.png){kind=small}
Founded by Entrepreneurs. Led by Certified Experts.
Headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, Cornerstone is a boutique transaction advisory firm dedicated to guiding lower-middle-market business founders through Launch, Grow, and Exit. Every partner on our team has built, scaled, and exited their own enterprise.
Maximizing Value & Achieving Founder Aspirations
Cornerstone was founded on a singular conviction: business founders deserve transaction advisors who possess both firsthand entrepreneurial empathy and uncompromising institutional financial rigor.
We do not treat selling a business as an isolated transaction. We implement a multi-year discipline that aligns personal retirement goals with enterprise value, cleans balance sheets, eliminates founder dependence, and defends deal pricing during rigorous bank and buyer due diligence.
Cornerstone maintains an industry-leading 97% transaction closing success rate across 30+ M&A deals. Historically, our record was 100% until 2025, when a single engagement failed to close after nearly 3 years of work. That challenging transaction provided critical institutional lessons that reinforced our strict upfront underwriting standards.
Certified Credentials & Standards
Our partners hold elite national credentials that govern ethical transaction brokerage and appraisal practice:
• BCA (Business Certified Appraiser): Issued by the International Society of Business Appraisers (ISBA).
• CExP™ (Certified Exit Planner): Conferred by the Business Enterprise Institute (BEI) in Denver, CO.
• USPAP Compliance: Valuations fully adhere to Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.
• SBA SOP 50 10 8 / 8.1 Underwriting: Proven pre-qualification protocols with premier SBA lenders.
• Industry Expert Status: Designated by the Business Brokerage Press for Senior Care.
Meet the Cornerstone Leadership Team
Eight experienced partners and transaction specialists dedicated to your company's growth, valuation, and exit.
Dallas Romanowski
Serial founder, M&A intermediary, and author of Performance Culture. Dallas has served as lead advisor on 30+ middle-market M&A transactions. In 2015, he co-founded HR Tech SaaS platform WorkDove.com, engineering its growth and completing an institutional sale to private equity within 5 years. Prior background includes Business Development Executive at IBM, Management Consultant at Accenture, and civilian intern for the U.S. Dept of the Army. Holds the Business Certified Appraiser designation from ISBA.
Chip Mayo
Specialist in formal Exit Planning and ownership transitions. Over two decades managing transitions, corporate strategy, and marketing operations for global technology leaders. Credentialed as a Certified Exit Planner (CExP™) through the Business Enterprise Institute (BEI) in Denver, CO, with executive leadership certification from Pepperdine University. Chip designs tailored roadmaps that bridge owner wealth gaps and retain deal control.
Brian Smith
Senior operating executive specializing in restructurings, turnarounds, and institutional capital raises. Founding Member of Life Equity, LLC, securing $1.0+ Billion in financing from Berkshire Hathaway, Bear Stearns, JP Morgan, and Mizuho Bank before closing a sale to Kohlberg & Co. Former President & COO of Cole National ($1.1B retail giant operating 3,400 stores, 20,000 employees, and $1.6B system-wide sales).
Rich Novak
Leads Cornerstone's Executive Coaching and organizational alignment practices. Former Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Joseph Horne Co., where he directed HR operations across 3,200 employees. Equity partner and strategic advisor to multiple mid-sized private corporations, specializing in executive retention structures and conflict mediation.
Rob Kaiser
Media publisher, angel investor, and investigative business journalist. Owner and publisher of Wilmington Media + Marketing (producing Greater Wilmington Business Journal, WILMA, Good Life Wilmington, and regional expos). Former Director of angel network VentureSouth Wilmington and former reporter for The Chicago Tribune and The Asian Wall Street Journal.
Susan McLean, MSA
Over 20 years of accounting, finance, due diligence, and exit strategy execution. Co-founded Filmwerks International, directing financial operations through its majority equity sale to Seaport Capital Partners and subsequent carveout to Sunbelt Rentals. Holds a Master of Science in Accountancy (June 2024), an MBA from UNCW, and a BS from NC State.
.png)
Larry Blacker
Specialist in healthcare, senior care, and franchise brokerage. Owned and operated a Home Instead Senior Care franchise for 17+ years before successfully exiting via Cornerstone in 2018. Subsequently managed Medicare and private-duty nursing departments at a prominent continuing care retirement community.
Jennifer Wirtz
Directs firm operations, data room administration, regulatory policy tracking, and partner support. Brings 20+ years of executive operations experience, including project manager for a $40M food manufacturing enterprise and business development for Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Foundation.
Experience the Difference of True Operator Guidance
Connect directly with our Managing Partners to discuss business brokerage, certified appraisals, or exit planning.