The Cateena Team

Background

Prior to founding Cateena, Mark developed a unique perspective from growing up and working within small businesses, as well as in a variety of fast-paced, corporate environments. Those experiences, combined with his time as a collegiate wrestler, have instilled the belief that the most fulfilling achievements come from betting on oneself and overcoming obstacles when there is no clear or easy path to achieving your goals. Similarly to wrestling, building a small business represents the greatest opportunity to see hard work, consistency and resilience translate into results.

This conviction led him to form Cateena Partners to acquire and operate a small business with an indefinite timeline of ownership. By adopting a long-term perspective, he can focus on building strong relationships and making sustainable decisions that will lead to the enduring success of any business he leads. Mark's vision is to build upon the foundation of an existing business, take care of the team and maintain the legacy of the owner preceding him.

Cateena (Catena) is defined as "a chain of connected ideas, passages, or objects so arranged that each member is closely related to the preceding and following members.” In the context of transitioning a business to new owners, this means working closely with an owner to create a seamless process and desired outcome for all. This long-term approach creates the greatest alignment of interests and value for each party involved.

Mark Gutierrez

Founder

Since transitioning into entrepreneurship full-time in 2022, Mark has been responsible for closing $3M in real estate transactions and served as a consultant on over $335M in real estate development projects across 14 deals, focusing on underwriting, acquisitions, sourcing debt and equity, and deal structuring. In his first deal as the operator and majority owner, Mark sourced a 6-unit multifamily property, secured commercial financing, hired/managed subcontractors and 3rd party professionals while serving as the GC, and automated operations with property management software. The project culminated in a successful cash-out refinance after the property appraised for more than 2x the purchase price within a year.

Prior to founding Cateena Partners, Mark first realized the opportunity in small businesses after he played a key role in the rapid expansion of LandMark Excavation & Site Work, helping the company increase revenue from $1M to $4M in less than one year. Leading strategic projects, he sourced fleet management software, spearheaded rebranding, developed standard operating procedures, and streamlined processes across all departments, in addition to spending time working in operations, purchasing, sales, customer service, and marketing.

In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Mark worked at a leading Real Estate Private Equity firm with over $1B AUM and 8,000+ residential units that acquires multifamily properties across 29 MSA's. There, he focused on sourcing, underwriting and due diligence for acquisitions. He also worked at a Real Estate Developer in northern New Jersey where he launched and managed a $500K tax lien investment fund while also focusing on acquisitions and asset management. Mark's career began in investment banking in New York City, where he provided analytical support for $650M in debt issuances.

Mark graduated Cum Laude from Muhlenberg College, where he was a member of the men's varsity wrestling team and served as President of the Wall Street Club. Outside of work, he enjoys exercising, fly fishing, paddleboarding and traveling with his girlfriend, Tori.

Advisors

Josh Medow

Chief Executive Officer

Mercury Business Services

Josh is a former Army officer turned entrepreneur and business owner. He currently serves as the leader of Mercury Business Services, a 40 year old company with a mission to simplify healthcare and life science shipping. They specialize in logistics for medical device, diagnostic kit, biotech, life science research, and pharmaceutical companies offering every shipping option in every geography around the world.

After graduating from West Point and serving as an infantry officer in the US Army, Josh earned an MBA from Harvard, then spent nearly 2 years contacting more than 20,000 business owners to find a great company with an owner who was looking to retire, so he could buy the company and lead it for his career. Mercury was the perfect fit with a great reputation, client base and long-tenured employees who are true experts in their field. Getting a loan from a local bank, he was able to acquire the company in 2020, which has grown substantially under his leadership.

Josh is also involved in advising other entrepreneurs pursue a similar path and is always happy to share his own experience.

Mercury Business Services

Tommy Keyes

Chief Executive Officer

Packaging Specialties

Tommy is a military veteran and owner of Packaging Specialties, a manufacturing and distribution company providing specialty packaging solutions for a variety companies across a number of different industries. As CEO, he oversees all aspects of the company’s strategy, operations, finances, human capital, sales and marketing.

Prior to acquiring Packaging Specialties, Tommy earned his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. During his time there, he worked in Operations at Traction Tire, a fast growing tire wholesaler and portfolio company of New Forest. While there, he implemented a comprehensive sales and marketing process by integrating sales data into a modern marketing software suite. He utilized Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and web scraping to create a lead generation process, and authored a sales and marketing handbook to support the company’s future growth. Additionally, he sourced, planned, and executed the integration of dispatching software to enable paperless dispatching and real-time delivery updates, streamline operations and reduce resources required to fulfill customer orders.

Before transitioning into business, Tommy served in the U.S. Army for eight years, with his final role as the Commander of a 190-person Headquarters Company. Tommy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Packaging Specialties

Chris DiMattia

Entrepreneur & Business Owner

Chris DiMattia is an entrepreneur with a diverse background in hospitality and real estate. He's the owner of four successful bars in Charleston, SC, including Charleston's iconic Recovery Room Tavern, which has sold more Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cans that any other bar in the country for the past 10 years. Chris has demonstrated an exceptional ability to build, acquire, manage and grow businesses in competitive markets.

In addition to his work in hospitality, Chris has extensive experience in real estate, having personally bought and sold over 40 properties and manages his large portfolio of rental properties spanning from Charleston to Myrtle Beach. Chris graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in Business Administration, and lives in Charleston with his wife and two young children.

