ABOUT

Our Story

In our heart of hearts, like the sellers we partner with, the Borgman Capital team are true entrepreneurs. We know what it takes to forge ahead, and to be honorable and resilient in an industry that demands your all.

That’s why when it comes to private equity—selling, investing, financial counsel, and more— Borgman Capital is the first thought.

We focus on what we know best and for which we have a deep appreciation—lower middle market businesses. We believe this area is underserved, and we know the importance of shared values between private equity and seller partnerships. The connections we build with our sellers, their teams, and within our own vast network of financial and advisory resources are genuine. They’re grounded on trust and a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to succeed.

By embracing your entrepreneurial spirit whether through building a business or considering an exciting investment venture, you’re taking the road less traveled. It’s a long way to success, and we’re here with you, every step of the way.

Core Values

Our word is our bond.

When we commit, we follow through 100% of the time.

We prioritize people.

Because at the end of the day, we’re buying corporations full of individuals. Investing in their livelihood yields a smoother transition and a higher return on capital investment, too. Our track record proves it.

We do things for the right reasons.

We’re thankful that we get to do business with people we enjoy, so we give back to the community that makes it all possible.

We don’t sweat the small stuff

The big stuff, either. As long-term investors, we know businesses go up and down, and we roll with the punches. We stay focused on the big picture.

We win.

We’re always working toward those win-win-win scenarios when we accomplish high-market value for our sellers, our investors, and Borgman Capital.

Team

Brent Adam

MANAGING DIRECTOR
Brent Adam joined Borgman Capital as chief financial officer in 2020 and was named a partner and managing director in 2023. He has nearly 20 years of finance and accounting experience with a focus on mergers and acquisitions. Brent started his career with Ernst & Young, where he spent 11 years in the mergers and acquisitions group after spending his first three years as an auditor. While working in M&A, he assisted both corporate and private equity clients on around 100 transactions, advising on deals ranging from $1 million to $6 billion in enterprise value. After his time at Ernst & Young, Brent served as CFO at a food co-packing company and guided the company to a successful exit.
Brent received both a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, majoring in accounting, and Master’s of Accountancy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He serves on the board of directors of Olympus Group and is the Managing Member of the Adam Group LLC, an investment company. In 2022, Brent was named a 2022 Notable CFO by BizTimes Milwaukee.
Ben Axelrod

MANAGING DIRECTOR
Ben Axelrod joined the firm as a managing director in 2023 to initiate Borgman Capital’s presence in the Twin Cities. He brings more than 20 years of business sale, merger, and acquisition experience to Borgman Capital. Prior to joining, Ben was a managing director and group head of the investment banking practice at CLA.
Ben’s passion is working with leaders of family-owned businesses to help them position their companies for the next chapter of ownership and growth. Over his career, he has completed over 70 M&A transactions, primarily assisting small and medium-sized businesses.
Previously, Ben worked in the Minneapolis offices of Lazard, as well as RBC Capital Markets. He began his career in mergers and acquisitions in Frankfurt, Germany at BHF Bank. Ben received a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in economics with a minor in international relations from Stanford University.
Sequoya Borgman

FOUNDER & CEO
Sequoya Borgman is the Founder and CEO of Borgman Capital. He has more than two decades of mergers and acquisitions structuring, planning, and due diligence experience. Prior to founding Borgman Capital, Sequoya was a partner and practice leader for RSM US LLP, a large multi-national public accounting firm. Much of his practice consisted of private equity firms or their partner companies. He has significant experience consulting on complex transactions for both large public and large and small private companies, many with international operations. He has been involved in hundreds of merger, acquisition, restructuring, and financing transactions over his career.
Sequoya holds both Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in accounting from East Carolina University. In addition, he sits on numerous public company, private company, non-profit, and professional organization boards.
Megan Brobson

VICE PRESIDENT
Megan Brobson is a vice president at Borgman Capital. She joined the firm in 2019 as an analyst. Prior to working at Borgman Capital, she spent six years working in client finance at subsidiaries of two global, public companies – WPP PLC and Publicis Group S.A. Megan focused primarily on forecasting and financial analysis, driving growth and profitability across her client businesses, and improving internal agency wide operational processes.
She is also involved in a variety of non-profit and professional organizations and currently serves as the Wisconsin chapter immediate past president of Midwest Business Brokers and Intermediaries (MBBI).
Megan holds a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University in finance and marketing. Outside of professional pursuits, Megan enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling, and cooking.
Kemp Collings

VICE PRESIDENT - REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS
Kemp Collings has eight years of commercial real estate experience and, as the Vice President - Real Estate Investments, is responsible for sourcing and executing real estate acquisitions for the firm. Additionally, he supports real estate initiatives for portfolio companies. Prior to joining Borgman Capital, Kemp worked on Investment Advisory teams at Founders 3 in Milwaukee and HFF Capital Markets (later acquired by JLL) in Chicago. Prior to HFF, he spent five years working overseas for Related Companies and the American Chamber of Commerce in China. While working for Related, Kemp spent three years on their capital markets team and raised private equity capital for mixed-use development projects in New York and Florida.
Kemp graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the Cox School of Business with a major in Finance and a minor in Mandarin Chinese.
Marit Harm

