MEET THE TEAM.

John Signa, Founder & CEO. As a first-generationer, John Signa always had an innate drive to build a lasting legacy. As a former college soccer goalie, his competitive edge fuels his hunger to win. That tenacity, combined with over ten years of inspiration from those within private equity operations and transaction advisory, culminated in the entrepreneurial spirit required to launch E78 Partners in 2016.

With a decade of experience in capital markets, corporate finance and private equity operations, and having served as outsourced or interim CFO to a multitude of cross-industry companies with revenues ranging between $20 million to $250 million, John answered the calls of his clients who needed a solutions-oriented change agent that could drive strategic growth initiatives.

Today, John effectively drives E78’s strategy and operational direction along with managing key client relationships. As CEO of a rapidly expanding company, he remains passionate about forging new partnerships and vigilant in finding innovative ways to meet evolving industry standards.

Before launching E78, John was part of the operational team at Sterling Partners, a $5 billion private equity firm focused on growth equity investments in middle-market and founder-led businesses. Prior to that, he was VP for a small business investment company that invested in mezzanine debt and preferred equity securities of later stage, lower middle market, and privately held companies.

John began his career as a Certified Public Accountant working for RSM’s financial services group in assurance and transaction advisory services. He graduated from Dominican University with a BS in Accounting and a MBA in Finance.

Adam East is a Managing Director and co-founder of E78 Partners. Adam has firm responsibilities across corporate finance, financial reporting, analysis and firm administration. Adam also leads client engagements for private equity clients, with an emphasis on Interim Executive roles, transaction advisory services, and performance enhancement projects. Prior to E78, Adam worked at Sterling Partners as the Director of Portfolio Reporting where he was responsible for managing a team that monitored and evaluated the financial and operational performance of Sterling’s portfolio companies. Adam received his BA in Finance and Marketing from Loyola University.

Gary joined E78 Partners as the Chief Growth Officer and a Managing Director. Gary has firm responsibilities across Business Development, Marketing, and Sales, while also leading the firm’s organic and inorganic growth initiatives, including new market expansion, practice acquisition, and corporate development strategy execution.

Gary also leads client engagements for both private equity and private corporate clients, with an emphasis on Interim Executive roles, performance enhancement and restructuring projects, and transaction advisory services. Prior to E78, Gary has held various roles as an M&A principal, a management consultant, and a public accountant, with The GSI Group, The Keystone Group, and RSM McGladrey, respectively. Gary received his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and his BA from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Steve Adelstein, COO & Managing Director, joined E78 Partners in 2020 where he oversees E78 delivery and is responsible for day-to-day operations for the firm. Steve leverages his experience as a senior executive with his business and technology acumen to deliver value to his clients. As COO of a rapidly expanding company, he is passionate about looking for ways to optimize the processes and technologies to support the company’s growth.

Prior to joining E78 Partners, Steve spent 17 years as the founder and CEO of Trillium Solutions Group, Inc, a Chicago-based Professional Services firm. Prior to starting Trillium, Steve served as Vice President of Business Operations at Divine/Whittman-Hart. Steve started his career with Accenture. As an Associate Partner, Steve was at the forefront of major engagements where his teams delivered successful business and technology solutions across multiple industries.

Steve’s thought leadership as an entrepreneur has earned him mention in publications such as Crain’s Chicago Business as part of a feature on growing small businesses. He is active in the community and instills that value into the E78 Partner’s culture. Steve is a member of The Economic Club of Chicago, and he is an active board member of the United Way Metro Chicago.

Ken joined E78 Partners in 2019 as a Partner and Managing Director leading its Advisory Services Practice. He has a 25-year track record of building, scaling and growing key components within companies and practices in the professional services space as well as significant profit and loss experience and wide-ranging expertise in senior management operations, leading deals, corporate finance, marketing, joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions and other complex transactions, e-business, and strategic planning. Prior to E78, he was the MD of the Midwest Strategic Change Management Practice Leader for PwC, President of Collaborative Care Systems and a Client Engagement Partner at Agile Edge Health. Ken received his MBA in Finance and Marketing from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, a Juris Doctor from the John Marshall Law School and a BA in Political Science from University of Illinois.

