OUR TEAM

ACR Alpine Capital Research’s team has a 20-plus-year history of underwriting accuracy.

Leadership Team.

CEO, Chief Investment Officer

Nicholas Tompras, CFA®

Portfolio Manager

Willem Schilpzand, CFA®

Portfolio Manager

Tim Piechowski, CFA®

Portfolio Manager

Mark Unferth

Darryl Grayson ACR
Managing Director, Financial Intermediaries

Darryl Grayson

Managing Director, Institutional Client Relations

Chris Scibelli

Chief Operating Officer

Mitul Nakum

Academic Advisor, Macroeconomic Research

Steve Fazzari

CEO, Chief Investment Officer

Nicholas Tompras, CFA®

Nick founded ACR in 1999 to fulfill his vision of an asset manager built solely on fundamental investment principles. He developed ACR’s core investment philosophy and policies, and authors the firm’s quarterly investment commentary. He is the lead Portfolio Manager of ACR’s flagship Equity Quality Return (EQR) strategy. As Chief Investment Officer, Nick leads ACR’s investment team and research process; he also serves as Co-Portfolio Manager of the firm’s Opportunity strategy. Prior to forming ACR, he was Portfolio Manager at the asset management subsidiary of what is now US Bank. Nick earned a B.A. in English from Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas and has attained the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation.

Portfolio Manager

Willem Schilpzand, CFA®

Willem is the lead portfolio manager of the firm’s Equity International Fund and a co-portfolio manager of the Equity Quality Return (EQR) strategy and Opportunity strategy. He joined ACR in 2010 and has over 15 years of investment experience. His responsibilities include investment idea generation, selection, monitoring and risk management for the firm’s investment strategies. His prior experience includes positions with Merrill Lynch and IBM in the U.S. and Europe. Willem earned his MBA from Columbia Business School in New York, where he completed the highly regarded Applied Value Investing Program and was nominated for the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. He earned a BBA, Magna Cum Laude, in International Business from the University of Georgia. Willem has attained the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation and is a dual citizen of the Netherlands and the U.S.

Portfolio Manager

Tim Piechowski, CFA®

Tim is the lead portfolio manager of the firm’s Opportunity strategy and a co-portfolio manager of the Equity Quality Return (EQR) strategy. His responsibilities include investment idea generation, selection, monitoring and risk management for the firm’s investment strategies. Prior to joining ACR Alpine Capital Research, Tim was a member of the Financials sector team at San Diego, California-based Brandes Investment Partners. During his tenure at Brandes, he focused on analyzing banks, thrifts, insurers and holding companies on a global basis. Tim holds a JD from Saint Louis University School of Law and earned a BSBA with concentrations in Finance and Accounting from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. While at Georgetown, he held internships with Credit Suisse, Allied Irish Banks, and the Griswold Company, a direct access broker on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Tim is a member of the Missouri Bar and has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation.

Portfolio Manager

Mark Unferth

Mark is Co-Portfolio Manager of the firm’s Opportunity strategy. His responsibilities include investment idea generation, selection, monitoring and risk management. Mark has over two decades of investor experience in performing and distressed credit. Prior to joining ACR Alpine Capital Research, Mark co-founded Alder Hill Management, a cross-capital structure hedge fund. Previously, Mark was a Portfolio Manager at CQS where he was head of distressed debt strategies. He has additional previous experience as a Principal at Columbus Hill Capital Management and as a Portfolio Manager at Metropolitan West Asset Management, where he was the Director of Credit Research and led its high yield business. Prior to Metropolitan West, Mark was a Managing Director in the Leveraged Finance group at Credit Suisse. He holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Rochester and a BA in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. More recently, Mark was an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia Business School, where he taught a course in applied value investing.

