Our Team

Cohesive team with investing experience through multiple economic cycles.

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  Benjamin Hom

  Managing Partner

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  Benjamin Hom is a Managing Partner of St. Cloud Capital, LLC (together with its affiliates, “St. Cloud”). Mr. Hom is a member of the Investment Committee of St. Cloud and is responsible for sourcing, execution, and portfolio monitoring functions. Previously, Mr. Hom worked in the Investment Banking Group at Bear, Stearns & Company, where his experience included mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, public and private equity offerings, and debt financings. Mr. Hom focused on middle market clients in a variety of industries including business services, restaurants, communications, technology, and health care services. His prior experience also includes working at KPMG and Parnassus Investments. Mr. Hom currently serves as a Member or Observer on the Board of Directors of JibJab, LLC, AR HIIT, LLC (an Orangetheory Fitness franchisee), BigRentz Inc., AleraCare Holdings, LLC, AdvancedOne Legal, LLC and Transom Bravo Holdings, LLC.  Mr. Hom serves on the Western Region Committee for the Small Business Investor Alliance (“SBIA”). Mr. Hom previously served as a Director on the board of Midnite Air Corporation and served as a Board Observer of Tuff Shed, Inc., among others. Mr. Hom is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), Beverly Hills Chapter. Mr. Hom received a Bachelor of Arts in Business & Economics with a minor in Accounting from the University of California, Los Angeles.  He resides in Brentwood, CA with his wife and three sons.

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  Kacy Rozelle

  Managing Partner

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  Kacy Rozelle is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of St. Cloud. Mr. Rozelle is a member of the Investment Committee of St. Cloud and is responsible for sourcing, execution, and portfolio monitoring functions. His middle and lower-middle market corporate finance and investment banking experience also includes an additional ten years at Jefferies & Company, Inc., where Mr. Rozelle served as a member of the firm’s Taxable Fixed Income Executive Committee, and where he participated in the structuring and placement of more than $40 billion of securities, including more than $10 billion of public and private equity. Mr. Rozelle began his career at Houlihan Lokey Howard and Zukin, a Los Angeles-based investment bank, where he assisted on a wide range of services for middle market companies including mergers and acquisitions, financial opinions and valuation, and advisory assignments. Mr. Rozelle currently serves as a member or observer on the Board of Directors of AutoReturn, LLC; Burke Williams, Inc., Apple Montessori Schools, LLC and Renters Warehouse USA, LLC.  Mr. Rozelle previously served on the Board of Directors of: Pipeworks, Inc., Johnson Products Company, Inc.; SAFE Security, Inc.; National Holdings (OTC: NHLD.OB); Frontline Sales, Inc.; and Earl Scheib, Inc.; among others. Kacy Rozelle serves as a Western Region committee member for the Small Business Investor Alliance (“SBIA”). Mr. Rozelle is also an active member of the Santa Monica Bay Chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO Gold). Mr. Rozelle earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin and a BS in Finance from Virginia Tech. He resides in Pacific Palisades, CA with his wife and three children.

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  Robert Lautz

  Managing Partner

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  Robert Lautz is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of St. Cloud. Mr. Lautz is a member of the Investment Committee of St. Cloud and is responsible for sourcing, execution, and portfolio monitoring functions. Mr. Lautz has over 25 years of operating experience as a business owner, entrepreneur, and CEO of both private and public companies. At St. Cloud, he serves as operating partner and, if necessary, turnaround manager. Mr. Lautz’s prior business involvement includes being Chairman and co-founder of REO.com, an internet-based sales mechanism for bank foreclosed properties. Prior to that he served as the CEO of ListingLink, the original Internet-based residential property multiple listing service. Mr. Lautz formed and was Chairman and CEO of Indenet, Inc., a NASDAQ listed private satellite-based network that delivered digital advertisements and programming to the 3000+ national broadcast and cable television networks. Mr. Lautz began his career within Citibank’s Operating Group where he rose to become the Senior Financial Officer, responsible for all financial functions and strategic planning. He ultimately purchased this division from Citibank to form a start-up business named Property Data Services, which he built to the 3rd largest company of its kind domestically. He currently serves as a Member or Observer on the Board of Directors of Morrow Sodali Global, LLC, Apposite Technologies, Inc. and Life Spine, Inc.

