Our Story
Our name is connected to our roots
Our story began spending our formative years as brothers in Gwynn Oak- a neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland.
As teens, we saw the challenges of running a small business, witnessing the struggles our family members experienced as owners and operators of their own businesses. The high and lows often stemmed from a lack of financing; their businesses thrived with it but struggled without it.
At Gwynn Oak, we connect small businesses owners to the capital they need to be successful.
Our Team
Ralph Birt
Managing Partner
20+ years in financial services with deep expertise in mortgages and structure products
- Extensive recent experience in corporate finance, capital raising, M&A and broker-dealer operations and compliance
- Spent almost 10 years at Goldman Sachs in various roles across Principal Finance, Structured Products and Market Risk
- Significant experience in valuation and modeling, deal structuring and negotiation in both buy-side and sell-side roles
- B.A. in Economics from Stanford University
- FINRA Series 4, 7, 24, 63 and 99 securities licenses
- Avid reader, technology enthusiast, movie aficionado, cyclist and
triathlete (3x 70.3)
Rodgers Birt
Managing Partner
15+ years experience across actuarial and financial services positions
- Broad risk management, financial modeling, and operations experience
- 8+ years at Prudential financial in a variety of actuarial roles including Reinsurance, Long Term Care, and Individual Life Insurance
- Extensive experience in cash flow testing and duration analysis, economic stress testing, financial reporting, and asset and liability modeling and valuation.
- B.S. Degree in Mathematics from Stanford University
- Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA)
- Cardio junkie. Hobbies include running, swimming, weight lifting, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Our Values
With a history of transparency and honesty with one another as siblings, we take the same approach with our clients. We firmly believe in candid advice and counsel and being honest in our dealings. We cultivate long-term relationships and focus on being a continuous resource in a business’ growth.
