BrightWater Partners
BrightWater Partners brings deep transaction experience in all aspects of the capital markets including senior, mezzanine, hybrid debt and equity plus a successful track record of advisory, mergers and acquisitions and operations experience.
Mark Williams, Principal
David Sosa, Principal
Senior Advisors
Mark Williams, Principal
Mark Williams is a founding partner of BrightWater Partners, a private investment firm that focuses on debt and equity investments in specialty manufacturing companies. Mr. Williams is responsible for fundraising, deal sourcing, deal execution and portfolio monitoring and management. Mr. Williams has over ten years of investment banking experience with J. P. Morgan Securities and Banc of America Securities. During his tenure, he advised on over 35 transactions totaling approximately $15 billion in the industrial, automotive and consumer sectors. Mr. Williams has a successful track record of mergers & acquisitions and strategic advisory transaction experience complimented by complex capital raising assignments across the senior debt, high yield, convertible debt and equity product areas. While at J.P. Morgan Securities, Mr. Williams was a founding senior banker of the firm’s Midwest middle market investment banking practice.
Prior to investment banking, Mr. Williams was employed for seven years at Baxter International, a multi-national provider of healthcare products and services. While at Baxter, he served in various capacities including finance, corporate development, sales and operations and managed the financial reporting for the company’s manufacturing facility while residing in Singapore.
Mr. Williams holds an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University. He received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
David Sosa, Principal
David Sosa is a founding partner of BrightWater Partners, a private investment firm that focuses on debt and equity investments in specialty manufacturing companies. Mr. Sosa is responsible for fund raising, deal sourcing, deal structuring, execution and portfolio company monitoring and management. Mr. Sosa has thirteen years of banking experience with J. P. Morgan Securities and Banc of America Securities. During his career he has advised on over 15 transactions totaling over $20 billion in a variety of industries including consumer, automotive, industrial and commercial finance. During his career at J. P. Morgan Securities, Mr. Sosa was one of several bankers selected to start-up J. P. Morgan Securities’ middle market investment banking practice. Mr. Sosa was responsible for sourcing and executing a variety of corporate finance advisory assignments for middle market companies primarily based in the Midwest.
Mr. Sosa began his career in Bank of America’s lower middle market lending group. During his time in the lower middle market lending group, he worked on over $100 million worth of senior debt transactions. Mr. Sosa learned firsthand about the unique financing needs and challenges that lower middle market companies experience on a regular basis with respect to financing growth.
Mr. Sosa received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Senior Advisor
John McKinney
John McKinney has over 15 years experience at the executive level driving multi-billion dollar P&L businesses to transformational results. He has held the following leadership positions at Navistar International: VP Manufacturing, VP Operations, VP Sales & Marketing and President, Global Bus. As President of the Global Bus division, Mr. McKinney grew the business from $500 million to $1 billion, achieved over 50% market share and consistently delivered exceptional financial results. As a former leader of the American School Bus Council, Mr. McKinney is well recognized within the people transportation industry encompassing customers, suppliers and OEM’s. Mr. McKinney’s broad experience and operational background provide him with intimate knowledge of the products, customers, and emerging industry trends. Mr. McKinney currently serves as President and CEO of Midwest Transit Equipment.
He received his Executive MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University and his BA from Wittenberg University.