Greenwood: Designing the Structure of Your Legacy
We bridge the gap between day-to-day financial management and high-stakes transaction execution.
Our Philosophy: The Integrity of the Build
At Greenwood, we believe a transaction is only as strong as the architecture supporting it. Most firms arrive when the “For Sale” sign goes up. We believe the real value is created much earlier—in the engineering of the capital stack, the streamlining of the entity structure, and the professionalization of the financial narrative.
We utilize the concept of Green Wood—investing our time and expertise into living, growing enterprises. By providing the scaffolding of institutional-grade financial leadership today, we ensure your business doesn’t warp or crack under the weight of a complex transaction tomorrow.
Most investment banks are built for the pitch, focusing on a narrative that gets a buyer or investor to say ‘yes’. At Greenwood, we focus on mitigating any of the risks that the buyer will say “no.”
A Risk Mitigation mindset looks beyond the top-line growth to stress test the foundation. We look at your business through the eyes of the person taking the risk—the institutional underwriter, the investor, and the sophisticated buyer.
De-Risking the Asset
We identify the structural challenges that typically cause deals to fail during due diligence. By resolving these months before engaging the market, we eliminate the investor’s leverage to discount your valuation or terms.
Institutional Gravity
Because we speak the native language of the world’s most rigorous capital providers, our clients’ businesses carry an immediate sense of Institutional Integrity.
Certainty of Close
By engineering the business so a lender cannot say no, we create a path to completion that is defined by precision, not hope.
”We don't just dress a business up for sale; we reinforce the load-bearing walls of its financial structure so it can withstand the weight of global capital.
— Christopher Lewis
Our Leadership
Christopher Lewis
Founder & Managing Director
Chris Lewis founded Greenwood on a singular premise: the middle market deserves the same level of structural precision as the Fortune 500. He serves as the lead for founders who are ready to transition from successful operators to institutional owners.
A Foundation in Global Finance
Chris forged his career within the world’s most formidable investment banks and advisory platforms, executing over $25 billion in transactions. His tenure on Wall Street provided a masterclass in complex capital structures:
- Chris has a significant history of serving middle-market clients within elite boutique investment banking environments, providing the personalized, high-touch advisory typically reserved for the world’s largest corporations.
- At ABN AMRO Bank N.V., he served as Director, delivering sophisticated M&A advisory and structured capital solutions for global clients.
- As Senior Vice President at MUFG, he advised C-suite executives on multi-layered financing solutions, including public capital markets and private placements.
- His foundational years at GE Capital and Citi provided elite training in risk mitigation and financial modeling—the mathematical scaffolding upon which all successful deals are built.
The Risk Mitigation Mindset
Chris leverages his background in risk management to deconstruct a business through the eyes of a lender, identifying hidden structural challenges before they become liabilities. By engineering these issues out of the framework early, he ensures the enterprise is stabilized and bankable well before the execution phase.
Academic & Strategic Rigor
Chris holds a dual JD/MBA from Vanderbilt University, which allows him to navigate the intersection of legal structure and financial strategy with surgical precision. This multi-disciplinary approach ensures that every aspect of a client’s financial architecture—from entity tax structures to capital stacks—is engineered for maximum stability and a transformative exit.
The Advisory Board: Sector Intelligence
Our board is engineered to provide deep structural insight into the bedrock sectors of the economy.
Patrick H. Johnson is a renowned health care executive and business leader, known for his innovative contributions to healthcare and strategic community investments. As a key member of Nashville’s Coronavirus Task Force, he led initiatives for mass testing and community assessment centers. Formerly a senior VP at Meharry Medical College, he now advocates for health equity and is a founder of the Nashville Baseball Investment Group.
Benny Word joined Collier Engineering in 2007. As a Senior Project Manager, Benny’s focus has been on municipal projects in Nashville, Tennessee. As the Metro Public Works Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program Manager, he has worked with over 300 neighborhood associations in Nashville, attending neighborhood meetings and advising their members and constituents on traffic calming measures available for their area through Metro Public Works of Nashville and Davidson County. Benny also acts as a liaison to the Metro Council members of Nashville and Davidson County to help them promptly respond to their constituents on traffic matters that may directly affect the area or neighborhood that they represent.
Benny’s enduring client relationships and exceptional ability to coordinate with multiple agencies ensure the success of any project. His experience and professionalism keep municipal projects running smoothly.
With the Metro Public Works Sidewalk Improvement Program, Benny has overseen project implementation, reporting, and direction of the program to the Mayor’s Office. He also directs projects and priorities in conjunction with and is directed by the Metro Public Works Sidewalk Program Manager and other staff. He is heavily involved with ADA compliance and utility coordination. Benny routinely handles sensitive correspondence with Metro Council members and their constituents and conducts public meetings concerning this program’s direction and issues.
Built for the Long View
Greenwood is not a transaction shop; we are a vertically integrated platform. Whether we are providing strategic financial leadership, securing institutional growth capital, or executing a transformative exit, our work is defined by the permanence of the structures we help build.
Elevate Your Enterprise
inquiries@greenwoodcapitaladvisors.com
(615) 202-6876
@2025 Greenwood Capital Advisors LLC, All Rights Reserved
Securities Products and Investment Banking Services are offered through BA Securities, LLC. Member FINRA SIPC. Greenwood Capital Advisors LLC and BA Securities, LLC are separate, unaffiliated entities.