Our Team
We’re entrepreneurs, data scientists, investors, retailers and brand-builders. Together, we can help take your brand to the next level.

Sarah Breckinridge
Sarah Breckinridge currently serves as Senior Associate, Business Services/Consumer on the Private Equity Investment Team. Prior to joining the firm, Sarah was an Analyst in the Global Services Group at Morgan Stanley.
Sarah’s interests outside of work include art history, golf, and downhill skiing.
Education
Middlebury College, B.A., Computer Science and Economics

Veejay Costello
Building the PearlRock portfolio and ensuring brand success through data-driven and consumer-centric decision making. 10+ years of experience working at the intersection of data, CPG, and retail, helping drive new partnership development for the Kroger Company. Significant expertise in grocery e-commerce strategy, CPG consumer insights, and merchandising consumer insights.

Dennis "DJ" Jenson
Advisor
DJ Jenson currently serves as an advisor to MPRP. Mr. Jenson’s expertise spans a broad range of top-tier consumer brands, market sectors and global market. Notable past experiences include his role as Operating Partner with North Castle Partners, VP of Global Business Development and Licensing at The Timberland Company, President of Business Development and SVP of Marketing at the Burton Corporation, as well as a number of Chairman and Board Member roles across a diverse range of brands.
Education
University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management, B.S., magna cum laude
Wharton Executive Education, Mergers & Acquisitions and Financial Analysis
Current and Prior Midocean Boards

John Kahan
Advisor
John Kahan currently serves as advisor to MPRP. Mr. Kahan is a seasoned board member with over 30+ years serving on both for profit and non-profit boards, including recently as Chief Data Analytics Officer of Microsoft. He is also a proven data-driven leader with nearly four decades of data science, worldwide business, and technology transformation experience across Microsoft and IBM. In 2021, Mr. Kahan was named as one of the top 15 data professionals globally, transforming and redefining business and the industry by DatatechVibe. He has extensive board experience as a board member and strategic advisor to the CEO and Board of multiple companies. He has served as Chairman of the Board and has been part of boards that have acquired five companies, sold one, and taken one public.

Justin Karr
Vice President, Investment and Business Development
Justin currently serves as a Vice President on the Investment and Business Development teams at MPearlRock and has been a part of the PearlRock Partners platform since formation. Prior to joining MPearlRock, Justin was a Vice President at Fremont Macanta and a Senior Associate in the Retail and Consumer Investment Banking group at Credit Suisse.

Brian Kelley
30+ years of consumer product industry experience. Former President and CEO of Keurig Green Mountain and President of the Coca-Cola Company’s North American operations.

Steven Loeffler
Steven Loeffler currently serves as Principal, Consumer on the Private Equity Investment Team. Prior to joining the firm, Steve was an Analyst at Peter J. Solomon Company.
Steven’s interests outside of work include golf, the New England Patriots, and his Golden Retriever.
Education
University of Pennsylvania, B.A., Economics, magna cum laude
Current and Prior Midocean Boards

Lisa Mann
Advisor
Lisa Mann currently serves as an advisor to MPRP. She is an accomplished leader of enterprise transformation as well as an industry leading marketer, known for building brands that have become part of the fabric of our culture and society. Lisa has a strong track record of driving revenue growth and shareholder value from businesses ranging from start-up to $50BN.
Ms. Mann is currently the Managing Director and CMO of Raines, a leading talent advisory firm that offers executive search and consulting services. Prior to this role, she had a distinguished career in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry. Ms. Mann was the former Global President of the $7B PepsiCo Global Nutrition Category, EVP and CMO of KIND Healthy Snacks, and held several leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Kraft Foods/Mondelez International.
Education
Tufts University, B.S.
Harvard Business School, MBA
Current and Prior Midocean Boards

Megan O'Rourke
Megan O’Rourke assists with deploying insights and sciences to drive business decisions across the portfolio. She has 9+ years of experience with 84.51° and Kroger, working across strategic initiatives, capability development, insight-driven thought leadership, and merchandising strategy. She brings significant expertise in e-commerce, loyalty, and price and promotion strategy.

