About

Coastline Capital is a private equity investment firm that invests in middle market companies that are leaders in their market niches or can serve as platforms for consolidation and rapid growth in fragmented industries. While we believe that flexibility is critical to success in the middle market, our activities generally fall into three categories, (1) ownership transitions for entrepreneurs, families management teams, and corporations seeking liquidity from non-core assets; (2) growth capital investments that serve as catalysts for rapid growth or strategic transformation; and (3) special situations involving companies experiencing financial or operational stress.

Coastline believes that management is a key component of success and, while we would prefer to support an existing management team, will back a proven executive to acquire a company in his or her industry or identify experienced executives to augment a management team when a strong, incumbent team does not exist.  We strongly believe that management teams should share generously in the value they help create and, therefore, provide management with considerable economic incentives ranging from performance bonuses to equity participation.

Coastline pursues a collaborative relationship with management and seeks to develop an active, engaged partnership without becoming involved in day to day operations. In this regard, through our involvement on the Board of Directors, we work closely with management to identify value drivers, prioritize key opportunities and issues facing the company, and establish strategic goals. While we rely on management to run the business, our operating experience enables us to serve as an engaged, value added partner with full appreciation for the unique circumstances and challenges facing small and medium size companies.

Coastline is opportunistic and pursues a flexible approach to investing capital and realizing returns on its investments. Underlying this approach is a focus on enhancing the intrinsic value of a businesses rather than financial engineering. Therefore, we craft sensible financial structures built around conservative business plans and ensure that sufficient liquidity exists for working capital, expansion, and fluctuations in performance due to company or systemic factors.

Professionals

Craig Stein, Managing Director

Mr. Stein is the founder and a Managing Director of Coastline Capital and has extensive experience in corporate development, corporate and real estate finance.  Prior to forming Coastline Mr. Stein was a Managing Director of The Bartaca Company, a private investment firm that focused on buyout transactions of industrial companies. Previously, Mr. Stein was affiliated with MIG Realty Advisors, Forest Hill Capital, and the Golden V Group.  Mr. Stein was the Chairman of Goldsmith LLC, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Cargo Security Group, LLC, a director of Horizon Services, LLC, and has served as special advisor to Plumtree Ventures, LLC.  Mr. Stein graduated with honors from Florida Atlantic University and holds a BBA with concentrations in Finance and Accounting.

 

Kevin Swanson, Managing Director

Mr. Swanson was most recently at DMB Capital Partners, a private equity firm.  Previously he was a Partner at Thomas Weisel Partners in the Media, Internet & Communications Services team in the New York office.  Mr. Swanson joined from Banc of America Securities where he was a Managing Director and headed the Media & Telecommunications Group.  He has over 22 years of investment banking and private equity experience.  He began his career at Goldman Sachs and has also held positions at Salomon Brothers and Wasserstein Perella as well as the private equity firm, Gibbons, Green, van Amerongen.  Mr. Swanson holds a BA from the University of Chicago, an MSc in economics from the London School of Economics and an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.

 

Michael Grant, Vice President

Michael Grant has extensive experience in the financial services industry, including insurance, investment banking, and private equity. Most recently, he was a Vice President at DMB Capital Partners, a private equity firm, as an investment professional with additional responsibility for fundraising.  Prior to that, he worked in investment banking at Merrill Lynch in both the Financial Institutions and Private Equity Funds groups managing M&A transactions, equity and debt financings, and private placements. He has also served as a Vice President and Relationship Manager at Aon Risk Services in the M&A Origination group. He holds a BS in Finance from Penn State University and an MBA from the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management.

 

Robert Ross, Vice President

Mr. Ross has extensive experience in corporate finance and institutional asset management.  Prior to his involvement with Coastline Capital, Mr. Ross was a Vice President with Zurich Alternative Asset Management where he was responsible for sourcing, negotiating, conducting  due diligence, and executing private equity transactions, direct and secondary investments, and  investments in private equity and alternative asset funds. Prior to joining Zurich, Mr. Ross was a Senior Associate with Honeywell Capital Management, the dedicated alternative asset fund of Honeywell Corporation.  While with Honeywell, Mr. Ross served as a director of Operative Media, Inc. and a Board Observer of Bridge Finance Group. Previously, Mr. Ross was affiliated with Frazier Healthcare Ventures as an Analyst, and Offroad Capital and C.E. Unterberg Towbin as an investment banker. Mr. Ross holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.