With deep roots in finance and operations, our team brings hands-on leadership and a commitment to preserving what matters — while driving long-term success.
Investment Team
We’re a purpose-driven investment firm rooted in the Great Lakes region. Our team combines deep financial expertise with hands-on operational leadership to help legacy businesses grow, thrive, and transition with care.
Jordan is the Founder and Managing Partner of Prosperas Growth Partners. In his role, he works closely with owners to facilitate succession, preserve their legacy, and create enduring value. His career spans more than twelve years across investment banking, private equity, consulting, and entrepreneurship.
He began at the corporate headquarters of Houlihan Lokey (NYSE: HLI) in Los Angeles, where he quickly became one of the Industrial M&A group’s top analysts and advised on more than thirty sell-side and buy-side transactions totaling over $1 billion in enterprise value. He later joined Blackford Capital, a leading Michigan buyout firm focused on majority-control investments in manufacturing and industrial services businesses, where he led deal sourcing, investor relations, and end-to-end transaction execution while supporting strategic initiatives across the firm’s portfolio. He was nominated for the M&A Advisor Emerging Leaders Award, which recognizes rising professionals under forty who have made meaningful contributions to the industry.
In addition to his transaction experience, Jordan has advised high-profile clients in healthcare and manufacturing on growth strategy and M&A readiness, further broadening the strategic lens he now brings to his work at Prosperas. He earned both his Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Business Administration with High Distinction from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, graduating Beta Gamma Sigma and receiving the Ira Harris Award for ranking at the top of his MBA class.
Originally from Los Angeles, California, Jordan is an avid golfer, fisherman, and boater with a deep passion for spending time in Northern Michigan. He is also a committed mentor to young, aspiring entrepreneurs, reflecting his dedication to giving back to the community and cultivating the next generation of business leaders.
Steve serves as a Partner at Prosperas Growth Partners, where he helps assess sales and marketing strategies, identify commercial growth opportunities, and support target companies in building scalable go-to-market systems. Drawing on his deep experience in brand management, innovation strategy, and category leadership, Steve plays a hands-on role in helping Prosperas strengthen the commercial foundation of the businesses it seeks to acquire and grow.
His professional experience includes more than a decade of general management, marketing, brand building, and category leadership across Fortune 500 companies and high-growth business units. At Perrigo Company, he led innovation strategy and multi-year growth roadmaps for a $400 million portfolio, the company’s largest business line, launching top-performing products ranked among the highest in their category.
Prior to Perrigo, Steve held commercial leadership roles at Stryker Corporation, where he guided the global brand strategy for a $300 million medical service business, and at The Kraft Heinz Company, where he managed iconic brands such as Capri Sun and Breakstone’s, including launching new products that generated tens of millions in incremental revenue.
Steve began his career in digital marketing at Walmart, developing consumer engagement strategies that shaped customer behavior at scale. Across every role, he has consistently driven profitable growth, built high-performing teams, and elevated brand and sales performance in both B2C and B2B settings.
A Michigan native, Steve earned his BBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, graduating with High Distinction and a tuition merit scholarship. He brings to Prosperas deep expertise in marketing, sales enablement, P&L management, and operational execution, paired with a strong command of consumer insight, strategic planning, and innovation management. His guidance will be instrumental in helping Prosperas drive growth, enhance commercial effectiveness, and build a scalable, customer-centric platform.
He currently resides in Kalamazoo, MI with his wife and two children. Outside of work, Steve enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, volunteering, and rooting for his Wolverines.
Emanuele brings a dynamic blend of entrepreneurial acumen, strategic insight, and global perspective to Prosperas Growth Partners. With over seven years of experience in business strategy, data analytics, and cross-functional leadership, he plays an integral role in researching, identifying, and evaluating investment opportunities for the firm. He is also responsible for coordinating due diligence and supporting deal execution activities.
Emanuele’s journey began as a professional golfer, representing the Italian National Team and competing in over 200 events across 26 countries. This experience instilled in him a strong foundation of discipline, time management, and goal-oriented focus, which he has carried into his career in business and finance.
