Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Websites
BOARD OF DIRECTOR EXPERIENCE
NON-PROFIT BOARD OF DIRECTOR/COMMITTEE EXPERIENCE
Timeline
Generic

JAMES STILL

Barnstable,MA

Summary

Dynamic former Chief Executive Officer with a proven track record across six middle-market companies in diverse sectors. Expertise in driving organic business growth, spearheading product development, and enhancing operational efficiencies to create substantial value. Achieved impressive exits with an average equity return of 3.4x on $250MM in value creation, demonstrating a strong ability to formulate and execute strategies that elevate top-line revenue and equity value. Extensive experience on multiple boards of private middle-market and public non-traded companies, contributing to business development, finance, audit, and compensation committees, while collaborating effectively with CEOs and private equity stakeholders on pivotal initiatives.

Overview

36
36
years of professional experience

Work History

Interim Chief Executive Officer

RDC ADVISORS, LLC
  • Company Overview: Privately held LLC providing Board of Director and interim Chief Executive Officer services to PE industry.
  • See Apple Montessori Schools, Inc. below

Interim General Manager

RDC ADVISORS, LLC
  • Company Overview: Privately held LLC providing Board of Director and interim Chief Executive Officer services to PE industry.
  • $30MM revenue / 250 employees / drove $1.1 million increase in NOI over 12-month

Professional Board of Directors Member

RDC ADVISORS, LLC
01.2016 - Current
  • Company Overview: Privately held LLC providing Board of Director and interim Chief Executive Officer services to PE industry.
  • Currently serving on Board of Directors of three middle market companies
  • Served as Board of Directors member of three additional companies that exited

Interim Chief Executive Officer

APPLE MONTESSORI SCHOOLS
01.2022 - 06.2022
  • Company Overview: Fifty-year old institution focused on providing Montessori education to infants and preschoolers in 16 schools
  • Interim assignment focused on transitioning management team to post-Covid business model
  • Restructured organization to streamline new school growth, including opening largest new school
  • Revenue: $50MM
  • Workforce: 430 FTE
  • Ownership: SBJ Capital

Chief Executive Officer

SURGENT, LLC
01.2014 - 01.2016
  • Company Overview: One of largest providers of digital, online and in-person CE/CPA prep to professional accounting industry.
  • Business performance improvement via new product development / full-scale digital transformation
  • Organic revenue growth 12% in year 1 after prior year 4% decline, exceeding market by 700 bp
  • Drove 30% CAGR in digital offerings through product development and new pricing strategies
  • Exit at 12x trailing 12-months EBITDA resulting in a 2.5x capital return
  • Revenue: $20MM
  • Workforce: 270 FTE/1099
  • Ownership: Spire Capital

Chief Executive Officer

THOMPSON MEDIA GROUP
01.2010 - 01.2014
  • Company Overview: Diversified multi-sector professional education / industry leading content roll-up of five separate companies.
  • Engineered digital transformation of multi-sector professional education operations
  • Increased cash flow 26% CAGR over four years / SAAS revenues increased from 13% to 40% of total
  • Exit 10.1x trailing EBITDA and 3.0x capital with sale to multiple buyers
  • BioWorld and Medical Device Daily – leading newsletter to biotech and pharmaceutical industries - sold to Thomson Reuters
  • Sheshunoff/A.S. Pratt – banking, lending, mortgage industry experts - sold to LexisNexis
  • Thompson Information Services – leader in compliance and grants sectors - sold to Columbia Books & Information Services
  • AHC – medical publishing - sold to private investors and Lone Peak Capital Group
  • Performance Institute sold to Robbins-Gioa Inc.
  • Revenue: $60 MM
  • Workforce: 325 FTE
  • Owners: 11 institutional lenders

Managing Director

MAINSTREAM MANAGEMENT
01.2009 - 01.2010
  • Company Overview: Built East Coast operation of management consulting firm that provided advisory services to CEOs, Boards.
  • Position led directly to CEO assignment at Thompson Media Group.

Investment Banking Head, Board Member

BOENNING & SCATTERGOOD
01.2006 - 01.2009
  • Company Overview: One of oldest private securities, asset management, investment banking firms in Mid-Atlantic region.
  • Advised privately held and private-equity backed companies ranging in size from $20MM - $250MM
  • Only member of management team chosen to serve on the Board of Directors
  • Revenue: $40MM
  • Workforce: 200 FTE
  • Ownership: privately held

Interim Chief Executive Officer

GOV XCEL, INC.
01.2001 - 01.2004
  • Company Overview: E-government software entity providing permitting, inspections, plan review, zoning, land use software.
  • Drove revenue increase of 65% and cash flow increase of 25% over two years
  • Exit to strategic buyer for 1.5X revenue; equity value creation of $25MM
  • Revenue: $30 MM
  • Workforce: 75 FTE/1099
  • Ownership: Invesco

