Wolverine Partners is led by managing partner John W. Kemp, who has nearly four decades of experience as an operating and financial executive, providing financial advisory, turnaround consulting, growth strategy and investment banking services. Mr. Kemp has worked across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing and distribution, the automotive aftermarket, food, healthcare, retail, consumer, industrial, business and financial services. His career has been defined by being passionately dedicated to finding the best results for the organizations he has led, his clients, colleagues and referral sources.
Earlier in his career Mr. Kemp was the number two executive at Sears Automotive where he helped lead a turnaround that drove a $150 million profit improvement over three years. In 2017 he was elected president of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA) Chicago/Midwest Chapter (the largest chapter across fifty-four globally), where he collaborated with a team of over sixty volunteer leaders to create programming, educational and networking events that drove robust attendance and higher membership. As a middle market investment banker, Mr. Kemp has been a trusted advocate for companies who are looking to raise financing to invest for future growth, buy more time in tough situations, or facilitate succession, ownership transition or exit strategies.
Mr. Kemp holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. He is a Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP), a designation awarded to the most highly skilled professionals in the turnaround and restructuring industry, and a specific qualification noted in bankruptcy cases. Mr. Kemp’s professional affiliations include the Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors (AM&AA), the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), the Midwest Business Brokers and Intermediaries (MBBI), the Secured Finance Network (SFNet, formerly known as the Commercial Finance Association or CFA), and the Turnaround Management Association (TMA), and his civic memberships include the Economic Club of Chicago (ECC) and the Governing Board of the Chicago Zoological Society (Brookfield Zoo). He is also a long-time member of the University Club of Chicago.
Wolverine Partners is led by managing partner John W. Kemp, who has nearly four decades of experience as an operating and financial executive, providing financial advisory, turnaround consulting, growth strategy and investment banking services. Mr. Kemp has worked across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing and distribution, the automotive aftermarket, food, healthcare, retail, consumer, industrial, business and financial services. His career has been defined by being passionately dedicated to finding the best results for the organizations he has led, his clients, colleagues and referral sources.
Earlier in his career Mr. Kemp was the number two executive at Sears Automotive where he helped lead a turnaround that drove a $150 million profit improvement over three years. In 2017 he was elected president of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA) Chicago/Midwest Chapter (the largest chapter across fifty-four globally), where he collaborated with a team of over sixty volunteer leaders to create programming, educational and networking events that drove robust attendance and higher membership. As a middle market investment banker, Mr. Kemp has been a trusted advocate for companies who are looking to raise financing to invest for future growth, buy more time in tough situations, or facilitate succession, ownership transition or exit strategies.
Mr. Kemp holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. He is a Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP), a designation awarded to the most highly skilled professionals in the turnaround and restructuring industry, and a specific qualification noted in bankruptcy cases. Mr. Kemp’s professional affiliations include the Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors (AM&AA), the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), the Midwest Business Brokers and Intermediaries (MBBI), the Secured Finance Network (SFNet, formerly known as the Commercial Finance Association or CFA), and the Turnaround Management Association (TMA), and his civic memberships include the Economic Club of Chicago (ECC) and the Governing Board of the Chicago Zoological Society (Brookfield Zoo). He is also a long-time member of the University Club of Chicago.