We sincerely hope that you and your families are well and safe.
2020 will certainly be a year we will always remember. None of us could have imagined all the difficulties we would be facing: a pandemic that spread quickly throughout the world; businesses closed; family and friends unemployed; remote work challenges and our children converted to online learning. And even more profound, the personal losses experienced by so many. We have all been stretched personally and professionally as we have tried to help one another cope.
At Matrix, we are thankful for the amazing people who make our firm what it is and are so proud of the way our team members pulled together to provide a superior level of service and advice to our clients over this past year. They have truly lived up to The Matrix Principle in all respects. We are also incredibly thankful for the many valued relationships we have with our clients and sincerely appreciate the trust they placed in us as their advisor.
Our investment banking professionals had the privilege of working with many exceptional clients in 2020 and are proud to have advised on 20 successful transactions. These included company sales, corporate carve-outs, buy-side assignments and capital raises. We also advised on 17 various types of valuation engagements for the purposes of estate, strategic and exit planning.
Sometimes periods of stress can present valuable opportunities and 2020 was no exception. We decided to forge ahead and take advantage of those opportunities to continue our firm’s growth. In August, we welcomed industry veterans Amanda Verner Thompson and Vasanta Pundarika as Co-Heads of the newly established Matrix Healthcare Investment Banking Group. This extremely knowledgeable and vibrant team of professionals hit the ground running and were successful in closing a transaction within one month of joining Matrix. Casey Van de Walle, Director and Anthony Hoffman, CPA, Analyst joined the group in December to round out the team.
In addition to the Healthcare Group expansion, Matrix was fortunate to welcome Michael Tucker, CFA and Matthew Paniccia as Analysts in our Downstream Energy & Convenience Retail Investment Banking Group.
We would also like to recognize William O’Flaherty, John Duni, CFA, CPA, Martin McElroy, CFA, John Mosser and Matt Oldhouser, CPA whose contributions to Matrix and our clients resulted in promotions. Our goal is to provide our employees with ample opportunity to develop and expand their careers at Matrix and we are proud of their success and look forward to their continued achievements in the years to come.
In closing, as we enter into 2021 we know that many challenges presented by the pandemic remain unresolved. One thing that remains constant, however, is that for over 30 years, throughout all types of market conditions, we have been providing serious advice and sound transaction execution services to our clients. Through our deep knowledge of the industries we serve, ability to execute highly complex customized transactions and negotiating experience, we guide each of our clients through their most difficult decisions and help them derive maximum value for their business.
We wish you much success in 2021.