Team
We have a cohesive and experienced group of investment professionals, operator network, and support staff who take a collaborative approach to value creation. At Tecum, we created a culture that relies on participative management to encourage and motivate each other. We want a team that is motivated to make the best decisions and that means everyone having the flexibility to participate based on their capability, not their title.
Managing Partner
at Tecum
Stephen J. Gurgovits, Jr., CPA, CFA
Managing Partner
Stephen J. Gurgovits, Jr. is the Managing Partner and co-founder of Tecum Capital, a $500+ million private investment firm based in Pittsburgh, PA, which oversees pools of committed capital focused on mezzanine debt, subordinated notes, and private equity, along with a separate strategy via a multi-family office platform for control equity investments. Currently, Tecum Capital is investing out of its third committed fund, Tecum Capital Partners, III, LP, a $305 million fund licensed as a Small Business Investment Company by the SBA. In his current role, Mr. Gurgovits, Jr. is responsible for providing strategic, operational and investment management leadership to the funds, including its overall planning, fund raising, growth and execution of strategy. Mr. Gurgovits, Jr. previously served on the board of directors of Auburn Gear, Uncle Charley’s Sausage, Oberg Industries, Gibraltar Cable Barriers, Western Allegheny Capital and and was also former Chair of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG). He currently on the board of directors for Primetac, ASW, F&S Tool, and Iron City Express.
During his career, Mr. Gurgovits, Jr. has been directly involved in over $1 billion of aggregate financial transactions, both public and private. Mr. Gurgovits, Jr. has also served as the investment and portfolio manager for over $200 million of publicly-traded securities.
Prior to founding Tecum Capital, Mr. Gurgovits, Jr. was President and C.E.O. of F.N.B. Capital Corporation, LLC, a wholly-owned merchant banking subsidiary of F.N.B. Corporation (NYSE: FNB) from its inception in 2005. Mr. Gurgovits, Jr. started his career with KPMG and was also the controller for The Sports and Exhibition Authority prior to joining F.N.B. He graduated with High Distinction from Pennsylvania State University after earning a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and subsequently obtained his MBA from the Katz School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Gurgovits, Jr. holds a CFA Charter designation and is a licensed CPA in the state of Pennsylvania. A native of western Pennsylvania, he currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA.
Partner
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Matthew Harnett is a founding Partner of Tecum and serves on the firm’s Investment Committee. In this position, he is responsible for leading all aspects of transaction origination, analysis, structuring, underwriting, deal execution, and monitoring of subject private equity and mezzanine debt investments.
Matt currently serves as a Board Member of Aging With Comfort, BP Business Solutions, BP Express, Connecticut Electric, Conco Services, Midwest Equipment Sales, National Power, Blackwood Solutions, Dry Acquistion LLC, and the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Association of Corporate Growth (ACG). He also serves as a Board Observer for The Marwin Company, Inc., Gilman Cheese, DelGrosso Foods, Sentrics, and Arrow Waste.
Prior to co-founding Tecum, Matt served six years at the predecessor organization, F.N.B. Capital Corporation, LLC, where he was Vice President. Matt started his career at Ford Motor Company where he worked for four years. He completed the management program and became Zone Manager of Ford Division’s largest market in the Pittsburgh Region. Matt was responsible for annual franchisee revenues exceeding $300 million and was named Ford’s 2006 Zone Manager of the Year. He was recognized as one of the top-performing Zone Managers nationally for exceptional results in sales and market share growth, market representation actions, and franchisee profitability.
Matt is a member of the Association for Corporate Growth (“ACG””) and was a founding member of the ACG Future Corporate Leaders Board, where he served on the Board of Directors from 2012 to 2016 and was elected Chairman of the Board from 2014 to 2016. He also served on the Pittsburgh Advisory Board of Economics Pennsylvania (2008 to 2016), which develops programs for young people focused on essential economic and financial literacy concepts.
Matt received an MBA degree from the Katz School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh, with focused studies in Finance and Strategy. He also received dual major B.S.BA. degrees in Supply Chain Management & Logistics and Marketing from Ohio State University. Matt is also a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (“CAIA”) Charterholder.
Partner
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Tyson Smith is a founding Partner of Tecum and serves on the firm’s Investment Committee. In this position, he is responsible for leading all aspects of transaction origination, analysis, structuring, underwriting, deal execution, and monitoring of subject private equity and mezzanine debt investments.
Tyson currently serves as a Board Member of TopDown Inc., and he serves as a Board Observer for Mail Communications Group. He previously served on the board for Powertrack International.
Prior to co-founding Tecum, Mr. Smith was a Vice President of its predecessor organization, F.N.B. Capital Corporation, LLC. Previously, Mr. Smith was an entrepreneur serving as the co-owner and developer of a franchisee territory for a national casual restaurant chain after starting his career as a sell-side equity research analyst for Robert W. Baird, a middle market investment bank. He also serves as the SBIC Chair on the Industry Council of the Small Business Investor Alliance.
