Management

Executive Management

The DPG management and advisory teams have completed in excess of 25 billion in successful transactions throughout their respective careers. DPG professionals specialize in array of disciplines, specializing in the alternative investment sector and delivering consistent returns to our private and institutional investors. The DPG team is comprised of industry specialists who maintain in-depth knowledge in the financial and private equity industry, while maintaining superb technical and capital markets expertise. The DPG team collectively maintains over 50+ years in combined alternative investment and management experience. The firm's experts retain extensive experience in sourcing, structuring, developing, and managing a variety of assets on a global basis. Serving as trusted co-investors and advisers to investment managers, distributors, sponsors of investment partnerships, offshore funds, structured vehicles, ultra high net worth family offices, institutional partners, and select clientele, the DPG team is committed to maintaining the firm's reputation for quality, integrity and the highest ethical standards.

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Chairman and CEO
Daniel P. Galvanoni

Daniel P. Galvanoni is the Chairman and Founder of DPG Investments, LLC. Mr. Galvanoni is an accomplished merchant banker who established DPG Investments as a diverse group of investment partnerships and companies. DPG manages assets internally which are comprised of private equity interests, short term high yield notes, and private investment partnerships. DPG Investments, Capital Markets Group, specifically focuses on the structuring and securing of both debt and equity for multi strategy alternative investment fund managers globally. In return, DPG takes an equity non-operating stake in the prospective fund due to the firm’s initial capitalization and capital market support. DPG continues to recruit key advisors, analysts, and executive management to handle the firm’s rapidly growing merchant banking and alternative asset management practice. Mr. Galvanoni is focused on strategic alignment and establishment of special partnerships with numerous domestic and international capital partners for the firm. In addition, Mr. Galvanoni manages at the Chairman level, the firm's strategic partnership with an affiliated private merchant bank with over $20billion in cross border transactional experience, focused in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Mr. Galvanoni has successfully originated over $1billion in high yield debt and equity since the formation of DPG Investments into various DPG investment partnerships and transactions.

Mr. Galvanoni thrives in the structuring of complex financial transactions targeting private equity funds, hedge funds, REITS, equity portfolios, private merchant banks, pension funds, and life companies. In addition, Mr. Galvanoni's emphasis rests strongly in ultra high net worth family office partnerships, predominantly based in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Dan currently serves actively as a board member in his capacity with DPG Realty Capital, DPG Investments,Sunset Pictures LLC, Exodus Road (a non-profit dedicated and focused on saving/rescuing children out of sex slavery globally) and Fintramex (a specialty finance company in Mexico City) , Mr. Galvanoni also serves as partner to Blackhawk Partners, a family office multi strategy oil and gas trading and buyout platform in which DPG participates and Panamax Capital a cross border merchant banking, private equity and advisory firm focused covering the Asian and Latin America markets. In addition, Mr. Galvanoni assists in managing portfolio investments and operating partnerships which the firm strategically holds and exits. DPG is active, managing over 30 operating private partnerships and portfolio investments/interests in which Mr. Galvanoni takes an active role by adding strategic value to DPG positions in its portfolio on an annual basis.

Prior to starting his own firm Dan was an associate at a money center bank.  Following the sale of a major global mobile wireless hand held computing conglomerate in which the Galvanoni Family held significant interest, the family then formed Wesselink & Galvanoni Holdings LLC.  Wesselink & Galvanoni Holdings LLC, a private family investment office, began its deployment of capital into international and domestic real estate development projects, early/mid stage private equity companies, and various early stage technology investments.

Mr. Galvanoni graduated from Fairfield University, in Fairfield Connecticut

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Managing Director
William J. Brooksbank

Mr. Brooksbank is the Managing Director of DPG Energy & Natural Resources and Director of DPG Corporate Advisors, the corporate finance unit of DPG Investments. Mr. Brooksbank specializes in sourcing, structuring and executing energy investments and managing private equity transactions within the corporate finance group. Having extensive experience in planning, business development, strategic alliances, marketing and finance, Mr. Brooksbank brings an expansive knowledge base and astute skill in the execution of related transactions and investments. Furthermore, his career has included extensive experience in multiple industries including energy, process control, industrial cooling and commercial air conditioning. 

Mr. Brooksbank has held senior management positions in multiple segments of the energy industry including oil refining and marketing, gas processing, petrochemical manufacturing and pipeline operations with companies such as Tenneco Oil, Tenneco Gas Pipeline and Honeywell Industrial Automation. While at Tenneco Gas Pipeline, he managed sales and business development activities that generated over $400 million per year in revenue and over $40 million in annual operating income.  At Honeywell, he led a global business unit that provided turnkey automation systems and services to the oil and gas pipeline industry.  Early in his career, he served in marketing at Baltimore Aircoil Company (BAC), a global manufacturer of cooling towers, evaporative condensers and heat exchangers.

