Stout Expands Its Consumer Investment Banking Practice

Stout is pleased to announce the expansion of its Consumer practice within the Investment Banking group with the addition of Dan Gomez as Head of Consumer and Stephen Scharafin as Managing Director.

The additions come at a time of significant activity within the Consumer sector, with private equity and strategic acquirers competing aggressively for quality assets and founder-owned businesses increasingly seeking advisors with genuine sector depth and transaction sophistication.

“We’re excited to welcome Dan and Stephen to Stout,” said Kevin Manning, President of Investment Banking at Stout. “They are proven leaders in the Consumer sector with deep roots in the food and beverage industry. Their arrival accelerates what we are building here and puts us in a prime position to serve clients across the consumer landscape.”

Dan joins as Head of Consumer with nearly 20 years of investment banking experience advising founder-owned businesses, corporate sellers, and private equity sponsors across branded and private label consumer packaged goods (CPG), manufacturing, processing, and distribution. Prior to Stout, he served as Managing Director and Head of Food and Beverage at Brown Gibbons & Lang (BGL), where he led the practice and built a reputation for deep sector knowledge and trusted client relationships. Before entering investment banking, Dan served as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy as a designated Naval Aviator.

“Joining Stout’s Investment Banking group during a period of real momentum is an exciting opportunity,” said Dan Gomez, Head of Consumer. “The firm’s collaborative culture and genuine dedication to client outcomes aligns with everything I believe in. Investment banking is a relationship business at its core, and Stout gives us the ideal platform with significant capabilities to do right by the clients we serve.”

Stephen joins as Managing Director with nearly 15 years of investment banking and corporate finance experience, almost entirely within the food and beverage sector, advising companies across mergers and acquisitions, strategic alternatives, and capital raising. His coverage spans branded and private label CPG, and manufacturing and processing focused on both the retail and foodservice channels. Prior to Stout, Stephen served as a Director in the Food and Beverage practice at Brown Gibbons & Lang (BGL). Previously, he held investment banking roles at First Beverage Group and Cascadia Capital, where he developed expertise advising consumer businesses through complex strategic and financial transactions.

Together, Dan and Stephen strengthen Stout’s ability to deliver integrated advisory solutions to consumer clients, combining sector-specific expertise with the firm’s established capabilities across investment banking, valuation, and transaction advisory services.