Mr. Smith received a B.S. in Finance from The University of Notre Dame where he was a member of the Applied Investment Management program. Mr. Smith holds a CFA Charter designation.
Operating Partner
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Dave has worked the past 25+ years as a C suite executive in the manufacturing industry with a focus on the middle market in several different end markets. He has lead growth organizations with an emphasis on employee engagement and development and operational excellence, while having extensive experience in both buy side and sell side M&A.
Before joining Tecum, Dave was the President and CEO and member of the Board of Directors of XPER, Inc. Prior to XPER, Dave was the President and CEO and member of the Board of Directors of Oberg Industries, Inc. Dave led the sale of this privately held business to a family office in 2018. Earlier in Dave’s career at Oberg Industries, he served as its Chief Financial Officer as well as led the creation and start-up of the company’s Oberg Medical Products subsidiary serving as its President and CEO.
Dave also worked for MotivePower Industries which merged with Wabco to form WABTEC (NYSE: WAB) in the capacity of Chief Accounting Officer. Dave also was the CEO and CFO of an internet start-up company, OnlineChoice.com and he started his professional career with KPMG in its manufacturing audit group.
Dave currently serves as a Board Director for three Tecum portfolio companies, Dry Acquisition LLC, F&S Tool Inc., and Keystone Foam Inc. Dave formerly served as an independent director on the Board of Directors of TriState Capital Bank (NASDAQ:TSC) from 2015 through its sale to Raymond James (NYSE: RJF) in 2022. After the completion of the sale to RJF, he continues to serve on the Advisory Board to TriState Capital Bank. Dave has held leadership roles in several not-for-profit organizations from Chairman of the American Heart Association Heart Ball; Vice Chairman and Chairman roles with Catalyst Connection, a not-for-profit organization that provides consulting and training services to manufacturers in Southwest Pennsylvania; to Board of Director positions with Pittsburgh Adoptions from Guatemala and Pine Richland Ice Hockey Association. Dave is a cum laude graduate of West Virginia University with a degree in Business Administration, emphasis in accounting. He resides in Pittsburgh with his wife and two children.
Senior Vice President
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Husnain Safdar is a Senior Vice President at Tecum. He is responsible for originating, structuring, underwriting, and executing new investment opportunities, He is also responsible for managing portfolio companies, and working with management teams and investment partners to develop, assess, and execute strategic initiatives.
Husnain currently serves as a Board Member for BP Business Solutions,Conco Services, and Hainesport Transportation Group, and as a Board Observer for Gilman Cheese, TopDown Inc., Blackwood Solutions, Arrow Waste, and Perimeter Insect Guard. He previously was a Board Member for Cox Transportation.
Prior to joining Tecum in 2018, Husnain was an Associate at PNC Mezzanine Capital from 2016 to 2018. Previously, he was an Analyst at Harris Williams & Co, a Richmond based investment bank specializing in middle market M&A advisory across a broad range of industries. Husnain’s experience includes investing in middle market companies across the entire balance sheet from senior debt lending to junior capital/equity investing and sell-side M&A advisory.
Husnain received a B.S. in Accounting and a B.A. minor in Economics from the University of Pittsburgh. He currently serves on Junior Acheivement Young Professionals Board.
Senior Vice President
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Ian is responsible for originating, structuring, underwriting, and executing new investment opportunities for Tecum’s Control Equity strategy. Ian works directly with portfolio company management teams to develop and execute value creation strategies.
Prior to joining Tecum in 2018, Ian worked as an Analyst with Fidus Investment Advisors, where he was responsible for analyzing and underwriting lower middle market mezzanine and equity investments. Ian graduated from the University of Richmond.
Vice President
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Paul Oris currently serves as a Vice President with Tecum. In this position, Paul is responsible for sourcing and analyzing mezzanine debt and equity investment opportunities for the firm. He is involved in all stages of the investment lifecycle, including sourcing, diligence, execution, and portfolio value creation.
Paul currently serves as a Board Member for Keystone Foam and The Lewis Group, and a Board Observer for BPX Logistics, Helpful Hardware Company, Midwest Equipment, Automotive Systems Warehouse, Good Feet Store, Five Point Dental Specialists, and CDE Services.
Before joining Tecum in 2018, Paul was a Senior Associate with Grossman Yanak & Ford, a public accounting firm based in Pittsburgh, PA. During his three years at GYF, Paul worked in the tax department and assisted primarily with private equity and real estate clients.
Paul received an M.S. in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University. He is a CFA Charter holder and is a licensed CPA in the state of Pennsylvania. He currently serves on ACG Pittsburgh’s Future Corporate Leaders Board.