Erik Oken
Erik Oken currently serves as the Chairman of MidOcean’s Private Equity business. Prior to joining the firm, Erik spent over thirty years at JP Morgan where he held numerous leadership positions including Global Head of Consumer Retail Investment Banking and, most recently, serving as Global Chairman of Investment Banking.
Erik’s interests outside of work include fishing, 70’s pop culture, and diplomatic history.
Education
Amherst College, B.A.

Megan Reuszer
Strengthening the next great consumer brands by leveraging the power of Kroger Merchandising. 18 years of CPG experience with over 11 years working with Kroger Merchandising. Deep expertise in merchandising, strategy development, along with customer science and insights.

Steve Sadove
Advisor
Steve Sadove currently serves as advisor to MPRP. Mr. Sadove has built a distinguished marketing, consumer products and retailing career spanning over 40 years. Between 1975 and 2001, he held various senior positions with General Foods (now Kraft Heinz) and Bristol-Myers Squibb including leading the Clairol and Mead Johnson Nutritional businesses. In 2002, he joined Saks Incorporated and led the Company as Chairman and CEO from 2007-2013 when the company was sold. Mr. Sadove is also a founding partner of JW Levin Management Partners, a private equity firm. He is a former Chair of the National Retail Federation and serves as an advisor to Mastercard. He serves on the boards of Aramark as Chairman, Park Hotels and Resorts, and Movado. He is also Chairman Emeritus of Hamilton College and on the Emeritus Board of Americares.

Don Somers
Harnessing the power of 84.51°’s consumer data to grow the brands of the future. 11 years of experience at 84.51° leveraging data science and machine learning to improve merchandising and marketing decision-making for CPGs and retailers.

Steve Spinner
Advisor
Steve Spinner currently serves as an advisor to MPRP. Formerly the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of United Natural Foods (UNFI), Mr. Spinner has over 20 years of experience across multiple industries, bringing deep business expertise to MidOcean’s private equity portfolio. Mr. Spinner’s background brings a broad range of capabilities to the firm including food distribution, strategic planning, human capital management, business services brands and data insights. Throughout his career, he has focused on identifying both consumer and business trends while scaling and growing a wide range of businesses.

Greg Spreen
Deploying insights and sciences to drive business decisions across the portfolio. 16 years of experience with 84.51° working across capability development, data analysis, insight-driven thought leadership, and merchandising strategy.

Jim Stengel
Advisor
Jim Stengel currently serves as an advisor to MPRP. Jim is the former Global Marketing Officer of Procter & Gamble, where he oversaw an $8B advertising budget and had organizational responsibility for nearly 7,000 people. Jim is best known for reinvigorating P&G’s marketing culture. In his seven years as Global Marketing Officer, he personally led the transformation that has firmly established P&G as one of the most admired brand-building companies in the world. P&G sales doubled during Jim’s tenure. Prior to his promotion to P&G’s top advertising and marketing position in 2001, Jim had P&L responsibility for the company’s European baby care business. Previously, Jim held positions of increasing responsibility in P&G’s developing markets, Cosmetic, and Food businesses. He joined the company in 1983, and before that spent four years at Time Incorporated in the Time-Life Books division.

Bill Toler
Advisor
Bill Toler currently serves as an advisor to MPRP. Prior to MPRP, Bill was the CEO of Hostess Brands; under his leadership, Hostess successfully re-established the iconic Hostess brand, returned the company to profitability and transitioned from a private to public company. Bill has 35+ years of executive leadership experience in supply chain management and consumer packaged goods, including previously having served as Chief Executive Officer of AdvancePierre Foods and President of Pinnacle Foods. He has also held executive roles at Campbell Soup Company, Nabisco and Procter & Gamble. Mr. Toler currently serves on the board of directors of Hydrofarm and previously served on the boards of Collier Creek Holdings, Hostess Brands, AdvancePierre Foods, and Pinnacle Foods.

Ted Virtue
Ted Virtue is the founder and CEO of MidOcean Partners. Prior to founding the firm, Ted was Chief Executive Officer of DB Capital Partners with oversight for Deutsche Bank’s $35 billion direct investment portfolio.
Ted’s interests outside of work include MidOcean, MidOcean, and MidOcean.
Education
Middlebury College, B.A., Economics and Psychology
Current and Prior Midocean Boards

Piyush Zaveri
A leader at Kroger’s data science company, 84.51°. Proven track record in helping brands leverage data and analytics to make customer-centric decisions and accelerate growth.