John Connell, Transaction Advisor

John has a broad experience in executive management of companies ranging from retail to biologic development. His career in the human medical field started as a sales representative for McNeil Laboratory, a Johnson & Johnson Company. His successes led to his selection, among 50 handpicked colleagues, to start a new division for J&J, Critikon – a medical device company. While at Critikon he was district sales manager over 3 US states and the Caribbean – later, serving as Product Director of a $22M medical device line. Mr. Connell then joined as VP of Sales & Marketing for a Venture Capital-financed biologic research company. This provided opportunities to work with the investment firms of Lawrence, Tyrrell, Ortale & Smith (formerly Lawrence, Weispeck & Greer), Allstate Venture Capital, Faneuil Hall (which is the Kendall family), Kit Kat Ventures (which is Rothschild investments – London), and Ivory & Sim (which is a J&J pension fund manager – Scotland). During this time Mr. Connell became President of the company and co-patented a bovine treatment pharmaceutical.

Following the orchestration of the sale of the biologic research company to a French-based animal health company, he was asked to continue on as the President of the US division for that company. With this experience in animal health, he later founded a new national company in which he and his spouse were co-owners. Quick success in this venture earned the interest of a larger animal health company, to which he sold, and was asked to join as a partner. During the 6 years as VP of Sales, Manufacturing, Operations, and Distribution he successfully grew the business to perform at a 7x multiple from his entry. The Company received multiple awards during that time including the Impact award for the City of Richmond, VA, Ernest Young Accounting award, the Virginia Small Business of the Year award, as well as the National Small Business of the Year award. Additionally, the manufacturing and QC/QA team received the Virginia Philpott Manufacturing Award for the best operational improvement for reduced operating costs and inventory control systems.

Mr. Connell’s strengths are best focused on product, industry, and market evaluation, as well as cultivating a dynamic corporate culture and individual personnel development. These skills have contributed to his successes in product development, as well as business development through M&A activity.

Mr. Connell, who considers himself a life-long learner, has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mobile, Mobile, AL in Business Administration with majors in business management and economics, and a minor in sociology. But the coursework and degrees only serve to highlight the acumen acquired through his broad career experience.