  Mr. Lautz earned a Master’s degree from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird), and a BS in Business Administration from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

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  Matt Smith

  Managing Director

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  Matt Smith is a Managing Director at St. Cloud and is responsible for sourcing, execution, and portfolio monitoring functions. Previously, Mr. Smith founded and managed the Structured Finance Group at Banc of California, which focused on origination and structuring of senior credit facilities to middle market companies backed by private equity. Prior to that, Mr. Smith worked in commercial banking and leveraged finance roles at various commercial banks and leveraged finance groups.  He has served as Observer on the Board of Directors of Pipeworks, Inc. and currently serves as an Observer to the Board of Directors of AleraCare Holdings, LLC, AMP Security, LLC, Renters Warehouse, LLC, and Apposite Technologies, Inc.  Mr. Smith was also an Army officer and deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan where he earned a Bronze Star Medal.

  Mr. Smith earned his MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and BA in Economics and Political Science from UC Davis.

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  Sheila Emami

  Vice President

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  Sheila Emami is a Vice President at St. Cloud and is responsible for sourcing, execution, and portfolio monitoring functions. She has over 10 years of experience in originations, structuring, and underwriting of senior credit facilities to middle market companies in a variety of industries including private equity-backed consumer product, shipping and logistics, technology, manufacturing, and retail. Previously, Ms. Emami worked in leveraged finance and corporate banking roles at various corporate and commercial banks.

  Ms. Emami earned her BA in Economics from Pitzer College and is a graduate of the Summer Institute for General Management from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. She is an alumna of Wells Fargo’s Credit Management Training Program.

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  Cordell Gee

  Controller

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  Cordell Gee is the Controller at St. Cloud and is responsible for SEC and SBA reporting and the funds’ cash activities.

  Prior to joining St. Cloud, Mr. Gee held a financial analyst position at Provident Financial Holdings Inc., where he performed SEC reporting and internal ad hoc reporting.  He also has worked at KPMG, LLP and Rothstein Kass &Co, performing public accounting work for financial service companies.  Mr. Gee is a Certified Public Accountant.

  Mr. Gee received his Master of Business Administration Degree from California Baptist University and Bachelor of Science with Accounting Minor from the University of California, Los Angeles.

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  Tami Brinson

  Office Manager

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  Tami Brinson is the Office Manager and Executive Assistant for St. Cloud. Previously, Ms. Brinson worked in the office of the CEO at Docusource and Tatum, LLC. Her prior experience includes hospitality and restaurant operation management positions at various casinos.

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  Ty Umoh

  Senior Associate

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  Mr. Umoh has over 8 years of experience in private equity, investment banking, business strategy and management consulting.

  He is currently a Senior Associate at St. Cloud and is responsible for sourcing, execution, and portfolio monitoring functions. Previously, Mr. Umoh worked as a senior consultant at FTI Consulting, Inc., advising various stakeholders of troubled and distressed companies across a wide range of industries, including financial services, hospitality, gaming, commercial real estate, energy & oil field services, construction, infrastructure, and municipal-related assets. Additionally, his prior experience includes roles at BNY Mellon and Ocean Park Advisors, LLC’s Investment Bank where he was involved in equity and debt capital raising transactions as well as M&A assignments, liquidity forecasting and assessments, business plan due diligence, development of waterfall and recovery analyses, stakeholder negotiations, plan of reorganization development, M&A/transaction advisory including purchase and sale negotiations and seller due diligence support, board/shareholder representation, developing executive compensation/bonus plans, and ad-hoc strategic and operational assessments.

  Mr. Umoh earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting & Finance from the University of Houston. He also has a Master’s in Economics and Corporate Finance from Rice University.

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  Francisco Flores

  Analyst

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  Francisco Flores is an analyst at St. Cloud. Previously, Mr. Flores interned at AEW Capital Management, a real estate private equity firm, where he managed an industrial portfolio on the Asset Management team. Prior to AEW, he interned at Clarion Partners where he worked with both the Acquisitions and Asset Management teams. Mr. Flores received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.