Mr. Brooksbank holds a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech.

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Managing Director
Mark F. Belknap

Mark Belknap is the Managing Director of underwriting, analysis and due diligence for DPG Global Real Estate.  He is an experienced real estate professional with over eleven years of diverse experience in which he has managed the identification, underwriting, acquistion, design, construction and disposition of an extensive collection of real estate assets valued at over $500MM.  Mr. Belknap’s current role with DPG involves analyzing real estate investment opportunities for internal and external clients, developing cash flow models, transaction summaries and investment memoranda, managing the due diligence process, structuring and closing new investments, and assessing and managing portfolio risk.  Mr. Belknap also assists in the management of DPG’s Global Real Estate Group which involves portfolio analysis, creation and optimization, investment management and marketing.  He is a proven leader as shown by his ability to plan, direct and coordinate the individual efforts of all parties involved in a transaction while assessing and monitoring overall performance.

Mr. Belknap has been an advisor to some of the country’s most distinguished real estate companies and institutions including The University of California, Douglas Emmett, Caruso Affiliated, J.H. Snyder Company, Wal-Mart, Lyle Anderson, Pederson Group Inc., Vestar Development, PDG America Shopping Centers, Petsmart, Westcor Development Partners and Cole Real Estate Investments, an $8 billion REIT.  Mr. Belknap's portfolio includes over 5,000,000 sf of commercial real estate ventures including such notable projects as the repositioning/renovation of the 120 acre US Naval Shipyard at Long Beach into a private commercial facility, The Promenade, a 1,000,000 sf mixed use retail/commercial center, the re-development of Bethany Towne Center, a 40 acre site that required extensive demolition and environmental remediation, Riverview Business Park, a 300,000 sf industrial facility developed on a brownfield landfill site and Yuma Palms Regional Center, a 100 acre, 1,000,000 sf super-regional shopping center.  Mr. Belknap has also been involved in the development of 500+ acres of ultra-high end master-planned residential communities and complicated real estate transactions on Indian Reservations.  Since 2009, he has focused on the identification, analysis and resolution of distressed and value-add real estate investment opportunities.  His experience and skills allow him to objectively evaluate an asset and its financial potential, then develop and execute strategic plans to maximize cash flow and value.

Mr. Belknap graduated with honors from the College of Engineering and Applied Science at The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He holds an Arizona Real Estate Broker’s License and the LEED AP credential from the US Green Building Council.  He is an active member of The Urban Land Institute, where he currently sits on the YLG Programs Committee and the Arizona chapter of the USGBC.


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Managing Director and Senior Director of Originations
Michael Gross

Mr. Gross serves as Managing Director of DPG Lending LLC, DPG Private Capital LLC and DPG Capital Markets LLC with asset management responsibilities across DPG special purpose entities and various private partnerships post closing.

Mike is a multi-strategy financier with a deep understanding asset level diligence and client origination from inception, leading due diligence and assisting with final funding.

Mike has 25 years of experience as an financier, Mike has worked in various other capacities which add value when communicating with borrowers, developers agents and sponsors… Mike has been a Lender, agent, builder, appraiser, speaker, writer and consultant. He has been a consultant to Fortune 500 companies; including Land America, Premis and Countrywide . He has been invited to speak on the subject of ethics in real estate at real estate conventions in the southeast.

Michael has been interviewed on radio and TV for his expert opinion on the real estate crisis and a deep understanding of the distressed debt markets. With an expansive knowledge of real estate and an ability to communicate the company’s core competencies to clients on all levels, Michael brings a wealth of experience to the DPG brand.

Michael was the founder and president of Dividend America Commercial Lending which DPG acquired. He was responsible for creating the vision of a platform designed to assist non-bank lenders and funders with complicated processes of business development, origination, processing and pre-underwriting in a market space that was typically controlled by banks and mortgage lenders.

Managing a pipeline of deals with deal-flow volumes as high as $1 billion and a rotational average of over $500 million has prepared Michael for his current task of filling DPG’s expansive multi-strategy platform with trades that generate significant secured returns for DPG affiliated investment entities and longtime and trusted family office and private clients.

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Director of Originations and National Director of Business Development
Ed Hartwell

Ed Hartwell is a multi-faceted executive involved in numerous industries globally. He focuses on extending DPG’s origination platforms on a global scale, business development within DPG portfolio companies and client mandates. As a former professional athlete, Mr. Hartwell understands the importance of team play and the high level of success that a well-organized group of professionals can achieve.

Initially, Mr. Hartwell will concentrate on the origination of real estate private lending opportunities, discounted debt purchases, equity co-investments, joint ventures with operating partners, and general advisory services. He will also focus on alternative energy opportunities within DPG’s global energy platform and select DPG special situation corporate mandates including management led buyouts.

Mr. Hartwell has strong connections in Africa and is actively involved in the financing of public private partnerships in the region.