Managing Director, Financial Intermediaries

Darryl Grayson

Darryl leads the firm’s client relations and business development efforts. He oversees the marketing and sales activities to financial intermediaries. Darryl has over 25 years’ experience in the investment management industry. Prior to joining ACR, he was a Managing Director for Wilmington Trust Investment Management, overseeing external distribution for the firm’s investment products. Darryl’s former positions include senior sales and marketing roles with Gabelli Asset Management, Oppenheimer Funds and Delaware Investments. He has an MBA in Finance from Fordham University and a BA from Binghamton University.

 

To review Darryl’s background as an investment professional please visit FINRA’s BrokerCheck.

 

Managing Director, Institutional Client Relations

Chris Scibelli

Chris leads the firm’s institutional client relations and business development efforts. He oversees the marketing and sales activities directed to institutional investors, consultants and Outsourced CIO platforms. Chris has over 25 years’ experience in the investment management industry. Prior to joining ACR, he was a Managing Director for Ares Management L.P. Chris’ former positions include Trust Company of the West (TCW) where he was a Managing Director, Head of Institutional Business Development and MetWest Asset Management where he was a founder and Head of Marketing, Sales and Distribution. He has an MBA in Finance from UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BA in Economics from Harvard University.

 

To review Chris’ background as an investment professional please visit FINRA’s BrokerCheck.

Chief Operating Officer

Mitul Nakum

Mitul joined ACR Alpine Capital Research in 2017 to oversee all operating functions of the firm, with emphasis in Trading & Operations and Information Technology. With over 20 years of experience in the financial services sector, his concentration has been focused on global equities and derivatives trading, market-structure, investment operations and technology systems management. Prior to joining ACR Alpine Capital Research, Mitul spent 18 years with Scottrade where he most recently held the position of Vice President of Trading Infrastructure. Mitul holds a BSBA from Saint Louis University with concentrations in Finance and Management Information Systems and holds the Series 7, Series 63 and Series 24 licenses.

 

To review Mitul’s background as an investment professional please visit FINRA’s BrokerCheck.

Academic Advisor, Macroeconomic Research

Steve Fazzari

Steve’s macroeconomic research is often highlighted in the national press and explores two main areas: the link between macroeconomic activity and finance, specifically the financial determinants of investment spending, and the foundations of Keynesian macroeconomics. He has served as the Chair of the Department of Economics at Washington University for six years. Steve was awarded the 2003 Missouri Governor’s Award for excellence in teaching and the 2007 Distinguished Faculty Award from Washington University. His numerous academic achievements include earning a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University.

Investment Team.

Nick Tompras, CFA®
CEO, Chief Investment Officer

Willem Schilpzand, CFA®
Portfolio Manager

Tim Piechowski, CFA®
Portfolio Manager

Mark Unferth
Portfolio Manager

Ryan Linkul
Associate Portfolio Manager

Ari Veittiaho, CFA®
Investment Analyst

Drew Imhoff, CFA®
Investment Analyst

Eric Loyet, CFA®
Investment Analyst

Nile Weadick
Junior Investment Data Analyst

Kasra Nassirpour
Investment Analyst

 

Client Relations.

Darryl Grayson
Managing Director, Financial Intermediaries

Nick Taggart
Director, Financial Intermediaries

Chris Scibelli
Managing Director, Institutional Client Relations

Chip Tow
Senior Client Relations Associate

Greg Halvachs
Client Relations Associate

Marketing.

Jennifer Orgel Tompras
Chief Marketing Officer

Danielle Tope
Marketing Manager

Trading & Operations.

Mitul Nakum
Chief Operating Officer

Nancy Byrum
Senior Operations Specialist

Aaron Langford
Head Trader

Trish Manning
Senior Operations Specialist

Brandy Powell
Senior Operations Specialist

Charles Nienaber
Trader

cnienaber@acr-invest.com

Jane Atmodjojo, CFA, CIPM
Managing Director Performance

Administration.

Kevin Sexton
Controller

Lee DeLaet
Project Manager

Andrea Rees
Project Manager

Josh Skaggs
IT Support Engineer

Nicholas Bartman
Data Infrastructure Engineer

Andrea Holder
Executive Administration and Human Resources

Molli Kennedy
Administrative Coordinator