Meet the Team

Steve Balistreri is the founder and managing director of Blackwell Capital Group, LLC. Steve has more than 35 years of business experience, including mergers and acquisitions, financial restructuring, strategic planning and execution, operational, managerial and turnaround success. 

As president/CEO of Sun Cleaning Systems, Inc., he grew the company from $100,000 to $10 million in sales and added more than 650 employees. Steve is currently the managing director of Blackthorne Partners, LTD., a Wisconsin-based private equity firm. Blackthorne Partners currently has 4 companies in its portfolio. Prior to joining Blackthorne Partners, Steve served as president of Legacy Advisors, LLC, a business turnaround consulting firm. 

He also served as executive vice president of finance and national accounts at St. Paul, Minn.-based Marsden Holdings LLC, a privately held security and facility services company with $210 million in revenue. As founding director and chairman of Spring Bank of Brookfield, Wis. – a startup that opened in September 2008 – his team raised $12.5 million in initial capital. The bank’s assets have achieved impressive growth to approximately $350 million since then. Steve is and has been involved with numerous community organizations.

Steve holds a master’s degree in finance from Kogod School of Business at the American University in Washington, D.C., and a bachelor’s degree in finance from Marquette University. He attended Marquette University High School in Milwaukee.

Tim is the CEO of N2 Advantage Law, Ltd. , a business law firm and Managing Director of N2 Advantage, Ltd., a capital markets advisory firm. Both firms are based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and focus on mergers and acquisitions- helping clients buy, sell and finance their businesses. Tim has been a practicing attorney since 1982 and clients choose me as their most trusted legal and business advisor, especially when things get tense and an experienced strategic negotiator is needed. He is a trained a negotiator (Harvard Program On Negotiation, Notre Dame Certificate in Negotiation) and use those skills to guide my clients and their boards through every stage of the business lifecycle including:
acquisitions, expansion, shareholder buyouts, contracts with vendors and employees, tax planning strategies, negotiating financing transactions, management succession and sales of the businesses.

Tim is an an author, speaker, and teacher for various business and professional organizations including TEC (The Executive Committee), now VISTAGE, State Bar of Wisconsin, Continuing Legal Education of Wisconsin, Lorman and the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He taught graduate courses in Corporate Tax Stratetgies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, as well as, lectured on business law in the general practice category at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Currently, Tim is the author and presenter of an innovative negotiation training/coaching program that has been presented to over 500 CEO's and CFO's as well as the internal sales and purchasing teams from a variety of businesses.

Specialties: Negotiation, Mergers and Acquisitions, Raising Capital and Financing, Ownership Succession Planning, Tax and Estate Planning, Tax Dispute Resolution  

 With Joel's experience in value building as well as financial and tax issues, he helps clients better understand their company value, profitability and how to improve it. With his 20+ years of M&A experience in conjunction with 40+ years of CPA experience, Joel understands how to drive success at a company.

Using his technical expertise in valuations, Joel clearly understands what drives value and the corresponding actions required by management to accomplish that increase. As a result of his understanding of individual and corporate taxation as well as estate planning, Joel clearly understands how to minimize the tax ramifications of a transaction as well as how to control that wealth for many years thereafter. Joel also assists business owners in negotiating and implementing business agreements, succession planning, exit planning, and the ultimate sale of their company.

Five Star and Milwaukee Magazine has recognized Joel as one of the top advisors in the Milwaukee area for 6 consecutive years.