Chris Rakers joined E78 Partners in 2018 as a Managing Director of Fund Services. Chris manages the firm’s fund administration business and its strategic initiatives. Chris brings 15 years of experience in fund administration, working in C-level and leadership roles at both large and middle-market fund services groups. Prior to E78 Partners, Chris served as Senior Manager for NAV Fund Administration and was Chief Operating Officer for Custom House Global Fund Services (now part of Apex Group). He began his career in fund accounting at Northern Trust. Chris received his M.B.A. and B.S. in Business from Eastern Illinois University.

Carrie Sowers joined E78 Partners in September 2019 as a Managing Director. Carrie co-leads the Funds Services division of the firm where she focuses on transitioning a client’s accounting and fund administration from an in-house operation to E78 Partners. She continues to oversee the Funds Services team and deliverables while assisting with new business development in the Mid-Atlantic region. Prior to E78 Partners, Carrie was the Vice President of Accounting and Operations at Sterling Partners. Before that, Carrie served in various Fund Accounting roles at Camden Partners, a Private Equity firm based in Baltimore, Maryland. Carrie received her BS in Business, Major-Accounting, from Virginia Tech.

Rafat is a Director for E78 Partner’s Business Services practice. She has over 10-years of experience specializing in all facets of corporate accounting and financial management. Prior to joining E78, she served as the Director of Accounting and Finance for The Standard Market and Aldi Inc., where she was responsible for managing the accounting team, managing the consolidated month-end close and reporting process, providing treasury management oversight, and maintaining a rolling cash forecast for the company. Rafat holds a B.A. in Accounting & Finance from North Central College and an MBA from Benedictine University. 

James Dziubla joined E78 Partners in 2017 as a Client Service Director of Fund Services. James oversees the accounting, financial and regulatory reporting for Fund Services clients. He specializes in serving SBIC-Fund clients, which are regulated by the Small Business Administration. Prior to E78, James held a senior assurance role at PwC in Los Angeles, California. James received a BS in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

Jared Elfvin joined E78 Partners in 2019 as a Director of Fund Services with over 20 years of experience in the construction and real estate industry. During his career he’s held key officer and director positions as well as labor committee representation roles. Prior to E78, he oversaw investments in multi-family housing through private funds and led real estate investments at a Chicago-based, private REIT. He has extensive expertise in capital raising, deal underwriting, financial reporting, inspections, lender and investor relations, deal closings and asset management post-closing. He received his MBA in Finance, Accounting and Economics from the University of Chicago and his BBS in Finance from the University of Iowa.

James Frale joined E78 Partners 2018 as a Director of Advisory Services. With over 25 years of diverse and results-driven experience in executive management, corporate finance, consulting, accounting and project management roles, he brings a depth of financial expertise to auditing, financial reporting, transaction support, financial modeling and financial planning and analysis. Prior to E78, Jim provided financial consulting expertise to a diverse portfolio of clients with initiatives including start-ups, turnaround, financial restatements, valuations, organizational design, divesture/integration of business segments and large-scale ERP systems implementations. Jim received his MBA from the Booth School of Business at University of Chicago and a BS in Accounting from Northern Illinois University. He’s also an Illinois Certified Public Accountant as well as a Certified Global Management Accountant.

