Don Cummins

Don received his Pharmacy degree from Drake University and began his career with Walgreens, where he became the manager of several Chicago stores.

He then went on to become part owner and president of a mid-size Chicago area business.

In 1983 Don founded Cummins & Associates, a general business brokerage and M&A firm in Florida where he oversaw the sale of hundreds of businesses. In 1996 Don sold this business and joined Telesis, a national merger and acquisition firm that specialized in the sale of mid-market home care companies. In 2001Don became the founder of Stoneridge Partners.

He is a member of Merger & Acquisition Source, a professional association of mid-market intermediaries, where he has furthered his knowledge of business sales by attending their conferences and by taking their many education courses. In 2003 he was awarded their highest designation: MMAI (Master Merger & Acquisitions Intermediary), a designation held by less than 100 individuals.

As the author of numerous articles on business sales and brokerage, Don is a frequent speaker and also serves as an expert witness on matters involving business sales. His background in health care along with his encyclopedic knowledge of business transactions makes him of valuable assistance to any home care transaction.

"I enjoy the personal connections I develop with business owners...and the more I can learn about the owners, their families, and their goals, the better job I can do in helping them to attain those goals."

Risa Baker

Working with people has always been Risa's strong suit. She has a BS degree in business administration and brings a definite energy and vitality to whatever she tackles.

While employed as an on-site administrator for Manpower at IBM, in Austin, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia, she had the opportunity to recruit and supervise a large number of employees as well as gain a strong customer service philosophy.

Most recently Risa has been employed by ResCare, Inc., a large publicly traded human service provider. She directed a mid-sized agency and then was promoted to Director of Development with responsibility for targeting core business line companies for acquisition.

In that position she has had the opportunity to work with a variety of business owners and agencies of many types and sizes in the acquisition process. This experience along with her natural drive and enthusiasm will be of great assistance to both buyers and sellers of home health agencies.

"For me, it is all about the people...and creating a win/win for both the buyer and the seller is my ultimate goal. Plus, I find it fun and motivating to work with entrepreneurial business owners."

Cory Mertz

Cory brings to Stoneridge Partners a wide variety of business experience within the disciplines of business development, operations management, project management, sales and finance.

He received his engineering degree from the University of Florida and began his career in the high technology sector where he was instrumental in the hyper-growth of a Fortune 500 electronics manufacturing provider. His ten years of experience managing the acquisition of multiple businesses taught him the skills to quickly recognize opportunities, skillfully negotiate business terms, and successfully close transactions. His careful analysis of business information and his collaborative negotiation style produces a win-win for both the buyer and the seller.

In 2004 Cory founded Palm Real Estate Group, and enjoyed immediate success brokering hundreds of real estate transactions. This company continues to operate under a separate management team.

Cory brings all of this experience along with a high degree of professionalism to every home health agency transaction.