G. William Bavin
Managing Director and Education & Human Capital Team Leader, Focus, LLC

G. William Bavin, a FOCUS Managing Director, has more than two decades of financial, business, and management experience. Since 1994, he has specialized in advising emerging and middle market education firms on capital formation, mergers & acquisitions, divestitures, valuation, and strategy. His practice includes all facets of the education market, including content companies, education service providers, and infrastructure. Clients have ranged across the life-long learning continuum, from pre-kindergarten-twelfth grade, post-secondary, and training and development. Prior to his concentration on the education industry, Mr. Bavin was a generalist, with significant exposure to financial services, furniture, grocery, home building, real estate, software, and textile companies.

Mr. Bavin began working with education companies in 1994 as an investment analyst at the investment banking firm Ferris, Baker Watts, Inc. Being one of the first investment analysts to regularly follow the education industry, he became a sought after columnist, regularly quoted media source, and speaker at industry events.

Early in 1997, Mr. Bavin joined a new investment banking subsidiary of the Student Loan Marketing Association (“Sallie Mae”) – Education Securities, Inc. (ESI). As Vice President for Research and Product Development, he was tasked with developing a corporate finance practice, with a focus on capital formation and mergers & acquisitions for emerging education enterprises. Additionally, he worked extensively on the development of a potential education-focused real estate investment vehicle and the creation of an industry focused venture fund.

In 1998, Mr. Bavin formed Education Capital Markets, Inc., the predecessor of Education Capital, LLC, with other former ESI executives. Education Capital provided capital market solutions, sophisticated transaction advice, and sound consulting services to emerging education companies. Throughout its history, Education Capital has advised dozens of education companies and investors, leading to more than $100 million of transactions. Education Capital merged with FOCUS in mid-2007 to lever its track record in a growing industry across a larger platform.

Over his career, Mr. Bavin also had extensive experience in other industries such as real estate companies, specifically mid-Atlantic-based real estate investment trusts (REITs) and home builders, in addition to his education industry work. He began his finance career at the Chase Manhattan Bank, NA in New York, as a portfolio manager of a high-yield bond mutual fund with meaningful investments in chemical, container, grocery, software, and textile firms.

Mr. Bavin received his B.A. in History from the University of Virginia and his M.B.A. from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. He sits on the board of directors of Total Education Solutions, Inc., participates in several education industry associations, and remains an active author and speaker.

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