Zach joined E78 Partners in 2019 as Client Service Director in the Fund Services group. He oversees back-office services to E78 Partners’ clients including fund accounting, management accounting, partners’ capital accounting, investor relations, and treasury management. Prior to E78 Partners, Zach was an Accounting Manager with Cortland Capital Market Services within their Private Equity and Real Estate Fund Accounting group. Prior to that, Zach worked at Custom House Fund Services (now a part of Apex Group) in the Hedge Fund Administration group. Zach has experience working in a wide range of Private Equity and Hedge Fund structures, including Master-Feeder structures, Parallel structures, AIV structure, Joint Venture to Fund conversions, Fund Recapitalizations, Multi-Currency structures, CTAs, SMAs, Family Offices, and REITs. Zach received his BS in Business Administration with a major in Accounting from Saint Louis University.

Polly joined E78 Partners in 2017 as a Director on the Advisory Services Team, providing services to clients in the healthcare industry. With over 35 years of experience in senior financial leadership roles within the healthcare industry, her focuses include strategic leadership, financial planning and reporting, revenue cycle, and physician compensation. Prior to join E78 Partners, she was the inaugural CFO for the Spectrum Health Medical Group, the CFO of a publicly-traded restaurant and hotel operator, and the CFO of multiple family-owned businesses. Polly received her BA from Ferris State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Tony joined E78 Partners in 2019 as a Managing Director to co-lead the Firm’s Business Integration Advisory Services practice, as well as coordinate the E78 Partners joint venture initiative. Prior to E78 Partners, he held the role of Chief Knowledge Officer at Agile Edge Health and National Practice Leader for Employer Solutions at Health Dialog, where he led teams working with major healthcare payors and providers to develop and implement differentiated population risk management strategies in rapidly evolving market environments. Tony also held leadership positions at McKinsey & Company, APM Incorporated, and Selkirk Associates. Tony has an MSBA in Finance from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a BA in English from Boston College.

George is a Director of E78 Partners’ healthcare services practice with over 25 years of senior-level finance and accounting experience spanning across private equity operations, healthcare, and professional services. During that time, his focus has been healthcare mergers and acquisitions, especially accounting, opening balance sheet, and purchase price allocation for newly acquired practices or practice assets. Prior to joining E78, he served as the Director of Shared Services for a large-, privately-owned financial services company with dozens of locations across the United States. Mr. Miralaeff has also held director-level accounting and finance roles within Grainger and Leo Burnett. George is a CPA who holds a BS in Accounting from Northern Illinois University and a MBA in Finance from Loyola University.

Rachel joined E78 Partners in 2017 as a Client Service Director of Fund Services. She oversees the accounting and reporting for Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs) fund clients, traditional private equity funds along with management companies. With more than 25 years of accounting experience in the financial services industry, Rachel previously served as VP of Finance at High Street Capital and Manager at RSM, LLP where she specialized in the private equity assurance practice and focused on SBICs, venture capital funds and fund of funds. Rachel holds a BS in Accounting from Millikin University and is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

Eric joined E78 Partners 2019 as a Director of Managed Accounting Services, where he’s primarily engaged in the financial consulting services of the organization. Eric has over 25 years of experience spanning across multiple industries in the private and public sector. He specializes in the accounting and financial management structure of an organization with a focus on business processes, driving strategic initiatives, reporting, cash management, analytics, BoD reporting packages, budgeting/forecasting and integration of back-office support functions to maximize operational performance. Prior to rejoining E78, Eric served as the CFO for a small engineering firm with offices across the United States. He has also held director-level accounting and finance roles at Glotel and Leo Burnett. Eric holds a BS in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Geraldine Smrcina joined E78 Partners in 2020 as Director of Advisory Services. Gerie oversees the accounting, finance, treasury, tax, risk management, and information technology functions for various organizations the firm handles. She is a member of the American Institute of CPA’s. Prior to E78 Partners, Gerie was a Consultant at RGP as Interim CFO and Director of FP&A at various companies. Before that, Gerie held various finance and operations positions at SEKO Logistics LLC. Mistca Foods, MDRT, OSI Group, and Maytag. Gerie received her BS and MS in Accounting from the University of Illinois and an MBA in Global Management from the University of Phoenix.

