RICHMOND, VA – July 10, 2013 – Matrix Capital Markets Group, a leading middle-market investment bank, is pleased to announce the opening of its newly established Chicago, IL office. The company is headquartered in Richmond, VA with an additional office in Baltimore, MD.
As part of the company’s expansion into the Chicago market, Matrix is pleased to welcome Andrew W. Chidester as Managing Director with the Matrix Consumer & Industrial Products Group. John J. Underwood, Vice President, who has been with the Matrix Energy & Multi-Site Retail Team since 2011, will also be working in the new office.
Mr. Chidester has over 20 years of investment banking and corporate finance expertise in industrial manufacturing, distribution, building products and business services. He was previously Managing Director with Amherst Partners and Duff & Phelps, Inc., both in Chicago. Prior to that, he served as Vice President with Brown Gibbons Lang and Vice President at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein in their Midwest Private Equity Group. Mr. Chidester also previously worked for Heller Financial and was one of the founding members of Heller’s Healthcare Finance Division. He started his career with Deloitte & Touche.
Mr. Chidester obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Music from Carleton College, an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a Masters of Science in Accounting from DePaul University. He is qualified as a FINRA General Securities Representative (Series 7) and a Uniform Securities Agent (Series 63). He is also a Certified Public Accountant and has lived in the Chicago area for 25 years.
Mr. Underwood is part of the Matrix Energy & Multi-Site Retail Group and has over 30 years of major integrated oil company experience. He was the Retail Portfolio Manager for BP and was responsible for managing their retail station divestment program in the U.S. east of the Rockies. Mr. Underwood has worked in virtually all facets of retail marketing, and has expertise in product distribution, logistics, product supply and supply planning. He has also worked in overseas downstream operations in Romania, Poland and England.
“We are delighted to have Andy join the Matrix team. His background with distressed and performing companies, coupled with the downstream energy focus of John Underwood will make this new office a formidable one,” said Michael Morrison, Managing Director at Matrix.
“Matrix is very excited about having personnel dedicated to the Midwest market located in Chicago. There is too much going on with middle-market M&A and Private Equity in the Midwest to service it from Richmond, VA and Baltimore, MD. Formalizing our marketing efforts with a permanent office is proof that we value the continued development of our investment banking practices throughout MN, IA, MO, WI, IL, IN, MI and OH. We are convinced that this move will be well received and that the private equity community, in particular, will appreciate our regional focus,” Mr. Morrison added.