick joined Calder Capital in 2017 and is responsible for the Corporate Development and Acquisition activities. Patrick assists potential buyers in finding the right acquisition targets, conducting due diligence and negotiations, and directing the project to close.

The bulk of Patrick’s experience is in Private Equity and Corporate Development, which he has been involved in since 2013 and where he has managed and executed multiple platform and add-on transactions. Patrick has experience in leading all areas of an acquisition, from sourcing potential targets to leading the due diligence and closing processes.

Patrick has bachelor’s degrees in both management and economics from Hope College. He is actively involved in the Grand Rapids and Holland communities including active participation in Hope College through the Department of Economics, Management, and Accounting and the Hope Entrepreneurship Initiative as well as participation in the Association for Corporate Growth, West Michigan. Patrick resides in Holland with his wife, Olivia, and their two Australian Shephard puppies, Lincoln and Tilly.

Michael joined the team at Calder Capital in 2017. His experience in business development made him a valuable addition to our current team of specialists. His responsibilities include creating and implementing new marketing strategies, training others on marketing procedures, and nurturing business relationships.

His career in business development began in 2015 as a special events marketer for a home improvement company in West Michigan. As his knowledge and skill grew, he earned a leadership position in the company and lead a team of special events and canvass marketers. The Mergers and Acquisitions industry is evolving and his fresh outlook helps give Calder a competitive edge. His hard work and focus ensures that every one of our clients has the best experience possible.

Very competitive by nature, Michael enjoys sports and the outdoors. He supports his community of Lowell by coaching youth lacrosse. He also enjoys taking his dog running and currently resides in Grand rapids.

Andy Porter has been involved with mergers and acquisitions since 2015. Andy has the unique experience of having gone through the process of purchasing a company. Having been a buyer himself, Andy has a good insight into what a prospective buyer is looking for in an acquisition.

Prior to working in the mergers and acquisition field, Andy spent 15 years working as an entrepreneur in the services industry having started several small businesses. He understands the complexities of working with diverse teams of people, and also the importance of quality customer service.

Andy specializes in new business development, negotiations, and project management. He is a magna cum laude graduate from Oakland University where he majored in Communications. He also earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Detroit Mercy Law School. Andy resides in the Detroit Metro area with his wife Jennifer.

Kent Snyder has been working in mergers and acquisitions since 2008. He had the unique opportunity to begin his career within the mergers and acquisitions industry, starting as a financial analyst for a recognized Midwest firm. While there, Kent helped develop a streamlined mergers and acquisitions process which was the foundation of that firm.

Kent’s passion and focus is on business valuations, financial analysis, efficient system processes and a dedication to seeing projects through to completion. While a project liaison, he was constantly client-focused, ensuring all projects were progressing toward the desired result. In addition, he has successfully led and consummated several sell-side projects.

At Calder Capital, Kent specializes in financial analysis, business valuations, seller and buyer qualification, and the transaction closing process. He graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in Finance and is currently working on his MBA at Grand Valley University. Kent lives in Grand Rapids with his wife, Emily.

Walt began his career in public accounting in 1970. In 1979, he co-founded a local CPA firm where he was managing partner responsible for overseeing 19 associates for 27 years. Walt joined Calder Capital in 2014 as a Mergers & Acquisitions Advisor. He graduated from Ferris State University with a BA in accounting. Walt lives in West Michigan with his wife.

At Calder Capital, Walt primarily focuses on new business development and high level firm strategy.

Matt Baas joined Calder Capital as a financial analyst in 2016. Through this position, he supports numerous aspects of M&A engagements. He assists in due diligence, financial modeling, and market valuation. Other duties include telemarketing and business development. 

Matt also has experience with a leading Chicago-based middle market investment bank. In this role, he prepared marketing materials, and provided various research activities.

Rachel Potter is very familiar with various social media outlets and the value of marketing online to connect people with information. As a long-time librarian, she became adept at locating and parsing online content. As a blogger, reviewer, and interviewer, she also played a critical role in growing one of the internet’s largest reader’s sites. 

With Calder Capital she works as a content writer/editor and social media marketer. She has a MLIS from Wayne State University and a BA in Russian from the University of Michigan (summa cum laude). In her spare time she writes fiction and sings in her church choir.