Align Capital Partners, LP, announced its expansion with the hiring of seven new employees. ACP, a growth-oriented, private equity firm that targets control investments in lower-middle-market companies, was founded in 2016 and closed its $325 million inaugural private equity investment fund in September.

Joining ACP’s Cleveland office are Rick Costello, Operating Partner; Katie Noggle, Director of Business Development; Matt Beesley, Vice President; and Dustin Brode, Associate.

Joining ACP’s Dallas office are Jonathan Vadiee, Associate; Kurt Smentek, Associate; and Joey Delgado, Executive Assistant.

“We are excited to welcome all seven new hires to the Align Capital Partners team. They are incredibly talented and support our mission of bringing larger firm institutional best practices to lower-middle-market investing,” said Align Capital Partners Managing Partner and Co-Founder Rob Langley.

With these seven new hires, the team at Align Capital Partners now totals 11 individuals, including ACP’s three managing partners and co-founders, Steve Dyke, Chris Jones, and Rob Langley, as well as Jack Parks, a Vice President in the Dallas office who joined ACP in July from middle-market private equity firm The Halifax Group.

Joining the firm are:

• Rick Costello, Operating Partner, who spent over 25 years managing and owning businesses in the manufacturing, distribution, and service industries prior to joining ACP. Rick has participated in 15 mergers and acquisition transactions totaling over $300 million in enterprise value. Rick’s management experience, leadership, operational expertise, and passion help Align Capital Partners develop its portfolio of companies.
• Katie Noggle, Director of Business Development, comes to ACP after nearly a decade at KeyBank National Association, primarily in Debt Capital Markets, where she led execution teams in structuring and arranging syndicated credit facilities for public and private companies. In addition to her experience at KeyBank, Katie worked for FirstMerit Bank where she focused on originating and underwriting cash flow loans to lower-middle-market, private equity owned portfolio companies.
• Matt Beesley, Vice President, prior to joining ACP spent three years at Blue Point Capital Partners, a middle-market private equity firm focused on partnering with entrepreneurs and management teams of niche manufacturing, business service, and distribution businesses. While at Blue Point, Matt identified and evaluated new investment opportunities, performed detailed due diligence and financial analysis, and worked closely with the senior management teams of portfolio companies to execute against strategic growth initiatives.
• Dustin Brode, Associate, spent two years working in Mergers & Acquisitions at KeyBanc Capital Markets before joining ACP this year. While at KeyBanc Capital Markets, he advised clients on both the buy-side and sell-side across a broad range of industries, including industrial manufacturing, healthcare, and food and beverage.
• Jonathan Vadiee, Associate, served as an Analyst at Seaport Global Securities, a middle-market investment bank in New Orleans, where he gained mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy, restructuring, and capital markets transaction experience, prior to joining ACP.
• Kurt Smentek, Associate, prior to ACP, was an investment banking analyst at Wells Fargo Securities, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and capital raising for healthcare services companies.
• Joey Delgado, Executive Assistant, before joining ACP, gained over a decade of related private equity experience as an Executive Assistant with Cotton Creek Capital and Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst.

“We’re thrilled to welcome these talented individuals to our team and look forward to working together as we grow our firm,” said Managing Partner and Co-Founder Steve Dyke.

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Cleveland and Dallas, Align Capital Partners is a growth-oriented, private equity firm that partners with business owners and management teams to create shared success. The firm closed its inaugural private equity fund, ACP I, in September 2016 after reaching its $325 million hard cap in under four months. Align Capital Partners brings experience and resources to help companies accelerate their growth, to the benefit of management, employees, and the firm’s investors. Align Capital Partners makes control investments in growth-oriented, lower-middle-market specialty manufacturing, distribution, and business services companies.