John "Jay" C. Weber, Jr., Founding Partner
Mr. Weber has 15 years of private equity, financial and business development experience. Prior to co-founding Laurel in 2007, he was a Partner at MVP Capital Partners, which he joined in 2003. While at MVP, Mr. Weber led three platform investments totaling $20 million in transactions valued at more than $70 million. During his tenure at MVP, Mr. Weber sourced numerous proprietary investment opportunities through his extensive personal and professional networks. He conducted due diligence on both platform and add-on acquisitions, recruited half a dozen senior executives, and raised $40 million in capital on behalf of his portfolio companies.
Previously, Mr. Weber was a Business Analyst in the investment division of independent energy company Mirant Corporation where he focused on operations as well as strategy and planning. As one of a handful of recent MBA graduates recruited to complete a comprehensive management training program, Mr. Weber focused on business opportunities in the deregulated natural gas and electricity markets as well as prospective acquisitions for Mirant's internal venture capital group.
Prior to attending graduate school at Duke, Mr. Weber spent four years in sales and marketing at the Quaker State Corporation. He began as a Territory Manager working in the northeast selling automotive aftermarket products to wholesale, retail, and industrial customers. After two years, Mr. Weber was promoted to Associate Brand Manager of the company's $130 million private label automotive lubricants business, which covered over 500 SKUs and operations in four states. Prior to Quaker State, Mr. Weber held operations and analyst positions at Boston-based firms Brown Brothers Harriman and The Raymond Company.
Mr. Weber holds a B.A. degree from Wake Forest University and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Robert Drury, Partner
Mr. Drury has over 30 years experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporate development, financings, and general management, as CFO and President of a number of successful companies and advisor to CEO’s and Boards of Directors. In addition Mr. Drury has served on multiple public company boards and chaired two public company audit committees.
Prior to joining Laurel, Mr. Drury was President of RED Associates. In this capacity Mr. Drury advised small and mid-market companies on strategies for profitable growth, provided financial management services, and sourced financing for developing companies. Mr. Drury completed successful financings and acquisitions for both sellers and buyers, with a focus on recurring-revenue businesses.
Previously Mr. Drury was a founder and Chief Financial Officer of GCA Services, Inc., a national provider of facilities management services to schools, colleges, and businesses. Mr. Drury was instrumental in completing and fully integrating 11 acquisitions and driving organic growth, building a profitable business with revenues of over $500 million.
Mr. Drury was previously Chief Financial Officer of Sodexo, US, where he led the acquisition and managed the debt financing for Sodexo’s purchase of Marriott’s Food and Management Services Division, making Sodexo the world’s largest management services company. Prior to that acquisition Mr. Drury was a leader in growing Sodexo’s business organically by over 20% per year in a modestly growing market.
Mr. Drury had previously been CFO of Aramark’s International and Leisure Services sectors, where he redirected Aramark’s International growth strategies. He also had profit responsibility for a number of Aramark businesses including a facilities management subsidiary and a ski area. Earlier in his career, Mr. Drury had been with PepsiCo in financial and strategic planning positions, and its subsidiary Wilson Sporting Goods as CFO of the Golf Division.
Mr. Drury has served on a number of civic Chambers of Commerce boards. Mr. Drury holds a BS degree in Industrial Engineering from Lafayette College, and an MBA in Finance and International Business from New York Universities’ Stern School of Business.
Roger Braunfeld, Partner
Roger Braunfeld is a Partner of the firm where he combines business and corporate law experience for his to benefit Laurel Capital and its portfolio companies. Being an active member of the Laurel Capital team; enables the firm and its portfolio companies to focus on developing the appropriate balance between legal protection and sound business judgement so that business can focus on what is important develop into great companies. Roger’s experience and in-depth knowledge of business and legal strategies enable sellers, portfolio company management to develop customized solutions for each business Laurel invests in to reach it potential.
Roger’s role as General Counsel encompasses private equity and venture capital transactions, debt and equity offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate restructurings, as well as a wide range of business and commercial transactions, agreements, and general business legal counselling.
Roger began his career as a corporate and business attorney at Blank Rome, LLP. While there, he actively guided various businesses as general outside corporate counsel and handled various venture capital, private equity, and merger and acquisition transactions. He was recognized early in his career as an emerging practice and business leader. For example, in 2003, at only 29 years old, Roger was recognized by both the Philadelphia Business Journal as one of the “40 Under 40” business or professional leaders in the greater Philadelphia region and as one of the Jewish Business Networks “Lights of Tomorrow.” Two years later, Roger was voted in the MS Leadership Class and designated a Pennsylvania Rising Star Attorney.
He left Blank Rome in 2006 to pursue his desire to fully combine his legal skills with business and entrepreneurial activity. First, Roger served as both the General Counsel and a Managing Director of XShares Group LLC, where he assisted in the launch of thirty-one Exchange-Traded Funds on the New York Stock Exchange. After that, he served as the Chief Operating Officer and the Chief Compliance Officer of Clear Asset Management, acquired by Beacon Trust in the fourth quarter of 2008. In addition to an active legal practice, Roger is the principal of RJB Ventures, LLC. As a venture investor and advisor to emerging companies, he is a co-founder, member of the Board of Directors, Executive Vice President, and General Counsel of Preventive Beverages, LLC. He also serves as General Counsel and key business advisor to Precision Funding Group, LLC. These activities ensure that Roger is intimately familiar with the issues specific to emerging growth companies and has the expertise to advise and counsel growing companies.
