Our Team
JOHN M. SANTOYO, Managing Director
Mr. Santoyo began his career in merchant banking as part of a Leveraged Build-Up (LBU) team that focused on CEO-led consolidations in fragmented industries. As part of this merchant banking team, Mr. Santoyo’s duties ranged from research, business model development, and corporate finance to private placement financing. Mr. Santoyo also served as an independent consultant providing hands-on investment and merchant banking services to emerging growth companies, including start-ups, through small boutique firms in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. Prior to founding JM Santoyo & Company, Mr. Santoyo served as managing director for a hybrid private investment firm created to provide private label funds, including venture capital as well as alternative investment products for the high-net worth community. JM Santoyo & Company was founded to expand that vision by incorporating alternative investment products to the plan sponsor community and the broader institutional marketplace. Mr. Santoyo oversees all aspects of JM Santoyo & Company including direct management of the business.
BRIAN S. BROWN, Managing Director
Mr. Brown has over 20 years of investment banking experience in various capacities. Mr. Brown has served as a managing director of marketing for a private equity real estate firm and has worked with various pension plans to develop various commercial (hospitality) and residential projects in the Midwest. Mr. Brown has extensive experience with early-stage companies and was the founder of a registered investment advisory firm, for which he raised over $40 million for their debt restructuring fund. Mr. Brown has raised more than $250 million in equity financing for his projects and has cultivated key relationships with large institutional investors across the United States. Mr. Brown has also provided private consulting on operational matters as well investment banking to institutions including, but not limited to ABN AMRO and National Bank of Detroit (Chase Manhattan Bank). As a Managing Director of JM Santoyo & Company, Mr. Brown is involved with the investment banking aspects of the company including the structuring of real estate financing, formation of private label funds as well as direct management of the business.
RYAN M. LEPPER, Chief Investment Officer
Mr. Lepper is a senior financial services professional and team leader with diversified experience in portfolio management and strategy, relationship management, institutional asset management, complex hedging strategies and alternative assets. Mr. Lepper began his career at Comerica Securities as a financial consultant before serving as an investment manager and ultimately senior financial analyst at Comerica Bank's Wealth Management Division. Mr. Lepper also served as a portfolio manager at Fifth Third Bank's Private Client Group, managing over $400 million in assets before assuming the role of Team Leader for the State of Michigan with JP Morgan Chase. As Team Leader with JP Morgan Chase, Mr. Lepper was personally responsible for $120 million of new client assets and ranked as the number one office for Structured Notes and Fixed Income. While at JP Morgan Chase, Mr. Lepper successfully oversaw the management of assets in excess of $5 billion and personally managed over $700 million in private client assets while simultaneously leading a revenue producing team of investors and analysts that consistently outperformed other markets. Mr. Lepper currently leads a private group of investment professionals, analysts and specialized traders. Mr. Lepper currently holds Series 7, 63 and 65 licenses.
Board of Advisors
Barry W. Plunkett, Advisor
Mr. Plunkett serves as an independent consultant and advisory board member for JM Santoyo & Company. Mr. Plunkett is managing partner of The Plunkett Law Firm, a business and banking law practice which traces its roots back to 1902. Founded by the Honorable Judge Sears, the firm handles all matters of representation related to business formation, capital structure, acquisitions, sophisticated financial transactions and numerous bank counsel relationships. The firm has recently established a clean technology practice to serve the green and renewable energy sectors. Mr. Plunkett's clients have included JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of America as well as venture capital and private equity funds.
Mr. Plunkett is involved in many philanthropic activities, including serving on the board of Catholic Charities (Boston) as well as sustaining member of the International Red Cross and the Humane Society of the United States.
