ABACUS FINANCE ANNOUNCES THE PROMOTIONS OF ERIC PETERSEN, RAFAL RYDZEWSKI, JOSEPH LEE, AND AFSHEEN ALI
New York, NY, January 17, 2017 - Abacus Finance Group, LLC, a New York-based direct lending company that provides cash-flow senior financing for private equity-sponsored, lower-middle market companies, is pleased to announce the following promotions:
Eric Petersen from Vice President to Senior Vice President,
Rafal Rydzewski from Associate to Senior Associate,
Joseph Lee from Analyst to Associate, and
Afsheen Ali from Administrative Officer to Director of Administration.
“These four colleagues have become critical members of a team that has helped our firm complete more than 50 transactions since our launch in 2011, putting us past the $1.5 billion mark in total financings,” said Tim Clifford, Co-Founder and CEO of Abacus. “When we set out to build a sponsor-focused leveraged lending business for the lower-middle market,” added Sean McKeever, Managing Director, COO and Co-founder of Abacus, “we knew the demand was there but never expected success to come as quickly as it did. In addition to an exclusive focus on financing smaller buyouts, among the principal factors contributing to our growth and reputation as a go-to partner is that we lead virtually all of our transactions, the quality of the investment team we have attracted, the co-investments we have made, and our Total Partnership Approach™ – a passionate commitment to serving our clients and delivering on what we promise.”
Mr. Petersen joined Abacus Finance in 2013 as an Associate, and works as part of the investment team in structuring, underwriting and executing new investments. He also performs various portfolio monitoring and valuation roles. Previously, he was an Associate with BNP Paribas Merchant Banking Group and held both operational and M&A execution roles within GE Energy. Prior to transitioning to the private sector, he spent over 10 years as a Naval Officer and F/A-18 Fighter Pilot. Mr. Petersen earned an MS in Quantitative and Computational Finance from the Georgia Institute of Technology, an MBA from the University of Southern California, and a BS in English from the U.S. Naval Academy.
Mr. Rydzewski joined Abacus Finance in 2014 as an Analyst, and works as part of the investment team in structuring, underwriting and executing new investments. Previously, he was an Analyst at the BNP Paribas Merchant Banking Group, and he began his career with the PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Structuring team as an Associate. Mr. Rydzewski, who is CFA Charterholder, earned a BS in Financial Economics, graduating magna cum laude from Binghamton University.
Mr. Lee joined Abacus Finance in 2014 as an Analyst, and works as part of the investment team in structuring, underwriting and executing new investments. He also performs various portfolio monitoring and valuation roles. Previously, he was an Analyst at GE Capital and began his career at General Electric in its financial management program. Mr. Lee earned a BS in Accountancy and Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Ms. Ali joined Abacus Finance at founding in 2011 as Administrative Officer and manages both the core operational functions as well as directing the marketing activities of the firm. Her responsibilities include providing administrative and operational support to the Abacus investment team, business development, client service and event management. She drives the firm’s marketing efforts, directly managing both online and offline customer and client engagement. Previously, she served as Office Manager at Amalgamated Capital and as Service Officer at KeyBanc Capital Markets. Ms. Ali earned a BA in Advertising and Marketing from Rider University.
About Abacus Finance Group, LLC
Abacus Finance is a leading direct lending company, focused on providing cash flow senior financing to private equity-sponsored, lower-middle market companies across a wide array of industries. Since its inception in June 2011, it has closed over $2 billion in financings. Abacus targets debt financing opportunities of up to $75 million with a typical hold size ranging from $10 million to $40 million, and finances companies with EBITDA between $3 million and $15 million. Abacus is an affiliate of New York Private Bank & Trust which was founded in 1850.
Abacus Finance is located at 335 Madison Avenue, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10017. All inquiries and new investment opportunities should be directed to Tim Clifford at 212-850-4620 or to cliffordt@abacusfinance.com. Please visit abacusfinance.com for more information.
The Total Partnership Approach™, which is a registered trademark of Abacus Finance, LLC, brings cash-flow financing expertise, deep industry knowledge and exceptional client service, and our way of Making Life Easier over the lifecycle of each investment for our private equity sponsors.