Prior to joining Prosperas, Emanuele served as Business Analyst and Director at the Mike Bender Elite Golf Academy, where he led the program to extraordinary growth—boosting student enrollment by 340% and revenue by 230%. By implementing data-driven strategies, optimizing operations, and building high-performing teams, he helped transform the organization into a market leader.
Emanuele graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rollins College with a degree in Business Management and was honored with the Holt Excellence in Business Award for outstanding academic and leadership performance. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and Italian.
Outside of work, Emanuele enjoys traveling the world with his wife, staying active through yoga and fitness, and continuing his lifelong passion for golf.
Joe supports all aspects of the investment process at Prosperas Growth Partners, with a particular focus on sourcing and evaluating potential acquisition opportunities. He plays an active role in identifying founder and family-owned businesses that align with the firm’s investment criteria, engaging directly with owners, advisors, and industry partners to build relationships and develop a high-quality deal pipeline. In addition to sourcing, Joe performs valuation analyses, supports due diligence efforts, and assists in transaction execution.
He brings a strong foundation in leadership, financial analysis, and strategic problem-solving, consistently demonstrating the ability to think critically, communicate effectively, and adapt quickly in dynamic environments. Joe’s disciplined work ethic, commitment to excellence, and thoughtful approach to complex challenges make him a valuable contributor to the firm’s investment efforts. A proud Wolverine, Joe remains closely connected to the University of Michigan community and its network of driven business leaders.
Advisory Board & Operating Partners
Ken Theis is a nationally recognized technology executive and accomplished operator with over 30 years of experience driving enterprise-scale digital transformation, operational modernization, and strategic growth across the public and private sectors. He brings a rare blend of state-level CIO leadership, Fortune 500 expertise, and hands-on ownership experience in scaling businesses.
Ken previously served as President and CEO of Dewpoint, a Michigan-based IT strategy and services firm. During his tenure, he transformed the company from a $20 million business with 30 employees into a $150 million enterprise employing over 500 people across the Midwest. While leading Dewpoint, he also served as Executive Vice President of IT Strategy and Chief Information Officer for Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, where he directed a $225 million technology budget and a team of 400 IT professionals. His leadership accelerated Delta’s enterprise-wide digital transformation, cybersecurity modernization, and claims system overhaul.
Earlier in his career, Ken served as Chief Information Officer for the State of Michigan and Director of the Department of Technology, Management & Budget. In that role, he managed nearly 3,000 employees and a $1.2 billion budget, consolidating statewide IT functions into a centralized structure that saved the state over $100 million. He also led the award-winning e-Michigan initiative, making government services more accessible through user-friendly digital platforms. Before his public-sector leadership, Ken held senior roles at General Motors, where he led a large-scale IT reorganization of GM’s North American sales and marketing divisions.
Ken has been recognized nationally for his impact, including as one of InformationWeek’s Top 50 Government CIOs, Computerworld’s Premier 100 IT Leaders (Best in Class), and a recipient of the GM Chairman’s Honors Award. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Ferris State University and a master’s degree from Northwood University. He has served on numerous nonprofit and industry boards, including the Lansing Community Foundation, Children’s Trust Fund, Renaissance Holding Company, and the Midwest Technology Leaders Association.
At Prosperas Growth Partners, Ken provides strategic guidance on technology integration, operational scalability, and organizational alignment. As a former business owner and operator, he also brings invaluable perspective to founders considering succession, having successfully navigated that transition himself.
Margaret Dano is a seasoned board director and senior executive with more than 30 years of global leadership experience driving strategic growth and operational excellence across global, industry-leading organizations. She has successfully led transformative growth in both revenue and operations at Fortune 500 companies and has held board leadership roles in public, private, and private equity-backed firms for over two decades.