Senior Associate
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Dom Noel currently serves as a Senior Associate with Tecum. In this position, Dom is responsible for assisting senior professionals and partners in structuring, researching, and negotiating investments in target companies through financial analysis, financial modeling, industry research, and coordination with external sources. In addition, he is responsible for the tracking, monitoring, and evaluation of current investments in the portfolios.
Prior to joining Tecum in 2021, Dom was a Financial Analyst within the CORE Finance Rotational Program at Comcast NBCUniversal. While at Comcast, Dom was responsible for financial planning and analysis, accounting, and corporate development initiatives across several business units.
Dom received a B.B.A. in Finance and Economics from the University of Notre Dame.
Associate
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Carter Henderson currently serves as an Associate at Tecum. In this position, Carter is responsible for assisting senior professionals and partners in structuring, researching, and negotiating investments in target companies through financial analysis, financial modeling, industry research, and coordination with external resources. In addition to this, he is responsible for the tracking, monitoring and evaluation of current investments in the portfolio.
Prior to joining Tecum in 2022, Carter was a Portfolio Manager with Fort Pitt Capital Group, a wealth management firm in Pittsburgh, PA. During his three years at Fort Pitt Capital, Carter was responsible for security analysis and portfolio monitoring over a $2 billion equity portfolio. Previously, Carter founded his own RIA, Henderson Capital Group, running a multi-strategy investment approach.
Carter received a B.S. in Finance, and a Master of Business Administration from Duquesne University.
Associate
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Zac Forsyth currently serves as an Associate with Tecum. In this position, Zac is responsible for assisting senior professionals and partners in structuring, researching, and negotiating investments in target companies through financial analysis, financial modeling, industry research, and coordination with external sources. In addition, he is responsible for the tracking, monitoring, and evaluation of current investments in the portfolios.
Prior to joining Tecum in 2022, Zac worked as an Analyst with Fidus Investment Advisors, where he was responsible for analyzing and underwriting lower middle market unitranche/mezzanine and equity investments. Zac received his M.S. in Accounting from the University of Pittsburgh and is a licensed CPA in the state of Pennsylvania.
Associate
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Justin Uhlenbrock currently serves as an Associate at Tecum. In this position, Justin is responsible for assisting senior professionals and partners in structuring, researching, and negotiating investments in target companies through financial analysis, financial modeling, industry research, and coordination with external sources. In addition, he is responsible for the tracking, monitoring, and evaluation of current investments in Tecum’s portfolio.
Prior to joining Tecum in 2023, Justin worked as a Senior Associate at PwC in its Miami, FL and Chicago, IL offices. As a member of PwC’s Deal Advisory group, Justin executed financial due diligence (FDD) for multinational corporations and private equity firms assisting with carveouts, platform and add-on acquisitions, and divestitures.
Justin received a B.B.A. in Accounting with a minor in Entrepreneurship from the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated Cum Laude. He also received a M.S. in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. Justin is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of Illinois.
Chief Financial Officer
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Leslie Skolnekovich, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
Leslie Skolnekovich currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer at Tecum. In this position, Leslie is responsible for leading the fund accounting and reporting, valuation, statutory compliance and limited partner relations.
Prior to joining Tecum in 2017, Leslie was the VP of Finance for Cheetah Technologies, LP. Previously, she worked for over ten years in public accounting with Ernst & Young, where she focused on financial services clients.
Leslie earned a B.A. in Accounting from Grove City College and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Controller
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Michael Ames currently serves as Controller with Tecum. In this position, Michael is responsible for fund accounting and reporting, portfolio analysis, statutory compliance, and limited partner relations.
Prior to joining Tecum in 2020, Michael was an assurance associate with PricewaterhouseCoopers. While at PwC, he served clients in the financial services and retail industries.
Michael is a Certified Public Account and earned dual major B.S. degrees in Accounting and Finance from Saint Francis University.
Accountant
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Jayne Staub joined Tecum in the Spring of 2023 and assists with fund accounting and reporting.
Prior to that, Jayne was the Sr. Accountant with Beyond Spots & Dots Inc. for 8 years. While there, she was responsible for the accounting and internal auditing of the company’s daily financial activity.
Jayne has a B.S. degree from Penn State University.
Office Manager/Marketing Coordinator
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Lynn McDonald currently serves as the Office Manager and Marketing Coordinator for Tecum. Lynn is committed to providing team support to maintain and ensure smooth office operations. By contributing specific administrative support and organizing procedures, she assists all staff in their endeavors. As Marketing Coordinator, she creates and manages project plans and promotional campaigns for various marketing and event activities.
Prior to joining Tecum in 2017, Lynn worked in the freight transporting field for 6 years where she focused on per diems, safety, and M&R in the trucking industry. Previously, she was worked as a clinical dietitian and for the public school system providing education support.
Lynn received B.S. in Dietetics from the Indiana University of PA, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.