Where MDs Build Their Future, Their Way

My path to FOCUS was different than most of my colleagues. I started my finance career in traditional financial planning and strategy roles working for Fortune 500 and large privately held companies.

My primary responsibilities in these roles included supporting strategic planning initiatives, cross-functional projects and corporate operations. For many years before joining FOCUS I worked for a large institutional investor contributing to its private equity and hedge fund investment strategies. In this role, I was responsible for research, analysis and fund selection covering the $2B portfolio.

I wanted a change in careers and investment banking had always interested me. I came across FOCUS and interviewed several senior team members. The biggest factor in joining FOCUS was how they supported career progression. I joined FOCUS as a research associate and within 18 months I transitioned into a banker role on the consumer team. My traditional finance experience helped me become a banker with responsibility for creating my own pipeline of business and for executing transactions.

Being a banker at FOCUS is a high risk, high reward role where I am taking a bet on myself. FOCUS offers the opportunity to build your business in a unique way while providing a stable infrastructure. There is operational support which allows you to concentrate on transactions. The firm invests in its employees to help them succeed and also allows them to focus on what works best for your individual client needs.

Motivated individuals flourish in the FOCUS environment. From a support perspective you have access to administrative, compliance, marketing, and research teams. The guidelines provide continuity without being bureaucratic or burdening your productivity. The structure provides you with the ability to be effective in the marketplace. Everyone around you wants you to succeed and the culture exudes that.

I have worked for two nationally recognized middle market investment banks where I focused on the telecommunications services industry.

I started my career at Legg Mason in their investment banking group. In 2005 when they divested their investment banking group to Stifel, I joined Stifel to build their Telecom group. My clients include providers of network related hardware and software products, wireless and wireline telecommunications service providers and network engineering and construction companies. Before becoming an investment banker, I had a successful seven-year career as an officer in the U.S. Army Military Intelligence Corps. I enjoy hiking and the outdoors and have had the good fortune to go on backpacking trips on three continents and several islands.

When the 2008 financial crisis hit, I found myself looking for my next role. I came across FOCUS through networking and researching middle market investment banks. As I learned more about the organization, I found the opportunity interesting as it was a way to take a bet on myself. I would have deal execution support, but I was in control of my own success. FOCUS offers flexibility and provides a structured way to run my own business within a business. The compensation model differs from my previous investment banker roles but is very transparent. Joining FOCUS would allow me the opportunity to concentrate on my clients’ goals rather than a year-end deadline to get a discretionary bonus.

Over the past 14 years, I have seen FOCUS grow and welcome bankers with a variety of expertise. FOCUS built an infrastructure to provide compliance, research, marketing and administrative resources to bankers; as a result, my business has thrived. The firm has developed a well-known brand in the market. The collaborative culture across the firm enables me to draw extensive knowledge from my colleagues. FOCUS has created a relationship with referral partners that can provide deal flow. While this is not the main way I bring clients to FOCUS, it helps me maintain a healthy pipeline and revenue source.

If a banker is looking for freedom and flexibility, FOCUS is absolutely the right choice. You have the ability to manage your business within broad guardrails with the support of a variety of departments – research, marketing and HR. Flexibility lends itself to different styles of execution and you are not stuck in a box with one way to do everything. FOCUS provides you with the tools to do an outstanding job for your clients.

Prior to becoming an investment banker, I was a healthcare operator. I worked for a physician services company that invested in ambulatory surgery centers and physician practices.

In 2016, I founded a boutique investment bank that offered advisory services to physician practices. Physicians First was one of the nation’s most active advisors for transactions between private equity firms and medical practices. The practice covered healthcare provider services, home health and hospice, and behavioral health. When I am not working, I love to exercise, be outside, and travel with my family. Our favorite places to go are Kiawah Island, Rosemary Beach, and Glen Arbor, Michigan. We also love to ski in Beaver Creek, CO.

I wanted to stay an entrepreneur but be able to spend more time helping my clients and less on the administrative and back-end office responsibilities. I knew I could join a traditional firm and be one of many investment bankers. While I would receive the support I was looking for, I would be limited in my ability to control my business. FOCUS offered a unique way to continue operating as I had been and still benefit from an infrastructure with research, marketing and HR support. Merging Physicians First with FOCUS was a good fit for both parties. FOCUS did not have a team covering this sector and my team acquired the support we needed to grow.

