Linda Mertz
Managing Director

"In order to provide great service, we focus our efforts on a limited number of clients at any given time. A total commitment to our clients is a cornerstone of Mertz."

Linda Mertz, CPA, has personally closed over 80 transactions.  These successes include sales and acquisition searches for prominent Fortune 500 companies, smaller privately held companies and private equity groups.  She actively leads deal teams throughout the sale or acquisition process and has extensive experience in selling and buying manufacturing, distribution and business service companies.  

Ms. Mertz also brings operational experience to her clients, having held various executive positions in the equipment-leasing field.  Earlier in her career, she was among the youngest ever to be promoted to manager at Coopers & Lybrand.  She serves or has served on several boards, including the Cheney Company and Association for Corporate Growth.  She is past president and chairperson of the International Network of M&A Partners, a prestigious global network of highly respected merger and acquisition specialists.  Ms. Mertz has published numerous articles in periodicals including Mergers & Acquisitions, M&A Today, M&A Insider and Wisconsin CPA.

Ms. Mertz earned a B.A. in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma. She earned an executive MBA with honors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Ward Wickwire
Managing Director

"I enjoy the creativity needed to succeed in mergers and acquisitions. Each project is an opportunity to apply our skills and experience to a new set of circumstances and challenges."

Ward Wickwire has more than 30 years of hands-on experience in mergers and acquisitions, new ventures, patent licensing and research and development.  During his career, Mr. Wickwire has spearheaded over 50 acquisition, divestiture or licensing projects with a specialty in intellectual property issues related to acquisitions and divestitures.

Prior to joining Mertz Associates in 1989, he served as director-corporate development of Inryco, a construction subsidiary of Inland Steel Company.  While there, he launched a new division and led another as general manager.  Mr. Wickwire has served as a Director of Heurikon Corp. and St. Charles Manufacturing Corp.  He also is past chairman and past president of the International Network of M&A Partners.

Douglas Marconnet
Managing Director

"The philosophy of teamwork at Mertz is a strength in how we work with our clients and their advisors. By sharing ideas and experiences, we provide the best opportunity for our clients, and therefore Mertz, to succeed."

Doug Marconnet has been involved in over 50 merger and acquisition projects since joining Mertz Associates in 1989.  He advises public, private, private equity and international businesses, frequently working with clients on a repeat basis.  Mr. Marconnet has hands-on experience with acquisition searches, divestitures, sales and recapitalizations.  In managing client engagements, he leads the process from preparation and marketing through negotiations and closing.  Mr. Marconnet founded a roundtable business discussion group.  He also has published several articles exploring key issues about buying and selling businesses and served on the board of a non-profit organization.

He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in marketing and business administration from Carthage College and earned his MBA with distinction at Keller Graduate School of Management.

Annette Knoll
Vice President

"Our experience, resources and perspective in business valuation optimize value for Mertz's clients."

Annette Knoll has been with Mertz Associates since 1988 and participated in over 60 merger and acquisition projects. In her role as Vice President, Ms. Knoll oversees the development of offering documents, marketing strategies and custom databases. She has extensive experience with financial analysis and modeling techniques. Ms. Knoll is the company librarian, managing the extensive library of print and electronic information resources utilized in active client searches.

Prior to joining Mertz, Ms. Knoll worked in budgeting at MGIC where she assisted in the coordination of the annual budget process. Ms. Knoll graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a major in finance.

Corey B. Vanderpoel
Vice President

"The mix of strategic experience, research capabilities, and all-around team attitude at Mertz allows us to add value to clients by succeeding as one."

Corey B. Vanderpoel joined Mertz Associates in 2003. As a Vice President, Mr. Vanderpoel has hands-on global experience with acquisition searches, divestitures and sales of public and private companies. Mr. Vanderpoel participates in and leads client projects from preparation and marketing through negotiations and closing.  Involvement includes building databases of prospective buyers and sellers, preparing offering documents, implementing marketing strategies and developing financial analyses and valuations. In addition to his client assignments, Mr. Vanderpoel also assists in Mertz’s recruiting, research and technology objectives.

