Young America Capital is a nationally-recognized broker-dealer and investment bank providing companies and investors with advisory services across a focused range of disciplines. The firm concentrates its activities on industries in which its professionals have substantial experience.

We deliver sound advice, first class execution and superior results by leveraging our finance expertise, deep industry knowledge and the personal commitment of each senior member of the firm.  The firm’s principals have substantial experience with major investment banking and asset management firms. 

Service Offerings

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE UNDERWRITING/PLACEMENT OF EQUITY & DEBT

Our professionals have extensive experience in the placement of private equity and debt to both retail and institutional clients. Capital is typically deployed to finance working capital, fund fleet acquisitions, provide liquidity to shareholders, and to stabilize the capital structure.

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

Our team has extensive experience providing buy-side and sell-side advisory services. We serve as advisors to various boards on strategic options, especially with regard to solutions that will minimize potential losses and provide a suitable recovery structure for the client, consistent with the age and trading prospects of the vessels. We enjoy access to, and credibility with top maritime & infrastructure executives, fund managers, and secured lenders.

RESTRUCTURING

We possess financial and strategic experience specific to shipping, logistics, energy, and offshore sectors. Services include balance sheet restructurings and tax strategies, in-court and out-of-court restructurings, bondholder negotiations and claims trading issues.

OPERATING AND FINANCE LEASE ADVISORY

Off-balance sheet and capitalized lease structures are important financing techniques used by shipping & logistics clients to create liquidity and to allocate relevant tax benefits. Our team offers clients a broad range of structures to achieve these goals.

SALE AND PURCHASE ADVISORY

Our team has relationships with leading S&P brokers handling a broad range of vessel types. The ability to help facilitate S&P orders and arrange suitable financing gives clients an opportunity to react quickly to market conditions and secure financing as part of a one-stop transaction.

FAIRNESS OPINIONS

We provide Fairness Opinions under FINRA Rule 5150 which relates to M&A transactions between affiliated entities wherein conflicts of interest could arise between related parties.

STRATEGIC ALLIANCES

• PRFA
• Eastport Maritime
• Ports America
• Mercator

MARITIME, INFRASTRUCTURE, LOGISTICS TEAM

Thomas Kane, Senior Managing Director
Tom has 35+ years’ experience in investment banking, debt and equity capital raising, leasing and complex restructuring assignments. Sectors include Aerospace, Maritime, Technology, Telecommunications and Life Sciences. He has originated billions of dollars in shipping, aerospace, energy and technology projects over the course of his career. Prior firms include Chatsworth Securities, SSY Capital, Boeing Capital, CIT and AT&T Capital. Tom received his BA in Economics from The State University of New York. FINRA licenses 63, 82.

Peter Formanek, CPA, Managing Principal,
Peter has 30+ years of experience advising fund managers, family offices and companies. He was a Financial Analyst at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, and Spear, Leeds & Kellogg. Peter facilitated Southern Cross Group’s $220M control equity investment into Ultrapetrol (ULTR), as part of his ongoing deal-flow origination services to SCG. Ultrapetrol is a Marine Transportation company operating the largest fleet of river barges in the Hidrovia Region of South America, offshore supply vessels (PSVs) in Brazil and the North Sea, and oceangoing cabotage vessels. He has also participated in equity/debt raises for the acquisition of Ultra Deep Water Drill Ships, and infrastructure private equity fund capital raises. Peter received his BS in Accounting, and an MBA in Finance from the University of Bridgeport. FINRA licenses 7, 24, 28, 63, 79, 99.

Gabriel Melamed, Managing Director
Gabriel is an accomplished Senior Executive and Advisor with 30+ years of experience in Financial Services, Commodities and Real Estate industries. His broad areas of expertise include investment banking, financial products, structuring, treasury and financial and risk controls in addition to general management at the C-suite and Board levels. Throughout his executive career, Gabriel has held Senior Leadership positions with organizations such as UBS Investment Bank (Managing Director) , Santander Investment (SVP), BTG Pactual (Managing Director and Partner) and Engelhart Commodities Trading Partners (CFO and Partner). Gabriel received his degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Buenos Aires. FINRA licenses 63 and 82.

