Ben Howatt
Principal

Mr. Howatt is a Principal of Waypoint Advisors, LLC and managing partner of The Howatt Group Ltd. He is a former investment banker and corporate analyst with more than 15 years of experience in valuation, mergers & acquisitions, financial analysis, and commercial credit.

As Vice President of Financing Products with First Union (now Wachovia) Securities’ Debt Finance Group, Ben Howatt was a relationship and portfolio manager for various middle market clients. He underwrote, negotiated, and managed multi-million dollar debt placements and regularly worked with Private Equity Groups, executives of client companies, and lender syndicates. He has also been involved in debt restructurings and workouts.

Industries included general manufacturing, equipment rental, injection molding, forged products, technology, automotive, plus other diversified industrial and specialty services industries. Financing facilities ranged from $25 million to more than $1 billion.

As a due diligence coordinator for First Union, Ben Howatt assisted with numerous buy-side transactions, including:

• Publicly traded and privately held bank-holding companies
• Securities dealers and brokerage houses
• Mutual fund advisors
• Leasing companies
• Mortgage banking firms
• Boutique investment banking firms
• Insurance agencies

He has also held senior positions in financial and business analysis and has served as a regional controller within the bank.

Ben received his M.S. in Economics (Finance Concentration) from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a B.B.A. in accounting from the University of North Florida, and a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida. He attends professional continuing education classes on an ongoing basis, and is actively involved in various civic and professional organizations.