About Us
We’re Changing Middle Market Investment Banking
Our Story
Paddock Capital Markets was founded by Bill Salus and Jeff Solomon who had a simple yet powerful realization: the mid-market sector was grossly underserved. Big banks give their top talent and attention to larger deals, leaving a gap that overlooks the unique needs of middle-market companies and their visionary founders.
Our mission at Paddock Capital Markets is to fill this void by providing tailored financial advisory services that leverage global our large-market experience and deep transactional knowledge. We are here not just as bankers, but as partners who understand the rhythm of the market and the challenges faced by owner-founders. Unlike the distant approach of large banks, our conversations begin with understanding your market and your needs, ensuring that our advice is perfectly aligned with your goals.
At Paddock Capital Markets, you’re not just another deal; you’re a valued client whose success is our priority.
Meet the Team
Bill Salus
Co-founder & Managing Partner
Bill has more than 30 years of experience in executive management, business development, and relationship management in the investment and financial services industry both in the U.S. and abroad. Bill is a domain and subject matter expert in mergers & acquisitions and other capital transactions. Bill consults with asset, fund, and investment servicing firms on engagements across the investment management ecosystem.
Jeff Solomon
Co-founder & Managing Partner
Jeff has more than 15 years of experience in investment banking and management consulting. In each of his prior roles, Jeff has been instrumental in driving M&A transactions to completion by providing founders and CEOs guidance in navigating the deal-making process. To date, Jeff has advised on over 40 completed M&A transactions, totaling more than $65 billion in transaction volume since 2011.
Bill Wendel
Managing Director
Bill Wendel has over 25 years of executive experience across investment management, private wealth, and alternatives distribution. As both a founder and senior leader at major global firms, he provides strategic advisory through the lens of entrepreneur and executive. Bill has advised firms from early stage to over $100 billion in AUM, developing go-to-market strategies spanning fund adoptions, roll-ups, mergers, and large transactions. His expertise in U.S. wealth distribution has supported international firms including Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia in successfully entering the U.S. market.
Sri Malladi
Managing Director
Sri Malladi brings 17 years of experience in M&A and strategic finance, having advised on 42 transactions totaling over $8 billion in deal value. His transaction background spans bulge bracket investment banking and corporate development roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Macquarie, and Hertz, giving him deep expertise across the deal lifecycle.
Patrick Fraley
Managing Director
Patrick has more than 15 years of experience in investment banking advisory and M&A transaction accounting. During these roles, Patrick advised clients through the complexity of the sale of existing businesses and the acquisition of value-added platforms. Working alongside clients of a broad range of value, Patrick has guided management teams through the full M&A process from preparation to completion.
Jack Smith
Investment Director
Jack Smith brings over a decade of corporate development and investment banking experience. Before joining Paddock Capital Markets as Investment Director, he held M&A and corporate development roles at JTC Group and a global media and technology company. At Paddock, Jack leads coverage of UK and European transactions. He holds a BSc in Economics and is a certified Chartered Accountant.
Riley Monahan
Investment Banking Associate
Before joining Paddock, Riley worked in management consulting at Deloitte. As a consultant, Riley worked in the Government and Public Services space servicing DoD agencies in a deeper understanding of their financial reports. He also supported Deloitte Catalyst, the Venture Capital arm of Deloitte where he focused on emerging hybrid businesses through accelerating innovation and growth, and creating sustainable value across industries. Riley received a BS in Accounting from Penn State.
Paddock's Strategic Partners
Diadem Capital
The Diadem Capital fundraising platform supports Paddock’s customers by matching high-growth companies with investors and lenders to make funding accessible, efficient, and frictionless.
Stephanie Rieben and Joe Hammill, co-founders of Diadem, lead the partnership with Paddock. Stephanie spent over a decade on Wall Street in investment banking and equities trading, while Joe is a seasoned entrepreneur with 10 years at Citigroup, where he led global projects.
Stephanie Rieben
CEO & Co-founder
Joe Hammill
COO & Co-founder
Hawk Strategies
Hawk Strategies serves as a strategic advisor to our clients in the industrial sector. Our collaboration combines Hawk’s institutional knowledge and decades of M&A experience with Paddock Capital Markets’ expertise, ensuring our clients benefit from industry-specific insights and proven execution skills.
Anthony Attanasio, founder and CEO at Hawk, is an experienced leader in transportation and external affairs who directed key transportation initiatives as Vice President at AECOM, a Fortune 200 Company.
Anthony Attanasio | Founder & CEO
Strauss Capital
Strauss Capital and Paddock Capital Markets jointly bring decades of M&A transaction advisory experience across a wide range of industry verticals. Both firms are committed to providing the highest levels of Wall Street advice to middle-market companies and emerging businesses. This strategic partnership offers our clients expert guidance from senior bankers and seasoned industry professionals.
The partnership is led by Tom Strauss, who has over 30 years of experience in corporate finance and M&A and a previous career in law at Lehman Brothers.
Tom Strauss | Founder
Contact Us
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