Who We Are

The team at Timber Bay Partners has been solving fund management and liquidity issues for general partners for more than a decade. Our flexible approach recognizes that every situation is unique. Each solution is tailored to meet the needs of all the constituents.

01

Decades of
Experience

Timber Bay Partners was formed in 2016. The partners have sourced, executed and managed structured secondary investments as a team since 2009. Collectively the team has over 50 years of experience in GP-led structured solutions.

02

Meet Our Team

Joe Woods

Managing Partner

Joe is a founder of Timber Bay Partners.  Prior to co-founding Timber Bay Partners, Joe was Managing Director and Head of Secondary Investments at Fort Washington Capital Partners Group, a private equity investment firm with $3.3 billion in private equity commitments, where he led Fort Washington’s secondary practice and was a member of its Investment Committee. Previously, Joe was a Director of Emerging Businesses at Best Buy Co. Inc. where he managed a team of eight professionals responsible for identifying, evaluating and developing emerging business opportunities. Prior to Best Buy, Joe was a Vice President at Mellon Ventures where he sourced, evaluated, negotiated, structured, documented and monitored private equity investments for the $1.4 billion private equity investment partnership affiliated with Mellon Financial Corporation. Joe began his career as a Senior Associate and Certified Public Accountant at Coopers & Lybrand LLC where he provided professional business advisory services for investment banking, commercial banking, mutual funds and middle market manufacturing industries. Joe holds a BS in Business Administration and a BS in Economics from The Ohio State University. Joe also holds an MBA and an MS in Information Technology from Carnegie Mellon University.

Phil Johnson

Partner

Phil is a founder of Timber Bay Partners.  Prior to co-founding Timber Bay Partners, Phil spent 8 years at Fort Washington Capital Partners Group, where he focused on structured secondary investments and other secondary transactions. Phil joined Fort Washington in January 2009 as an Investment Analyst and left in October 2016 as a Senior Investment Manager after a series of promotions. Prior to Fort Washington, Phil worked in New York City as an Analyst in the investment banking division of J.P. Morgan focused on the healthcare sector. Before working at J.P. Morgan, Phil served in the same role at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. While at J.P. Morgan and Bear Stearns, Phil worked on a number of M&A transactions supporting primarily large pharmaceutical clients, and also participated in advising companies on various capital markets initiatives. Phil served as the Analyst on a small team advising Pfizer Inc. on strategic alternatives, ultimately culminating in its $68 billion acquisition of Wyeth.​ Phil earned a BS in Business and an MBA, both from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Chris Mehlhorn

Partner

Prior to joining Timber Bay Partners, Chris spent 4 years at Fort Washington Capital Partners Group, where he focused on structured secondary investments and other secondary transactions. Chris joined Fort Washington in January 2013 as an Investment Analyst and left in April 2017 as an Investment Manager after a series of promotions. Prior to Fort Washington, Chris worked at PIMCO as an Account Associate. Before working at PIMCO, Chris worked as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Utilities, Power and Renewables Group at KeyBanc Capital Markets. Chris earned a BBA in Finance and Business Economics at Ohio University. Chris is a CFA charterholder.

Emily Merkle

Chief Financial Officer

Prior to joining Timber Bay in 2018, Emily spent 25 years of her career in public accounting. She was a Director at Blue & Co., LLC, which acquired her prior firm, Fleming, Brockschmidt & Durkin, PLL (FBD) in 2015. Prior to FBD, she worked in the tax department at Plante Moran. The majority of her public accounting experience focused on financial reporting for closely held corporations in a variety of industries, employee benefit plan audits, and taxation. Emily formerly served as the Vice-Chair of the Duveneck Association board at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Emily has a B.S. in Accountancy and Finance from Wright State University. She is also a Certified Public Accountant in Ohio and Kentucky.

 

Chris Schroer

Vice President

Prior to joining Timber Bay Partners, Chris spent nearly two years at Cyprium Investment Partners, where he focused on non-control debt and equity investments. Prior to joining Cyprium, Chris spent two years at Northcreek Mezzanine, a licensed SBIC providing mezzanine debt and equity to companies in the lower middle market. Chris earned a BA in Sociology with a Special Concentration in Business Management with honors from Columbia University.

Brendan Thompson

Associate

Prior to joining Timber Bay Partners, Brendan spent nearly three years at Advantage Capital where he focused on debt and equity investments providing flexible capital solutions to small businesses. Brendan joined Advantage Capital after spending over three years at Phillips Edison & Company where he specialized in corporate finance. Brendan earned a BSBA in Finance with a minor in Economics from Xavier University.

Jack Rafferty

Associate

Prior to joining Timber Bay Partners, Jack spent nearly two years on the Mergers and Acquisitions team at Heyday, an e-commerce brand acquirer, operator, and accelerator. Jack began his career as a Certified Public Accountant with KPMG’s Deal Advisory & Strategy team, where he spent three years specializing in buy-side and sell-side due diligence services for private equity and corporate clients across a variety of industry verticals. Jack holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, both earned with Honors.

Rebecca Jackson

Controller

Prior to joining Timber Bay Partners, Rebecca was a Senior Manager at Blue & Co., LLC. Rebecca joined Blue as a staff accountant in 2011 and her public accounting experience includes 11 years of providing accounting, audit, and consulting services to healthcare and non-profit organizations. Rebecca is a Certified Public Accountant and earned a BSBA in Accountancy from Ohio University.

Patrick Hayes

Chief Compliance Officer

Patrick is a business partner who serves as Chief Compliance Officer at Timber Bay Partners. He directs the effective integration of the firm’s compliance program, including the creation and implementation of written policies and procedures governing all activities of the adviser. Patrick is senior counsel with Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP and leads the firm’s investment management practice. He brings a wealth of legal, compliance, and financial services industry experience across a broad array of subject matters related to private equity firms and registered investment advisers. Prior to joining Calfee, Patrick previously served as investment management counsel and chief compliance officer for Graydon Compliance Solutions, LLC, and as private funds and regulatory compliance officer for Fort Washington Capital Partners Group. Patrick also serves on the board of directors for the National Society of Compliance Professionals and as a standing member of the NSCP Publications Committee. Patrick earned his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law (2008). He received his BA magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame (2005). He is licensed to practice law in the State of Ohio, Commonwealth of Kentucky, and in the United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio.

Interested in working with us?