Mr. Hartwell was aligned with Newmark Grubb Knight Frank at the firm’s Atlanta office. He is focused on investment sales, sale leaseback--credit tenant lease transactions, office tenant representation, and provides both advisory and transaction services with a niche in alternative energy advisory services.

Previously, Mr. Hartwell served as Director of Client Services Southeast for the sports representation firm, GAAMES.  Through this role he gained over 10 years of sales and sports management experience. His main responsibilities included contract/endorsement negotiations, sales presentation and career management. Previously, Mr. Hartwell served as assistant director of scouting for the Arizona Diamondbacks and played professional baseball for the San Francisco Giants.

Mr. Hartwell was a member of the Notre Dame Baseball team and voted captain in 1993. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and was named The Outstanding Student and Francis Patrick O’Conner winner at the University Notre Dame for the graduating class of 1993.

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Director of Operations and Technology
Fred Barber

Director of Operations and Technology of DPG Lending, LLC, DPG Private Capital, LLC, DPG Capital Markets, LLC and various DPG sponsored entities.

Mr. Barber is located in DPG’s Atlanta office. Fred has over 25 years of entrepreneurial business experience and adds value to all counter parties. He is primarily responsible for oversight of DPG and affiliates’ various operations and technology implementation. Prior to joining DPG, he served as the Chief Operations Officer for Dividend America, LLC, which DPG acquired, where he deployed systems and process strategies that created efficiencies for the origination, tracking, and processing of loan and investment opportunities in a pipeline approaching a total value of $1 billion. Mr. Barber will implement these same processes into DPG for the underwriting, processing and efficient deployment of DPG private capital allocations.

Mr. Barber began his career as a founding partner and vice president of Scientific Retail Systems, Inc., where he oversaw the design, development, and support of a suite of innovative software and hardware technology products tailored specifically to independent retail pharmacies that have served hundreds of clients across the country.  These products increased profitability and decreased cost associated with production and process thereby increasing the overall profitability of the business that deployed his unique software and hardware products. Mr. Barber’s systematic leadership will allow him to serve as a key contributor to all DPG financings and investments.

He obtained a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from GMI Engineering & Management Institute (now Kettering University) in Flint, Michigan .

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Director and Senior Analyst
Jason D. Mauney

Director and Senior Analyst of DPG Lending, LLC, DPG Private Capital, LLC, DPG Capital Markets, LLC and various DPG special purpose entities.

Mr. Mauney is responsible for underwriting, processing and analyzing various borrowers, assets, acquisitions and special situation investments.

Mr. Mauney is located in DPG’s Atlanta office and has over 11 years’ experience in the distressed debt markets and turnaround situations across various industries.  Jason’s corporate finance and entrepreneurial business experience add value to DPG and all counter parties.  Jason is able to discern value in distressed, complicated assets and work with sponsors as well as counter parties to structure custom DPG financing products.  Jason previously worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP/FTI Consulting in their Corporate Finance / Restructuring divisions.  During his tenure there, he was involved in engagements ranged from assisting clients in filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Reorganization, to implementing operational turnarounds including Sku Optimization and “Stage and Gate” new product development processes. 

Jason’s experience extends beyond financial restructuring as his expertise building detailed financial models is critical to DPG executives and their analysis of financings and potential investments.  He is also adept in “Transaction Advisory Services”.  Engagements in this sector included positions of responsibility for performing third party due diligence on behalf of clients considering different acquisition targets. Jason continues to provide these functions internally for DPG and DPG affiliates. 

After leaving PwC/FTI, Jason went on to be the Finance Manager for the $130MM division of a pool and spa chemical manufacturer where he served in a director capacity.  Mr. Mauney graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida where he obtained a B.S.B.A while dual majoring in Finance and International Economics.  Jason brings valuable experience to DPG and helps assist our clients with complex transactions that require creative strategies for success and security for DPG affiliates.

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Director, Business Development
Benny Johnston, II

Benny Johnston II is Director of DPG's national origination team. Mr. Johnston is based in the DPG Phoenix offices. Mr. Johnston, was born in New York, and moved to Arizona in 1960. Mr. Johnston comes from a history of astute deal makers, beginning with his Grandfather Charles, the original founder of Radio Shack, the retail electronics conglomerate. Ben’s roots run deep in AZ, where he has developed and sustained trusted long-term relationships with a number of the strong developers, family offices, and intermediaries in the Phoenix real estate market. Mr. Johnston has been active in real estate private lending in Arizona, successfully facilitating a number of transactions for his vast client base.

Mr. Johnston has owned and operated a wide array of businesses prior to his transition into the financial markets. Mr. Johnston is involved in all aspects of business development with DPG, focusing on origination, relationship development, capital market research, and overseeing DPG high net worth client services. Mr. Johnston is an avid golfer and deal maker, adding value to DPG clients and partners.