Our Team
CURT ROCCA
MANAGING PARTNER
Email: crocca@dcapartners.com
Curtis M. Rocca serves as Managing Partner of DCA Partners, responsible for all aspects of the organization, and also functions as a General Partner to the Firm’s affiliated private equity fund. Curt is a seasoned chief executive with a background in leading high growth organizations from inception to exit.
Prior to DCA, Curt was Chief Executive Officer of Dental Partners, Inc. During his stint at Dental Partners, he led the growth and operations of this multi–state healthcare consolidation from a standing start to over $30 million in revenues in 18 months, before driving negotiations for the Company’s sale in late 2000.
Prior to Dental Partners, Curt was President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board of Bio-Dental Technologies Corp. Under his leadership, Bio-Dental quickly became one of the nation’s fastest growing public companies. Prior to Bio-Dental, Curt served as Executive Vice President and Board Member of Celebrity Inc. Earlier in his career, Curt worked in various management functions with Marriott International, Inc. and Pacific Bell.
Throughout his career, Curt has served as a Senior Advisor and Board Member to a number of public and private organizations. Curt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Davis, where he graduated cum laude.
Non-profit involvement & professional affiliations: American Cancer Society, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, St. John’s Center for Real Change, Capital Region Family Business Center, Comstock’s Magazine, Financial Executives International, River City Bank Executive Forum, Vistage, Sacramento Capital Cup.
STEVE MILLS
PARTNER
Email: smills@dcapartners.com
Steven R. Mills serves as both a Partner in the Firm’s investment banking business as well as a General Partner of the Company’s affiliated private equity fund.
Steve brings more than 25 years of executive financial management and transactional experience to the Firm. Prior to joining DCA, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Responsys, Inc. Prior to Responsys, he was the Chief Financial Officer of AnyTime Access, Inc. Steve also served as a member of the Board, designated as a Financial Expert, and was the Audit Committee Chairman for Humboldt Bancorp (NASD: HBEK) for approximately two years prior to its merger with Umpqua Bank in 2004.
Prior to AnyTime Access, Steve was a Partner with Ernst & Young, LLP, where he specialized in consulting with technology companies and other organizations in various sectors concerning all elements of their financial and tax affairs. Steve started his professional career with Deloitte & Touche, LLP.
Steve is an Attorney, holding a Juris Doctor of Law from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, where he also earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
Non-profit involvement & professional affiliations: Crocker Art Museum, Entrepreneurs’ Organization, Sacramento Entrepreneurship Academy, Verge Center for the Arts, and Valley Vision.
CRAIG MITCHELL
PARTNER
Email: cmitchell@dcapartners.com
Craig Mitchell serves as a Partner, focusing on the Firm’s investment banking business and affiliated private equity fund. Mr. Mitchell brings to DCA over twenty years of finance, accounting and consulting experience across a broad range of industries, and has worked on over 40 transactions that have ranged in size from $1 million to over $5 billion.
Prior to joining DCA Partners, Craig was a Director at LP Capital Advisors, where he advised large, institutional investors with over $100 billion in private equity commitments. Craig has also held roles at Wachovia Securities, Banc of America Securities, Lids, Noodles & Co., TargetSmart, Epicor, and Ernst & Young. He has also owned and operated his own businesses, including Rainbow Tavern & Lodge and Triple Peak Beverages.
Craig earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley and his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Non-profit and professional affiliations: Junior Achievement; Berkeley-Haas Alumni Network of Greater Sacramento.
CASEY LAYTON
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Email: clayton@dcapartners.com
Casey Layton serves as Chief Financial Officer. Casey has been with DCA for fifteen years, and joined the company with fourteen years of financial accounting experience.
Prior to joining DCA, Mr. Layton was an Associate with Resources Global Professionals. While there, Casey specialized in Sarbanes-Oxley and tax compliance for multiple companies in the Sacramento area, including a large regional telecommunications company.
Prior to joining Resources Global Professionals, Casey was the Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for Sierra Office Systems and Products, Inc. Casey was responsible for all accounting, finance and human resources functions and participated in the acquisition of two smaller Northern California companies.
Casey has also worked for Dental Partners, The McClatchy Company, as well as Bartig, Basler and Ray, CPAs.
Mr. Layton earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University, Fresno and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Professional affiliation: Financial Executives International (FEI)
RON CRANE
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Email: rcrane@dcapartners.com
Ronald G. Crane serves as Managing Director and head of sell-side Mergers & Acquisitions for the firm. Ron brings more than 30 years of executive responsibility owning, managing, and selling companies. Ron is passionate about helping business owners receive maximum value for their years of hard work and sacrifice in building their business. Prior to joining DCA, he served as Managing Director at Vercor and Wall Street Ventures, both M&A firms headquartered in Sacramento. Ron worked primarily with privately held companies throughout the western United States, with a particular emphasis on the Sacramento and Central Valleys.
Ron has also served as President and CEO of Watson General; General Manager of ProData; and Partner at Sartoris, Inc.
As an entrepreneur or corporate executive, Ron successfully completed several M&A transactions, and has since helped dozens of successful business owners realize similar success and liquidity. The experience gained as a buyer or seller in these transactions gives him an owner’s unique perspective and insight: not only relative to the M&A process, but also to the emotional aspects inherent in this type of transaction.