FUND ADMINISTRATOR & MARKETING MANAGER
Marit Harm is the Fund Administrator and Marketing Manager at Borgman Capital. Previously, Marit spent six years working at TEMPO, a membership organization for executive women in Southeastern Wisconsin. During her time there she held various roles with a focus on member experience, marketing communications, event planning, fundraising and program management. Prior to that, Marit worked at two different marketing agencies providing public relations counsel to clients in the agricultural and manufacturing industries.
A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Marit holds a B.A. in Journalism, Advertising and Media Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a minor in Spanish.
Marc Hill

MANAGING DIRECTOR - PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
Marc Hill is the Managing Director – Portfolio Management at Borgman Capital, overseeing value creation and driving growth strategies within the firm’s portfolio of operating companies. He joined the firm in October 2024, bringing extensive experience in leadership roles with public and private equity backed companies.
Most recently, Marc served for seven years as chief executive officer of Milwaukee pet food company Stella and Chewy’s. Prior to that, he served as president and CEO of outdoor recreation equipment supplier Coleman. Past roles include CEO of the U.S. Playing Card Co., owner of the Bicycle brand, and Divisional Senior Vice President at Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd., the parent company of Milwaukee Tool. He started his career with Black and Decker and helped launch DeWalt in Europe.
Marc earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Management from the University of Oregon—Charles H. Lundquist College of Business. He is based in Portland, Oregon, where he resides with his wife and daughter. Locally, Marc is a Member of the Board of Trustees of Catlin Gabel School. Marc is also an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and the Association for Corporate Governance (ACG).
Matt Kiefer

DIRECTOR - REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS
Matt Kiefer is the Director of Real Estate Investments at Borgman Capital where he leads the real estate practice at the firm. He has more than 15 years of commercial real estate experience and he has completed over 3.5 million square feet of commercial real estate transactions with a majority being industrial and office properties. He has completed numerous successful developments, value-add and core-plus real estate deals where he was responsible for sourcing, market/site analysis, due diligence, underwriting, debt and equity capital markets, strategic planning and asset management which delivered outpaced returns for investors. Further, Matt is co-founder and Managing Partner at Luigs Kiefer Group which holds a portfolio of office, retail and industrial properties in the Midwest. Additionally, Matt's diverse background includes 10 years of experience as a management consultant and strategic marketer with roles in mergers and acquisitions, strategy, data analytics, product management, and new product development. A large part of his consulting career was spent at West Monroe Partners.
Matt received a Master’s of Business Administration from Marquette University in finance and real estate. He also earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University where he also played basketball. Additionally, he holds his Indiana real estate brokerage license and is an active volunteer in his community.
Adam Kuborn

ANALYST
Adam Kuborn joined Borgman Capital as an analyst in August 2023. In his role he assists with new investment analysis, financial modeling, transaction due diligence and portfolio company support and analysis.
Adam previously worked at Western Union for two years as a risk manager in Denver, overseeing the credit risk program and holding credit approval authority for North American clients. Prior to Western Union, Adam spent four years within commercial banking, underwriting new debt facilities and monitoring an existing lending portfolio based in Boulder, Colorado.
Adam is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and double majored in finance and real estate. Outside of work, he enjoys skiing, chess, and playing piano.
Michael Pepke

MANAGING DIRECTOR
Mike Pepke is a partner and managing director with Borgman Capital. He is also a retired shareholder at the law firm of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. where he worked for 41 years. Mike’s extensive experience allows him to contribute practical, real-world advice to clients regarding complex legal and business matters.
Over his career, Mike has provided legal counsel to a wide range of companies involved in various industries. He also served as general counsel to privately-owned, middle-market companies with a focus on acquisitions and succession planning. At Borgman Capital, he focuses on expanding the firm’s deal flow and managing investment strategies.
Mike holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.A. from the University of Michigan, and a J.D. from Cornell University Law School.
Matthew Pikus

SENIOR ASSOCIATE
Matthew Pikus is a senior associate at Borgman Capital. He joined the firm as an associate in July 2021. He is responsible for new investment analysis, financial modeling, transaction due diligence and portfolio company support and analysis.
Prior to joining Borgman Capital, Matthew spent three years with Wells Fargo’s Middle Market Banking team. During his time there, he was responsible for structuring new debt facilities and underwriting a portfolio of existing middle market customers. Prior to Wells Fargo, Matthew spent time interning in equity research and at a sports-focused start-up.
Originally from Kansas City, Matthew holds a Bachelor’s degree from Saint Louis University in finance.
Alex Reinhart

VICE PRESIDENT
Alex Reinhart is a vice president at Borgman Capital. He joined the firm as an associate in 2018. Prior to working at Borgman Capital, Alex worked for several years in Capital Markets for Santander Consumer USA, a Texas-based consumer finance company. Alex started his career working for Barclays Capital where he spent seven years working as a Risk Management Analyst and in Prime Services.
He is involved in leadership positions with a variety of non-profit and professional organizations.
Alex holds a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a master’s degree in business from the University of Texas. Outside of professional pursuits, he enjoys golfing, running, and skiing.