Funeral home brokers NewBridge Group.

OUR LEADERS

Jeffrey K. Boutwell, President

Mr. Boutwell has worked as a business broker for almost 20 years. In that time, he has been involved with more than 400 transactions. Jeff’s experience with public and private buyers of funeral homes has given him a well-developed understanding of the industry and best methods to increase the values of funeral home businesses. Mr. Boutwell founded NewBridge Group in 1997 solely to represent the buyers and sellers of funeral homes.

Prior to founding NewBridge, during 1996 and 1997, Jeff served as Vice President of the Quantum Group, a mid-market merger and acquisition business based in Phoenix, Arizona. Before that, Mr. Boutwell served as the Senior Financial Negotiator for Thomas-Pierce and Company, the lead funeral industry broker during the 1990s. Mr. Boutwell’s valuation techniques have been adopted by many acquisition companies to assist in evaluating purchases. Mr. Boutwell is a cum laude graduate in Finance and Real Estate from Florida State University.

Gary J. Minter, Director of Acquisition Financing

Mr. Minter has almost a decade of experience in financing, investing in, consulting on, and valuing real property. Over the years, Gary has assisted clients in making more informed investment and lending decisions involving commercial, industrial, multi-family and special purpose properties. He has engaged in such activities as assessing the viability of loaning on a seven-property industrial portfolio, determining the feasibility of financing the acquisition, privatization and redevelopment of a former military housing complex, and more recently underwriting a proposed single transaction involving eight funeral home businesses. Owing to his own endeavors and several Southeastern firms, Gary has appraised more than $500 million of real property and he has underwritten millions of dollars of loans and funding for numerous funeral homes throughout the U.S. From his broad range of experience, Gary is able to provide NewBridge’s clients with the thorough due diligence and financial insight they need to make sound investment decisions based on their individual or corporate needs, whether acquiring, divesting or passing on a family funeral home.

Gary earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with Honors from Georgia State University in Atlanta, where he majored in Real Estate. He will be attending a graduate finance program at the University of Oxford in England during 2010.

Craig A. Robertson, Director of Business Development

Mr. Robertson has worked as a real estate broker and consultant for over 18 years. From representing large investments trusts to first-time home buyers, Craig has developed a unique gift for understanding the needs of large corporate clients as well as the heart desires of young families. Mr. Robertson’s experience with corporate and private buyers of investment-grade real estate has given him discerning and insightful judgment of the future in the funeral home industry.

Craig has been a member of the Appraisal Institute for 15 years and was previously president of 1st Appraisal Group, Inc. in Tallahassee, Florida, prior to joining NewBridge. While in Florida studying Florida State University, Mr. Robertson became a National Honor’s Society member in the field of economics and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate.

Dwight Glover, Director of Client Relations and Operations Improvement

Mr. Glover has over 18 years experience in merger and acquisition and strategic management consulting, and international banking. His background includes leading, strategic planning, financial analysis, merger & acquisition due diligence, and process redesign engagements for corporate clients. He has also been a commercial lender and has significant business development experience.

Prior to joining the Newbridge Group Mr. Glover was a founder of the Davis Paul Company, an Atlanta based management and technology consulting firm. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Economics at Kennesaw State Univ. and as Director, Business Strategy for Answerthink, Inc. Dwight graduated with Honors with a Masters of Business Administration and a Concentration in International Business from The University of Texas at Austin, and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration & Economics from Berry College.

Rebecca Thomson, Client Relations

Ms. Thomson assists with client communication, information flow, and documentation. With a diverse background of loan origination, office management, and commercial artwork, she is able to creatively and effectively assist our clients in providing the necessary information so that we may most effectively pursue our client’s goals.

Rebecca has excellent communication skills and loves working with clients no matter their specific goal. Her warm personality is guaranteed no matter which task she is completing.

Ms. Thomson is a graduate of the American College of Applied Arts in Atlanta, GA, with a BFA in Visual Communications.

Shelley Volovic, Executive Recruiter

Ms. Volovic assists NewBridge in identifying possible fits between buyers and sellers. She is extremely effective at understanding both buyers and sellers goals so that a transaction may be made possible. Past clients have benefited from Shelley's knowledgeable background, while also appreciating her personal and sincere approach. Her M & A experience includes funeral homes, mobile home parks, insurance agencies, bookstores, mail centers and pharmacies. Ms. Volovic is a graduate of American University in Washington, DC and a licensed real estate agent. She has been recognized as a leader in the fields of real estate sales, senior-level management placement, and headhunting.