David E. West is a Managing Director in the Investment Banking Group and leads the Group s financing effort. Mr. West has 23 years of experience in delivering sophisticated financial and strategic advisory services and in the evaluation and execution of private market financing transactions including senior debt, subordinated debt and equity investments. In addition to private market financing, Mr. West has a broad range of transaction experience involving primarily middle-market companies, including mergers and acquisitions advisory; issuance of public debt, convertible debt and equity securities; solvency opinions; and fairness opinions. Over the course of his career, Mr. West has been involved in private financings aggregating over $2.6 billion in capital raised and in public transactions aggregating over $3.1 billion in capital raised. Mr. West focuses his efforts on advising privately-owned businesses regarding their strategic and financial alternatives in the context of enhancing overall financial flexibility, assessing and capitalizing on strategic growth opportunities and maximizing shareholder value. Prior to joining our firm, Mr. West founded and ran Pioneer Capital Advisors, LLC, a middle-market focused firm providing value-added financial advisory and capital raising services. Prior to Pioneer Capital Advisors, LLC, Mr. West held senior investment banking positions at HLHZ Capital, Inc., ABN AMRO Incorporated, A. G. Edwards and Sons, Inc. and The First National Bank of Chicago. Mr. West also held investment banking positions at Merrill Lynch Capital Markets and Harris Trust and Savings Bank. Mr. West earned an MBA in Finance and Accounting from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and a BA in Finance and Business Administration from Lewis University. He is a Certified Public Accountant, certified in the state of Illinois, and has also earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.