Ron has been enthusiastically involved in many charities and volunteer organizations, including Make-A-Wish, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity and Shoulder to Shoulder.
BRENT HAAPANEN
VICE PRESIDENT
Email: bhaapanen@dcapartners.com
Brent Haapanen serves as Vice President where he is responsible for origination, evaluation, and execution of the firm’s M&A investment banking business.
Brent comes to DCA Partners from JPMorgan Chase where he served as an Executive Director. While employed at Chase, Brent was responsible for new business development, credit structuring, product sales, and relationship management, helping Chase greatly expand its presence throughout Northern California and Northern Nevada. Prior to Chase, Brent served as Vice President of Corporate Banking at Deutsche Bank Securities, where he covered large-cap technology companies globally.
Brent earned his B.A. at Pepperdine University and his MBA at UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business.
Non-profit involvement & professional affiliations: Sierra College Foundation, The ARC of Placer County, and Berkeley-Haas Alumni Network of Greater Sacramento.
BRENDEN WILSON
VICE PRESIDENT
Email: bwilson@dcapartners.com
Brenden Wilson serves as Vice President where he is responsible for leading the evaluation and execution of new investments for the firm’s affiliated private equity fund. Prior to joining DCA, Brenden held private equity positions at Kayne Anderson and K1 Capital, both in Los Angeles. In these roles Brenden was involved in evaluating and managing growth equity, structured debt and leveraged buyout transactions primarily in middle market growth stage companies across a broad spectrum of industries, with a particular focus on technology-based companies. Brenden has also held several board advisory and operational restructuring roles where he was responsible for implementing cost restructuring and system implementation programs.
Brenden graduated with a B.A. in political science from the University of Southern California.
JUSTIN HORNER
DIRECTOR OF BIZ DEV
Email: jhorner@dcapartners.com
Justin Horner serves as the Director of Business Development, working with some of California’s most-respected businesses as they map out strategies for growth through private equity, acquisitions, and succession planning. Justin brings to DCA over 15 years of finance and consulting experience.
Prior to joining DCA Partners, Justin served at Bridge Bank, where he was responsible for working with entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and private equity firms to provide venture debt, acquisition capital, and working capital solutions.
Prior to Bridge Bank, Justin founded a boutique consulting firm, which he operated for nearly four years. He focused on helping execute a variety of analytical and strategic initiatives for both regional and national organizations. His clients included commercial banks, private equity funds, and a medical device manufacturer, among others. Justin has also worked for Umpqua Bank.
Justin earned his Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and minors in both Business Administration and Economics from the University of Oregon, and his Masters in Business Administration with Honors from Baylor University.
Non-profit involvement & professional affiliations: Capital Region Family Business Center, Make-A-Wish Foundation.
AMANDA SCHROEDER
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
Email: aschroeder@dcapartners.com
Amanda Schroeder, Director of Marketing & Community Relations, is responsible for spreading the word about the firm’s successes and overseeing its public image. Using both traditional techniques and modern tools, she promotes DCA’s publications, events, portfolio companies, and individual team members. Amanda administers the cultivation of strong relationships with DCA’s referral partners, manages DCA’s positive company culture, and assists with business-development efforts to ensure a robust pipeline for both the M&A and private-equity branches of the firm.
With over a decade of professional writing experience and several years as an independent Marketing Director and Website Developer, Amanda has guided many businesses in solving various marketing challenges, from large-scale strategic plans such as rebranding initiatives and multi-year marketing frameworks, to custom programs such as social media and search-engine optimization.
Amanda graduated from California State University, Chico with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
Non-profit involvement: Eureka Schools Foundation (ESF)
KHOLT MULDERRIG
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
Email: kmulderrig@dcapartners.com
Kholt Mulderrig serves as a Senior Associate at the firm. Kholt joins DCA with over 5 years of analytical and operational experience in the public and private sector. Prior to joining DCA, Kholt was an Account Executive and Project Manager at Cegment, Inc., where he oversaw the development and release of various business intelligence products and managed strategic client relationships.
Prior to joining Cegment, Inc., Kholt was a Finance Budget Analyst at the California Department of Finance. Kholt monitored nearly $4 billion in loans to the California General Fund and was responsible for developing cash flow projections to determine California’s need to issue Revenue Anticipation Notes to financial markets.
Prior to joining the California Department of Finance, Kholt served in Product Development for the Rezolve Group, Inc., where he worked with the software development team to expand product offerings and capabilities for the company.
Kholt is a California native raised in the foothills of Northern California. Kholt graduated summa cum laude from California State University, Sacramento with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and completed his Master’s in Business Administration at the University of California, Davis with beta gamma sigma honors.
HUDSON BERKHOUSE
ANALYST
Email: hberkhouse@dcapartners.com
Hudson Berkhouse is an Analyst for DCA’s private equity and M&A business. Prior to working for DCA, Hudson worked as an Assistant Research Analyst and a Technical Project Management Assistant researching economic trends, analyzing institutional and cultural aspects of global markets, developing data dashboards, and liaising with developers and subject matter experts to facilitate communication and complete project deliverables, among other duties.
While pursuing his M.S. in Global Health at Duke University’s international campus near Shanghai, Hudson worked as a clinical research coordinator for the Duke Health System and NIH Malaysia.
Hudson earned his B.S. at Texas A&M University, his M.S. at Duke University, and his MBA at California State University, Sacramento.