Christine Tiseo, who has been with Chicago-based middle-market investment bank Lincoln International for 12 years, is the link who brings private equity firms and lenders together to finance deals. She boasts relationships with firms including Versa Capital Management, Symphony Technology Group, Wynnchurch Capital, Comvest Partners, Monomoy Capital Partners and Sun Capital Partners.

In 2015, she completed two deals for Philadelphia private equity firm Versa: The recapitalization of communications business Bell and Howell LLC and restaurant franchise Black Angus Steakhouse LLC. For the Bell & Howell deal, Tiseo helped arrange a $25 million revolving asset-based credit facility with Bank of America NA. Versa bought Bell & Howell, formerly Bowe Bell + Howell, out of bankruptcy in 2011, and spun out the business’ BCC Software division in 2014. “The BCC spin-off allows Bell and Howell to retire its outstanding third-party debt,” says Bell and Howell CEO Ramesh Ratan. When Tiseo arranged the new asset-based loan, Bell and Howell was debt-free.

Tiseo also organized a unitranche loan for restaurant chain Black Angus Steakhouse LLC from Medley. And she advised on Connexity Inc.’s acquisition of PriceGrabber.com Inc. (E-commerce marketing company Connexity is owned by Symphony Technology.)

Instead of working on straightforward financing situations, Tiseo tends to work with companies that have a more complicated history. “They tend to be deals that have a bit of a twist or cork in them, they’re not straight down the middle easy credit,” Tiseo says.