Our Team
Black Lake Capital has the proven experience to achieve your vision
Our team brings extensive transaction expertise, including completing 14 transactions on the Black Lake Capital platform.
Chad brings two decades of experience investing in private and public businesses. Prior to founding Black Lake, he was at leading private equity firms HIG Capital and AEA Investors, which manage $37B and $15B, respectively, and began his career as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company. He earned an MBA with Honors from the Wharton School and a BS in Chemical Engineering with Distinction from the University of Wisconsin.
Aaron is an entrepreneur with 25 years of experience as a founder, partner, investor, and advisor across a wide range of industries, including technology, manufacturing, logistics, and fashion. He bootstrapped the growth of digital transformation firm AHEAD, from startup to $250M in revenue, six offices, and 150 employees in seven years. A 2011 Entrepreneur Magazine article celebrated his successful leadership. The operational structure Aaron designed and implemented allowed the business to reach its current size of over $1.0B in revenue. Aaron has a B.S. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Aaron is an entrepreneur with 25 years of experience as a founder, partner, investor, and advisor across a wide range of industries, including technology, manufacturing, logistics, and fashion. He bootstrapped the growth of digital transformation firm AHEAD, from startup to $250M in revenue, six offices, and 150 employees in seven years. A 2011 Entrepreneur Magazine article celebrated his successful leadership. The operational structure Aaron designed and implemented allowed the business to reach its current size of over $1.0B in revenue. Aaron has a B.S. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
PROFESSIONALS
Employees and Contractors in the Black Lake Family
MILLION DOLLARS
Cumulative Revenue of the Black Lake Family of Companies
YEARS
Our Combined Investing and Management Experience
BILLION DOLLARS
Our Combined Investing and Management Experience
Advisory Board
Dick Grove
Advisory Board Member
Previously, Richard served as President and CEO of Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation, a power tool company with over $500M in annual sales. His background includes a range of acquisitions, divestitures, and financial transactions – including leveraged buyouts led by KKR and Merrill Lynch Capital Partners. He received his BS in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh.
LD Johnson
Advisory Board Member
LaDon currently serves as CFO and director of CFO Systems LLC. Previously he was President and CFO of Icicle Seafoods, Inc. LaDon was also CFO of Cibus, a trait development company, and Advanta, the world’s fifth largest crop seed company. While with Cibus, he increased revenue sevenfold. He holds a BA in Business Administration from Iowa State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
John Marler
Advisory Board Member
Most recently, John Marler served as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Set Solutions, a Texas based cybersecurity solution provider and integrator. Under John’s leadership, Set Solutions grew from a regional boutique to a superregional enterprise provider with annual revenue of $175M in sales. With 25+ years in the high-tech industry, his experience spans the arc of modern-day information technology – from network & cybersecurity engineering at ecommerce pioneer Dell Computer, through sales and services in cybersecurity, and in more recent years leading organizations as CEO, President, COO, CTO, and VP Sales. John holds a BBA in Management Information Systems from Texas A&M.