Chief Executive Officer

ATLANTIC AMERICAN TRUST
01.1995 - 01.1999
  • Company Overview: One of largest commercial/industrial real estate companies in mid-Atlantic with AUM of $1.1 BB.
  • Merged two private real estate companies / drove rev growth of 18% and 15% cash flow CAGR
  • Exit to public buyer @3.5X capital over 2.5 year hold; equity value creation of ~$110MM
  • Revenue: $250 MM
  • Workforce: 75FTE
  • Ownership: Lazard Freres

Chief Executive Officer

BELL ATLANTIC PROPERTIES
01.1990 - 01.1995
  • Company Overview: Investment real estate arm of Fortune 10 company w/ commercial, industrial holdings.
  • Executed on largest MBO of commercial RE company in US in 1990s / drove 22% cash flow CAGR
  • Management led buyout exit (see above) with equity creation of ~$75MM
  • Revenue: $300 MM / AUM: $1.0 BB
  • Workforce: 60 FTE

Education

Master of Business Administration -

Wharton Graduate School, University of Pennsylvania

Bachelor of Arts Degree - Economics, Psychology

Amherst College

Skills

  • Organizational leadership
  • Executive leadership
  • Risk management
  • Staff management

BOARD OF DIRECTOR EXPERIENCE

  • Silver Star REIT, Houston, Texas Fiduciary Board Largest public non-traded REIT in southwest U.S. w/$750mm of assets. Joined board based on extensive operating experience in financial services/real estate. Member of Audit and Compensation Committees.
  • Privately Held Financial Services Business, Boston, MA Fiduciary Board Sole Independent Board member of largest title Residential Real Estate Closing, Title, and Escrow Services company in New England, with 50-state capabilities.
  • Privately Held B2B SAAS Enterprise, Irvine, CA Advisory Board Sole Independent Board member of consulting/SAAS firm serving ECM customers. Experiencing 25% revenue growth, 33% EBITDA margins.
  • Privately Held B2B Telecomm, Atlanta, GA Fiduciary Board (former) Nationwide provider of fast speed Internet to residential communities. Company growing at 75% annual rate. Completed two capital raises for $50MM and $100MM.
  • Privately Held B2B Enterprise, Windsor, CT Fiduciary Boar (former) Largest U.S. camera repair company with largest camera manufacturers in the world. Sole external Board member.
  • Privately Held SAAS Enterprise, Phila, PA Advisory Board (former) Large enterprise performance management entity. Focus on go-to-market growth initiatives.
  • Bell Atlantic Capital, Philadelphia, PA Fiduciary Board (former) Diversified financial services subsidiary with holdings in leasing, asset-based lending, real estate. Asset holdings of $4.0BB. Sat on multiple boards ranging in size from $50MM - $300MM revenue.
  • TriCon Leasing, Paramus, NJ Fiduciary Board (former) One of largest middle market equipment leasing and leveraged leasing company in country. Company grew at a CAGR of over 35% over five-year period through organic and inorganic growth.
  • Systems Leasing, Scottsdale, AZ Fiduciary Board (former) Second largest asset-based leasing company in country, purchased from publicly traded company. Target market was large scale IT equipment with significant capital requirements.

NON-PROFIT BOARD OF DIRECTOR/COMMITTEE EXPERIENCE

  • JEFFERSON HEALTH, Philadelphia, PA Former Vice-Chair Finance Committee Second largest healthcare system in Pennsylvania with $9.0B revenue. Former Vice Chairman – Finance Committee.
  • ABINGTON HEALTH, Abington, PA Former Board Member Member of Board of regional healthcare system. Member of integration team in merger of equals of two systems.
  • WILLIAM PENN CHARTER ALUMNI BOARD, Philadelphia, PA Former President Former President of Alumni Board of oldest Quaker school in the country.
  • AMHERST COLLEGE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, Amherst, MA Former Committee Member Former member of committee with mission of serving, supporting, advising Amherst College alumni.

Timeline

Interim Chief Executive Officer

APPLE MONTESSORI SCHOOLS
01.2022 - 06.2022

Professional Board of Directors Member

RDC ADVISORS, LLC
01.2016 - Current

Chief Executive Officer

SURGENT, LLC
01.2014 - 01.2016

Chief Executive Officer

THOMPSON MEDIA GROUP
01.2010 - 01.2014

Managing Director

MAINSTREAM MANAGEMENT
01.2009 - 01.2010

Investment Banking Head, Board Member

BOENNING & SCATTERGOOD
01.2006 - 01.2009

Interim Chief Executive Officer

GOV XCEL, INC.
01.2001 - 01.2004

Chief Executive Officer

ATLANTIC AMERICAN TRUST
01.1995 - 01.1999

Chief Executive Officer

BELL ATLANTIC PROPERTIES
01.1990 - 01.1995

Interim Chief Executive Officer

RDC ADVISORS, LLC

Interim General Manager

RDC ADVISORS, LLC

Bachelor of Arts Degree - Economics, Psychology

Amherst College

Master of Business Administration -

Wharton Graduate School, University of Pennsylvania
JAMES STILL