The FOCUS infrastructure enabled me to grow my business, but it’s more than the additional support. Merging my previous firm with FOCUS provides professional freedom and the ability to maintain a larger financial piece of what I generate without the additional stress. The entrepreneurial spirit matches with my approach. FOCUS was transparent about who they are, their goals and what working for them means from the first conversation.

An experienced banker with a collaborative and entrepreneurial spirit will excel at FOCUS. FOCUS provides a foundation for experienced bankers to run their business. Some firms can talk about how they collaborate internally, but FOCUS shows this from the top down – within the firm and with their clients. It’s proven in new employee onboarding, transaction process and overall camaraderie.

I founded several automotive related businesses and worked in a variety of roles with a Fortune 500 company including regional marketing manager, district manager, strategic program development and project management.

Although my career started in finance, I took a 20-year detour to work in the automotive aftermarket. I transitioned back into finance 20 years ago when I joined a regional investment bank based in Charlotte, NC. I have done deals in a variety of industries, but most have been in automotive and healthcare. Joining FOCUS in 2013 was the best career decision I have made. When I am not working, I enjoy fixing up my cabin, collecting pawn shop guitars and working out.

I was outgrowing my previous firm and needed more support to grow my business. I needed a larger boutique M&A firm where I could learn from more experienced bankers and have access to resources that were not then available to me. I did my own research to learn about firms that I thought could be a fit. FOCUS stood out from the others because of its size, experience, infrastructure (research and marketing) and it was an established brand. In particular, I also liked the fact that it is a registered investment bank licensed by the SEC and regulated by FINRA. It’s a real differentiator.

FOCUS allows me to concentrate on building my business and supports my efforts with its strong infrastructure. I am surrounded by seasoned bankers – most with operating experience within their industry. FOCUS is not so regimented that I can’t continue to be myself and operate in the way I do business. I am at a point in my career where professional and personal autonomy is very important to me. Not only does FOCUS allow that – it’s encouraged. Additionally, the compensation structure is very fair and transparent from the beginning. FOCUS offers bankers the opportunity to control their own success with great flexibility.

When bankers join FOCUS, they are welcomed by a team of highly collaborative individuals that all work together with one goal in mind – our clients. Even though I work mostly on the automotive team, I share my knowledge with everyone in the firm and help in other categories where I can. I am supported by a team of highly experienced analysts, research and marketing people. FOCUS runs like a big firm while still allowing everyone to operate like entrepreneurs.

Michael McGregor retired from FOCUS as a Managing Director in 2025. He stays connected with FOCUS as a Senior Advisor.

The automotive aftermarket is in my blood. My family built a tire dealership spanning five states with over 130 locations plus a wholesale division.

As vice president of a regional tire chain, I was responsible for all aspects of the operation, including sales, marketing, finance and human resources growing the business and preparing for an eventual exit to a private equity platform. Other roles and experience I have included finance, business analysis, operations and supply chain management.

Fun fact: I’m an avid sports fan and basketball fan. My favorite team is the LA Lakers and meeting Kobe was one of my best memories.

I first met FOCUS when my father and uncle were approached to sell their companies. I always had an interest in investment banking and throughout this process I learned a great amount about FOCUS. Having this perspective on the firm is unique. As a prospect, I felt comfortable that FOCUS understood my company, the market and the buyers. I knew I would be in good hands. My background as an operator and industry expert matched with those of successful bankers at FOCUS. I took time to learn about the firm culture and structure. My journey from principal to managing director was an educational process and I needed to hold myself accountable for each phase.

My team is unique because of our various perspectives: as a client, operator and M&A advisor. This is very helpful for junior bankers as they grow within the organization. Additionally, senior bankers advocate for those who are less experienced. Over the past five years I have felt the support from others around me. Ramping up my pipeline of deals did not happen overnight, but bankers invested their time in teaching me every step of the process so I could become an independent and producing banker.

Marketing at FOCUS is extremely important. Successful bankers invest time and resources to promote their expertise within the industry. FOCUS provides a variety of support (writer, editor, database manager and graphic design) to implement your strategy. The culture is very friendly and collaborative – everyone is available to help. It is a great place to build your own brand and succeed in your career.