Our Team.

Kevin Daugherty is Founder and Managing Director of Speyside Equity, where he is responsible for sourcing, executing, managing, and exiting investments. Kevin has previously served in operational roles, and he currently serves on the Boards of several of our portfolio companies.

Before founding Speyside Equity, Kevin was a Director with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Transaction Services group, providing merger and acquisition services to clients in the United States and Germany. Prior to that, Kevin sold manufacturing equipment to industrial customers for Emerson Electric.

A graduate of Oakland University, Kevin obtained his MBA from the University of Michigan Business School.

Eric Wiklendt is a Managing Director with Speyside Equity. He is responsible for sourcing, executing, overseeing, and exiting investments. He also leads portco optimization efforts and firm process improvement initiatives. He is a current or past board member at several of our portfolio companies.

Previously, Eric was President and CEO of Kelix Heat Transfer Systems, a manufacturing firm focused on the geothermal HVAC space. He also held progressive roles at Eaton Corporation and Hilti Corporation, including completing mergers and acquisitions, opening an automotive plant in Mexico, running a seventy-person marketing department, and leading a sizeable industrial salesforce.

Eric is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Nicholas Lardo is a Managing Director with Speyside Equity. He is responsible for sourcing, executing, overseeing, and exiting investments. He is a board member at several of our portfolio companies.

Before joining the firm in 2016, Nicholas worked in private equity at Brazos Private Equity Partners and Harvest Partners, and as an investment banker at The Blackstone Group; along with serving in operational management roles as the CFO of a Tier 1 supplier to Caterpillar and other OEMs.

Nicholas is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and holds an MBA from Harvard University.

Elena Millner is a VP with Speyside Equity. She is responsible for sourcing investments and working with portfolio companies on value-creation opportunities.

Previously, Elena was Senior Director at Advocate Capital Advisors. Advocate is a boutique investment banking firm focused on founder-owner-operator businesses. She also held progressive roles at Bluefin Advisors, Lockton Companies, and Sterling Partners.

Elena is a University of Notre Dame graduate and holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University.