Sean Bailey Sr. Managing Partner
Sean Bailey Sr. has been in the institutional investment business for 41 years. Sean worked at several investment banks for the first twenty years of his career with a focus on complex and exotic mortgage-backed securities and commercial real estate finance. After heading the mortgage banking desk at Drexel Burnham Lambert, and spearheading sales effort of MBS to total rate of return clients, Sean joined Andy Stone to help build the Structured Products Group at Daiwa Securities. Their team invented many of the mortgage derivatives and exotic securities that exist. Sean moved with Andy to Credit Suisse First Boston, where they were the largest commercial real estate lender in the world and pioneered many of the innovations and securitization structures in commercial real estate. Sean was intimately involved in inventing mortgage securities such as the first mortgage backed CDO, making a REMIC using a $263MM Super PO as collateral, issuing bonds using a portfolio of Residuals as collateral, inventing the VADEM (an extremely stable PAC Bond using vector pre-payments instead of single high & low pre-payment assumptions). For the past 18 years, Sean has focused on alternative investments including hedge funds, private equity, direct lending, and real estate. In addition to his responsibilities at YA Capital, Sean leads the team at Proven Partners as the Managing Partner. FINRA licenses 82 and 63.

Capt. Jackson L. Ritchie, Vice President
Over 44 years of experience in the Maritime industry and business development. Founding member of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. Former Assistant Port Director at Freeport Harbour Company. Founded more than 9 companies and also experienced in Mergers and acquisitions
Founded and Managed the largest ship support business in the Bahamas servicing all sectors of the maritime industry with clients such as Carnival Cruise Lines, RCCL, Exxon-Mobil, Shell, Navios, Great Lakes Shipping, Cunard, Maersk, Columbus Line, NYK, Hamburg Sud, and many others. He was the founding shareholder of MSC Bahamas and handled all MSC vessels including Containers and Cruise lines for many years.
In 2002, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of The Bahamas Maritime Authority, the world’s 2nd largest flag registry.

Jon Stein, Vice President
Jon has 6+ years of experience in providing transaction support for domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions and capital raising initiatives. At YA Capital, Jon is responsible for financial analysis, valuations, and the preparation of investment memorandum. He has experience analyzing companies in the Cannabis, Medical Device, Home Healthcare and Shipping Industries. Prior to joining Young America Capital, Jon worked for NYBay Capital, an investment bank specializing in cross-border buyside assignments. He holds a finance degree from Drake University. FINRA licenses 79, 63.

Ryan Bailey, Managing Director
Ryan has over 10 years of alternative asset management experience, focusing on capital raising and investor relations for hedge funds, private credit funds, and real estate sponsors. In addition to partnering with best-in-class asset managers, Ryan has sourced and structured hundreds of millions of dollars of complex and esoteric loans and credit facilities. In addition to his responsibilities with Young America Capital, Ryan is a co-founder of Proven Partners Holdings, an affiliate of a real estate and credit focused single family office. FINRA licenses 82 and 63.

Sean Bailey Jr. Managing Director
Sean Bailey Jr. has 12 years of experience in financial markets. Prior to joining YA Capital, Sean spent 9 years in the capital markets, primarily engaged in fixed income sales within investment banks. Sean’s clients included some of the largest and most sophisticated investors ranging from money managers, insurance companies, hedge funds, state pension funds and banks. Sean specialized in a vast array of real estate related structured securities and corporate credit up and down the capital structure. He was responsible for identifying and generating value in client portfolios by incorporating market specific trends, monetary policy and geopolitical factors. He leverages his capital market experience to advise institutional clients on alternative investment opportunities in a variety of industries and market sectors which include real estate, private equity, hedge funds and direct lending. In addition to his responsibilities at YA Capital, Sean is a partner at Proven Partners Holdings. FINRA licenses 7 and 63.

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