Lakeside was formed by John Hemmingson. In 2001, Lakeside added partner, Mark Dunn, and in 2008, added Jeff Kirwood to enhance its management and investment capabilities.
John Hemmingson – Is the founder and Chairman of Lakeside Capital Group, LLC. He serves on the investment committee and sits on several boards of companies in which Lakeside has an investment. John is not an active participant in the day to day operations of LCG. John has extensive business experience, including start-ups, divestitures, mergers, public offerings and restructurings.
John earned his Associates degree in Business Administration from National American University in 1974 and is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management Program.
In addition to his passion for philanthropic efforts, John is a supporter of advanced education programs. He sits on the board of the Rypien Foundation and is member of the Board of Regents for Gonzaga University. John and his wife Sarah currently reside in Liberty Lake, Washington.
Jeff Kirwood – Jeff serves as Managing Director of Lakeside Capital Group LLC and works out of the Colorado office. Jeff brings over 10 years of corporate development and financial expertise plus significant real world marketing and operational experience to the firm.
Immediately prior to joining Lakeside, Jeff was Vice President of Corporate Development for Liberty Media Corporation, a publicly held holding company with interests in electronic retailing, internet, media, and entertainment businesses. While at Liberty, Jeff was responsible for consummating numerous ecommerce and media acquisitions. He also assisted existing management teams by serving as a board member on three portfolio companies.
From 2002 – 2004, Jeff ran his own bankruptcy and restructuring consulting firm and advised management teams and creditor committees in the technology sector. During this time, he also served as Chief Restructuring Officer for DMX Music, Inc.
Jeff’s other work experience includes roles as Vice President of Corporate Development for Exodus Communications Inc., General Manager & Director of Corporate Development for Tele-Communications, Inc., and finally as a marketing Account Executive at Home Box Office, Inc.
Jeff earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College and his MBA from Harvard Business School. He enjoys skiing, mountain biking, running, golf and charitable causes. He resides in Colorado with his wife, Brenda, and their three children.
Alex Hammel- has been with Lakeside Capital Group, LLC since 2004 and currently serves Director of Finance. During his tenure with Lakeside Alex has managed all of the financial aspects of the fund and its respective portfolio companies. In addition to his finance responsibilities, Alex has directed numerous endeavors ranging from divesting core assets, supplemental management oversight, enterprise software implementations, and conducted due diligence on new investments.
Prior to joining Lakeside Alex was a Regional Controller for Cerner Corporation, a publicly held Health Care Information Technology Company responsible for the all of financial aspects of the North Atlantic Region.
From 1998 to 2002 Alex worked for Arthur Andersen LLP in the Assurance and Business Advisory group serving clients ranging from Multi-National SEC registrants to Internet Start-ups. As a Senior Associate, Alex directed engagement teams on projects relating to financial statement audits, business improvement opportunities, and financial due diligence for potential acquisitions.
Alex is a Certified Public Accountant and earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Alex resides in Olathe, KS with his wife, Natalie, and their two children. He likes reading, cooking and sports and Alex and Natalie are involved in their church and enjoy spending time with their family.
Milena Perrine- Milena is responsible for managing the day to day operations of the Colorado office and also assists with due diligence as needed.
Prior to joining Lakeside Capital Group Milena served as a Loan Officer in Millennium Bank Vail, where she managed and expanded a commercial and real estate loan portfolio of over $20 million. Her other work experience includes three years with US Bank in the Vail Valley as a Financial Analyst, with an emphasis on construction lending and one year with Kirkpatrick Pettis in Orlando, where she assisted with the underwriting of tax and revenue municipal bonds for a variety of public entities in the state of Florida.
Milena is originally from Sofia, Bulgaria and has a BA degree in Business Administration from the American University in Bulgaria. In 2003, after earning an MBA from University of Central Florida in Orlando, she moved to the Vail Valley with her husband Chris. Milena enjoys the active lifestyle of the mountains and traveling.
Mark Pierson – Mark serves as Director of Finance at Lakeside Capital Group LLC and works out of the Colorado office. Mark brings a wide variety of transactional, operational, and financial management experience from several industries to the firm.
Prior to joining Lakeside, Mark led the corporate finance and financial planning & analysis efforts at Spyder Active Sports, Inc., a maker of high-end ski apparel. He provided the due diligence and investment analysis for the successful acquisition of Cloudveil, a mountain apparel company, as well as the diligence support, financial pro-formas and valuations for other investment opportunities.
From 1999 to 2002, Mark was a manager at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (CGEY) in their Deals & Acquisitions Group (CGEY’s Corporate Development team). He led numerous financial due diligence and structuring efforts for acquisitions, investments, and joint-ventures.
Mark’s career began in General Electric Power Systems’ Financial Management Program (FMP) which encompassed five broad ranging six-month rotational assignments coupled with graduate level finance and accounting classes. Upon completion, Mark sharpened his skill-sets obtained during FMP as the Controller for a $20M Power Generation Service Region for a year and a half.
Mark earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from The University of Vermont where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and his MBA from The University of Chicago. He enjoys rock climbing, tele-skiing, backpacking and golf. He resides in Colorado with his fiancé Cristina.
Melissa Wells – Melissa is a results-driven project manager with more than ten years experience of directing complex projects in numerous areas of concentration, from concept through completion. She oversees the development and management of both high-end residential and commercial properties, completes financial analyses to assess company viability and maintains the personal affairs for the Chairman of Lakeside Capital Group.
Prior to joining Lakeside, Melissa worked for Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. for nearly a decade. In her tenure with Schwab, Melissa served as a senior manager, proactively identifying resource/capacity challenges, creating contingency plans, and developing national practice standards and associated metrics to ensure client satisfaction (internal and external).
Melissa holds her real estate license in the state of Idaho and is a member of the National Association of Realtors. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Arizona State University. Melissa enjoys running, golf, entertaining and spending time with her family. She resides in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho with her husband and two children