Rod Guinn

Rod Guinn is a restaurant- and hospitality-industry finance specialist who spent the bulk of his career arranging debt and equity capital, M&A advisory, and recapitalizations for restaurant operators and franchisees. From 2008 to 2021 he was a Managing Director at FocalPoint Partners, LLC, an independent Los Angeles–based investment bank, where he was named the firm's Restaurant Operating Partner leading its M&A advisory and capital-raising practice for the restaurant industry. FocalPoint was acquired by B. Riley Financial in 2021, and its restaurant/consumer deal history is now archived under B. Riley's banner.

Before FocalPoint, Guinn led Wells Fargo Foothill's Restaurant and Hospitality lending business from late 2005 through early 2008, and prior to that he was Managing Director of FleetBoston Financial's Restaurant, Food & Beverage Group (and its predecessor, BankBoston). Under his leadership, both Wells Fargo Foothill and FleetBoston became preeminent providers of debt capital to restaurant investors and operators, playing prominent national roles in advising on transactions; raising debt and equity for buyouts, mergers, and public and private recapitalizations; and directly investing in select private-equity opportunities. His stated areas of expertise include recapitalizations, LBOs, leveraged and corporate finance, and investment banking.

Guinn holds an M.B.A. from Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business (1985–1987) and a B.A. in Literature from the University of New Mexico. He has been a frequent speaker at restaurant industry and capital-markets events (e.g., UCLA Extension's Restaurant Industry Conference) and has served as a Board Advisor to FohBoh, Inc., a business social network for the restaurant industry. He is also associated with restaurant operator Anthony's Coal-Fired Pizza in his work history. More recently he has served as a member of the board of directors of Horizons Albuquerque, a New Mexico nonprofit, consistent with his New Mexico base.

• Focuses on the restaurant, food & beverage, and hospitality sectors — advising franchisors, franchisee groups, and multi-unit operators across economic cycles.
• Works on recapitalizations, M&A/buyouts, and debt and equity capital raises for operating companies, rather than early-stage venture bets. His self-described specialties: recapitalizations, LBO, debt/leveraged finance, and corporate finance.
• Emphasizes matching restaurant companies with long-term capital partners experienced in the restaurant sector; on the United Restaurant Group deal he framed success as consolidating financing with "a long-term partner experienced in the restaurant sector."
• Values a firm's ability "to deliver results for restaurant clients across all segments," including "successfully closing transactions with franchisee groups and franchisors during various economic cycles."