Bill joined E78 Partners in 2020 as Senior Vice President of Advisory Services. He’s responsible for the overall management of E78 Partners’ consulting practice areas and leads the practice areas for the C-level Advisory Services and the Strategy & Transformation consulting. He has extensive experience with IT leadership, strategy, organizational design, governance, portfolio and program management, product development and a wide range of technologies. Bill has provided consulting services for Fortune 50 companies with sales and care systems, supplier and sourcing strategy, and a multi-billion-dollar product launch via an internet sales channel. Bill has also provided targeted CIO coaching for E78 Partners’ CIO clients. Prior to E78 Partners’, Bill was the VP & CIO of Harza Engineering (now MWH Global) where he was responsible for driving technology strategy, development and operations for the five-continent global firm. Bill received a BA in International Finance and Marketing and an MBA from the University of Miami (Florida).

James Carey is a Vice President of M&A at E78 Partners. Before joining E78 Partners, James was a Vice President and Head of Business Development at Peterson Partners, a diversified private investment firm focused on growth equity and venture capital investments. Prior to joining Peterson Partners, James was a Director at H.I.G. Capital, a leading global private equity investment firm with over $40 billion of equity capital under management. James sat across the entire family of funds at H.I.G. Capital throughout his tenure at the firm. Before working with H.I.G. Capital, James was an Associate at New River Capital Partners, an affiliate of Huizenga Holdings, where he was responsible for Corporate Development. James received a B.S. in Business Administration from The University of Vermont.

Niki is a Senior Recruiting Manager with over 20 years of professional recruiting experience. She is responsible for Recruiting for our Strategic Staffing team on a national level by working hand-in-hand with the company’s leadership team to ensure the highest quality of candidates. Core areas of recruiting are Senior Executive Searches including CFO, CEO, CIO, COO, and IT Directors, Controllers, Senior Accountants, Project Managers, Business Analysts, Senior Technical Architects, Software Developers, Engineers, Quality Assurance Professionals, Software Testers and more. Niki holds a B.A. in Business from Thomas College. 

Tom joined E78 Partners in 2019 as a member of the Board. Prior to E78 Partners, Tom spent over 40 years with Deloitte Consulting, most recently serving as Principal. For the last 14 years, Tom developed and managed their Value-Based Billing program and portfolio, effectively structuring, negotiating, and managing Deloitte’s interest in risk sharing. Fair market value of the portfolio approached $1 billion as of his mandatory retirement. Prior to that, Tom practiced in strategy and operations and led the firm’s oil and gas practice in North America. He also managed several joint ventures, including Deloitte’s first in India, where Deloitte subsequently acquired 100% ownership and today employs more than 20,000 people. Tom received his BS in Finance from Indiana University and his MBA in Finance and Economics from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.

Seth joined E78 Partners in 2020 as Senior Advisor to the Board. Seth is a growth leader, having scaled numerous businesses across the B2B product and services segments. Prior to E78 Partners, Seth held executive leadership roles at Eaton and at AECOM, where he was the President of the Industrial Group and the CEO of the Enterprise Facility Maintenance Group. He’s also the former CEO of a national private equity-backed HVAC and Refrigeration services company. He is a Board Member of a private equity-backed veterinary company and is a board advisor to a private equity-backed construction management firm. His expertise is in executive leadership, strategy & transformation execution, sales, effectiveness/optimization and M&A. Seth received his BA in Political Science from Rice University and his MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.

Nik Jakobs joined E78 Partners in 2019 as a Senior Advisor, where he supports the firm’s business development and M&A strategy. Prior to E78 Partners, Nik was a Principal at the Keystone Group in Chicago. There, he worked for manufacturing and distribution companies focusing on mergers, acquisitions and distressed situations. Currently, Nik is an owner of Jakobs Bros. Farms in Sterling, Illinois. Additionally, he serves his community through various leadership roles such as board chair of the WACC-CEO program. He received his BS in Finance from the University of Illinois College of Business.