Chris McTyre

Owner & President

Green Ridge Landscaping

Chris is an experienced business owner, consultant, and real estate investor with a strong background in operations management, business strategy, and consulting. Chris is currently leading a 25-year-old full-service commercial landscape and snow removal company he acquired that serves municipalities, government agencies, school districts, and HOA communities, among others. There, he oversees all aspects of the company’s operations, growth, contracting and client relationships. Just after acquiring the business, he successfully navigated challenging seasonal slow-downs the business faced while overhauling their accounting processes, renewing long-term contracts and making key hires to maintain growth.

Prior to acquiring and operating Green Ridge, Chris co-founded Salem Oak Vineyards, a premier winery and vineyard in southern New Jersey, where he has served in a number of capacities, from managing their finances to hosting public events to serving as a winemaker. Throughout his career, Chris has worked across a variety of other industries as well, including logistics, transportation, and healthcare, gaining hands-on experience in optimizing business processes, improving profitability, and leading teams.

Beyond his professional career, Chris enjoys spending time with his wife and 1-year-old daughter, exercising outdoors and traveling to new places.

Green Ridge Landscaping

John Zayaitz, CPA

Partner

Campbell, Rappold & Yurasits

John is a seasoned CPA and trusted advisor with extensive experience in financial statement preparation, audits, tax strategy and transaction advisory for small businesses. Over the course of his career, John has worked extensively with small and mid-sized businesses across a variety of sectors, including manufacturing, real estate, construction, professional services, non-profits and many others. His thorough understanding of federal, state, and local tax regulations allows him to navigate complex financial situations with ease.

John’s reputation for precision and integrity has made him a trusted resource for businesses undergoing audits, financial reviews, or preparing for significant transitions such as acquisitions. His ability to analyze financial records and provide clear, actionable insights has been crucial in helping business owners and stakeholders understand the true financial standing of their operations, which led to his recognition as one of Lehigh Valley Business’ Forty Under 40 in 2015.

Outside of work, you’ll find John spending time with his family, enjoying the great outdoors, exercising or on the golf course.

Campbell, Rappold & Yurasits

Stephen Loiseau

Vice President

PennSpring Capital

Stephen brings a diverse and accomplished background in corporate development, investments, and revenue growth within small businesses. In his current role at PennSpring Capital, a lower middle-market private equity firm based in eastern PA, Stephen is responsible for driving both organic and inorganic growth across their portfolio companies. His current focus is on two key corporate development initiatives: PSST, an ACA compliance software company headquartered in Louisville, KY, and EHC Associates, an environmental contractor based in Lancaster, PA.

Prior to joining PennSpring, Stephen was the top-performing enterprise sales representative at a Forbes Cloud 100 top start-up within his first six months of joining, where he was responsible for sourcing high-quality revenue and delivering strong sales performance. Previously, Stephen was a founding principal of a single-family rental ("SFR") investment firm in Philadelphia. Stephen was responsible for leading sourcing, analysis, negotiation, and closing of the firm’s acquisitions. In his first 10 months, Stephen successfully acquired and developed over $60M of SFR properties. Stephen was also active in leading the company through a joint venture with a global alternative asset management firm, executing a capital commitment of $150M. Stephen began his career in real estate development at Post Brothers, a premier national luxury mixed-use developer where he was responsible for market research, underwriting prospective deals and providing in-depth research on local zoning codes and development guidelines.

Stephen is a graduate of Drexel University, where he was a captain of the men’s varsity wrestling team and a 2x division 1 national qualifier. He remains active in the Lancaster community as a coach for Franklin & Marshall University's division 1 wrestling program. He previously held coaching positions at Millersville University and Lancaster Catholic High School, his alma mater where he was a Pennsylvania state champion.

PennSpring Capital

Chris Galletta, CFA

Executive Director

SMBC Group

Chris is a seasoned financial professional with a diverse background in team leadership, subsciption finance, strategic growth, and portfolio management. He currently serves as the Head of Portfolio Management for the Fund Finance group at SMBC, where he is tasked with overseeing and building the firm’s growing Fund Finance team. In this role, Chris manages the team and portfolio, leads key hires, and provides strategic oversight for the department’s development.

Before joining SMBC, Chris was a key contributor at Wells Fargo Securities in their top-ranked Subscription Finance Group, quickly rising to Vice President after joining as an Analyst. During his tenure, he played a significant role in originating subscription lines for Private Equity firms, contributing to the team’s market-leading performance. His track record at Wells Fargo led to his recruitment by SMBC, where he was originally brought on to lead their Fund Finance Group to become a top performer on Wall Street.

Prior to his time in Investment Banking, Chris worked at Deloitte in Transfer Pricing, where he focused on benchmarking international intercompany transactions to ensure proper recognition of revenue and expenses across tax jurisdictions, with a particular emphasis on intercompany debt and preferred share issuances.

Chris earned his CFA designation in 2019, further enhancing his credentials as a trusted advisor in financial analysis and investments. His expertise in complex financial transactions, coupled with his leadership experience, makes him a valuable resource for businesses preparing for significant transitions or operational growth.

In his spare time, Chris enjoys multi-day offshore fishing trips, training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and mentoring students at his alma mater, Muhlenberg College.

SMBC

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