Mr. Vanderpoel earned a bachelor's degree with honors in Finance and Management Information Systems from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where he was elected to Beta Gamma Sigma and Who’s Who Among Students in America’s Universities and Colleges. Mr. Vanderpoel earned his MBA from Marquette University. Prior to joining Mertz, Mr. Vanderpoel was employed as a consultant at Greenbrier & Russel where he was involved with business analyses, risk/technical assessments, and project leadership.

Robert A. Jansen
Associate

"Through a diligent and committed focus on client service, the Mertz team has built a reputation of exceeding client expectations, recognizing that every client has unique needs and objectives"

Robert A. Jansen joined Mertz Associates in 2004. As an associate, Mr. Jansen participates in client projects by preparing offering documents, developing financial analyses and valuations, and working with custom databases. Prior to joining Mertz, Mr. Jansen was employed as a Senior Auditor at Deloitte & Touche LLP where he was involved in the planning, coordination, and execution of financial audits for a variety of public and private businesses. Mr. Jansen currently serves as the Treasurer of Historic Milwaukee, Inc., a local non-profit organization, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and Young Professionals of Milwaukee.

Mr. Jansen graduated magna cum laude from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee with a bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, and Economics. In addition to being a Wisconsin licensed CPA, Mr. Jansen is a level II candidate in the Chartered Financial Analyst program.

Bluzette Martin
Office Administrator

"The integrity and detail-oriented nature of Mertz results in an unmatched level of commitment to our clients.”

Bluzette Martin joined Mertz Associates in 1999. She manages daily office operations, organizes seminars conducted by Mertz and oversees literature development. Ms. Martin also manages all promotional and client marketing mailings, along with maintaining a large database of contacts.

Ms. Martin brought with her extensive work experience in the food and mortgage industries. Her past experience includes working at Central States Mortgage Company managing the Post-Closing Department, along with managing several Heinemann’s restaurant locations throughout the Milwaukee area.

Laurance R. Newman
Sr. Advisor

"Experience, knowledge, and creativity allow us to find solutions and results for our clients that they never contemplated."

Laurance R. Newman is the President of Access Management, a Wisconsin based management consulting firm that works with companies on the development and execution of global business strategies and tactics. He is also the Senior Managing Director of the Kotler Marketing Group -- a Washington DC based marketing consulting organization. Mr. Newman has consulted for companies such as Champion International, Michelin, Shell Oil, Amoco Oil, and IBM. Prior to forming Access Management, Mr. Newman was President and CEO of Rexworks, Inc., a Milwaukee based public company that manufactured large industrial machinery for the cement and waste reduction industries. Before joining Rexworks, Mr. Newman spent over 33 years in senior executive and management roles at SC Johnson Wax. He had responsibility for the worldwide planning process for over 80 strategic business units and completed the acquisition and divestiture of over 30 businesses. As Executive Vice President of both the Worldwide Service Business and Asia-Pacific Businesses, Mr. Newman had direct responsibility for 20 business units in 13 different countries.

Mr. Newman has a BS from Northwestern University and a MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern. He is a member of the Board of four businesses and a founder and director of the Wisconsin Association of Corporate Growth. He has also participated in writing three books on corporate development and strategic acquisition planning.

Orville Mertz founded Mertz Associates in the late 1970s. His daughter, Linda Mertz, now owns and manages the firm.

Prior to founding Mertz, Orville had over thirty years of experience in the field of mergers and acquisitions. He served as board member, Treasurer, President, CEO and Chairman of Koehring Company during its period of most vigorous merger and acquisition activity. There were 44 transactions accomplished while Orville was a board member.

Orville received the Wisconsin Business Leader of the Year Award from the Harvard Business Club of Wisconsin. He served on the boards of Marshall & Ilsley Bank of Milwaukee, Universal Foods, NN Corporation and RTE Corporation.

Orville led the merger of the Wisconsin Manufacturers Association with the Wisconsin State Chamber of Commerce, to become the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC). now nearly 4,000 members represent Wisconsin business.