Margaret currently serves on the Board of Directors of Douglas Dynamics (NYSE: PLOW), the North American leader in snow and ice control equipment manufacturing, where she chairs the Governance Committee and is a member of the Audit and Compensation Committees. Her previous board experience includes Neenah (NYSE: NP), a global manufacturer of premium specialty papers and performance materials; Superior Industries (NYSE: SUP), one of the world’s largest manufacturers of aluminum wheels for passenger vehicles; and Fleetwood Enterprises (NYSE: FLE), a leading producer of recreational vehicles and manufactured housing. She has also served on the boards of Industrial Container Services, Anthony International, and Storm Industries. She has held multiple leadership roles including Board Chair, Lead Director, and Chair of various board committees, demonstrating her ability to guide manufacturing and industrial companies through complex challenges and growth initiatives.
Earlier in her career, Margaret retired as Vice President of Worldwide Operations for Honeywell’s $2.5 billion Turbo Technologies division. She led a global manufacturing and operations organization of 6,500 employees across 16 sites, overseeing planning, purchasing, engineering, and production. Under her leadership, Honeywell expanded its global manufacturing footprint with new facilities in Europe, Asia, and India, while driving significant improvements in cost, quality, and supply chain performance.
Before joining Honeywell, Margaret held several executive positions at Avery Dennison. As Vice President of Worldwide Supply Chain and General Manager of the Printer Papers business, she led global manufacturing operations for a $1.8 billion product line and spearheaded Six Sigma and procurement strategies that delivered $25 million in annual savings. In her prior role as Vice President of Corporate Manufacturing and Engineering, she was responsible for overseeing capital investment and modernizing over 100 manufacturing sites worldwide. Her earlier experience includes leadership roles at General Electric, General Motors, and Warner-Lambert, where she gained deep expertise in manufacturing, product development, and operational transformation.
Margaret holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from General Motors Institute, now Kettering University, and is a Harvard International Women’s Forum Fellow.
She lives in Redondo Beach, California with her husband, Alan Wozniak. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys golfing, traveling, and mentoring emerging leaders in business.
Dr. Mike Barger — perhaps best known for his leadership as co-founder of JetBlue Airways and an accomplished former chief instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) — is a high-stakes leader who has generously committed his recent career pursuits to teaching other leaders how to weather an organizational crisis.
Barger graduated from the University of Michigan in 1986 and then received his commission as an Officer in the United States Navy, where he served for 13 years, completing three, six-month deployments as a pilot and flight instructor flying the F/A-18 Hornet. While in the Navy, he spent his entire career in pilot education, highlighted by a tour as a student, instructor, and then chief instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN).
Throughout his Naval career, he was a widely published author, speaker, and educator on combat strategy, training techniques (particularly in advanced simulation), and complex weapons systems employment. In 1999, Barger left the US Navy to become a founding member of JetBlue Airways. He created JetBlue University, the award-winning corporate training function that provides learning and development to all members of the JetBlue workforce. To this day, it remains the only single-source provider of company education in the airline industry worldwide.
During his time at JetBlue, Barger also served as the senior pilot on both varieties of JetBlue aircraft (the Airbus 320 and Embraer 190); was the senior leader responsible for all flight operations, maintenance operations, talent management and enterprise strategy; and led the company’s emergency command center. Following his 13 years at JetBlue, Barger served for six years as the Chief Operating Officer of CorpU, an education technology company based in Philadelphia. As COO, he oversaw all CorpU operations, including the design, creation and delivery of all CorpU Academy courses, educational offerings built on the wisdom and insight of the brightest minds in academia and business.
Barger has a deep passion for helping leaders solve their most complex business challenges with knowledge and tools that help them harness the collective genius already present in their organizations. In 2006, Barger helped create a doctoral program in Workplace Learning Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as an advisory board member, faculty member, and program participant. He received his Master’s degree in Learning Leadership in 2008 and his Doctor of Education degree in 2009.
Today, Dr. Mike Barger is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Executive Director, Ross Online, at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. In his teaching role, Dr. Barger leads courses in crisis leadership and entrepreneurship. In his staff role, he facilitates the design and execution of the School’s digital education initiatives. Dr. Barger lives with his wife and children in Novi, Michigan. High-Stakes Leadership in Turbulent Times is his first non-fiction business book.