Phillip Cooper

Managing Director

Phillip Cooper has nearly three decades of experience in investment banking, commercial banking, and corporate leadership.

As an investment banker specializing in acquisitions, Mr. Cooper has completed transactions that include debt financings, bankruptcies, and restructurings that range from $10 million to nearly $300 million. He has worked with clients in the industrial, manufacturing, business services, oil and gas, restaurants, communications, transportation/airline, consumer/retail, and aerospace and defense sectors. Notable brands he has worked with include AirTran Airways, Golfsmith International, Uno Restaurant Holdings, Telex Communications, and Apex Linen Service.

Prior to joining Palm Tree, Mr. Cooper spent nine years as an investment banker at Jefferies & Company and eight years as a boutique investment banker focused on lower middle-market companies. In 2019, he was awarded the Private Equity Deal of the Year ($50MM-$75MM) by The M&A Advisor.

Mr. Cooper’s background and skillset enable him to identify with the challenges faced by business owners and senior management. He has raised capital for clients, advised on M&A transactions, served as a principal on both buy- and sell-side M&A deals, and co-founded and operated a telecom firm. Mr. Cooper brings this unique range of perspectives to Palm Tree, where he helps clients achieve strategic objectives such as raising growth capital, acquisition financing, and debt restructuring. He values his client management skills and ability to develop long-term partnerships by helping clients become knowledgeable about capital-related processes.

Mr. Cooper was raised in Austin, Texas, and holds an MBA from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin. He currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Neither he nor his wife, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, understand the other’s work. They are raising five furry children.

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Pardis Nasseri

Chairman and CEO

Derek Alderton

Vice Chairman

Portrait of a male executive in a blue plaid shirt
Tracy Albert

Vice Chairman, Investment Banking

Clayton Grindle

President and Chief Operations Officer

David Wolinsky

Chief Talent Officer

Ryan Kanaley

Chief Financial Officer

Chris Felderman

Senior Managing Director,
Co-Head of Consulting

Mitchel Nakken

Senior Managing Director,
Co-Head of Consulting

Stephen E. Rossi

Senior Managing Director,
Head of Investment Banking

David M.V. Barnes

Managing Director, Head of M&A

Britt Terrell

Managing Director,
Head of Capital Markets

Phillip Cooper

Managing Director

Spencer Hong

Managing Director

Rouzheen Myrick

Managing Director

Vincent Nguyen

Managing Director

Steven Richards

Managing Director

Dulce Martinez

Head of Client Coverage

Rishi Chellani

Director

Nick Fedorchak

Director

Matt Murray

Director

M. Charles Festa

Director, Talent Acquisition

Dieema Wheaton

Director, Talent Management

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Danny Arnaout

Senior Vice President

Stephanie Kersey

Senior Vice President

Kathleen Obiala

Senior Vice President

Michael Sieglen

Senior Vice President

Joseph Wade

Senior Vice President

Careers with Palm Tree

We have select positions available at all levels of our organization. Contact us for a confidential discussion about joining a firm that L.A. Business Journal named among L.A.'s most influential M&A advisors.

Exposure to projects and opportunities to work closely with clients offers Palm Tree employees lateral and progressive advancement inside the firm.

We currently have positions available within the organization for employees of top accounting and consulting firms and for recent graduates.