Cascadia Capital, an independent investment bank serving middle-market organizations, added Burke Smith as a managing director leading its transportation and logistics practice. Based in Austin, Smith brings more than two decades of investment banking and operating experience across the sector.
Smith has advised public and private companies on transactions with an aggregate value of more than $40 billion, including more than $3 billion in transportation and logistics M&A transactions. His experience spans freight brokerage, freight forwarding, last mile delivery, warehousing and contract logistics, passenger transportation, marine services and specialty trucking.
“Transportation and logistics is a large, dynamic sector where we see significant opportunity to build a differentiated advisory practice,” Michael Butler, chairman and CEO of Cascadia Capital, said. “Burke is a top-tier banker with deep sector relationships and the kind of operating experience that gives him a particularly valuable perspective with business owners and management teams. His addition reflects our continued strategy of expanding our senior banking team and deepens the firm’s coverage of the transportation and logistics sector.”
Prior to joining Cascadia, Smith led the transportation and logistics practice at Houlihan Lokey and, before that founded and built the transportation and logistics practice at Capstone Partners. His experience also includes eight years in operating roles across last-mile delivery, warehousing and trucking businesses, as well as serving as interim chief financial officer of a sponsor-owned LTL consolidation and freight brokerage company.
“I’ve spent much of my career working with middle-market transportation and logistics companies, and Cascadia’s sector-focused, entrepreneurial approach was a natural fit for how I like to advise clients,” Smith said. “There is tremendous opportunity across the sector as owners and investors navigate changing freight markets, consolidation and the continued evolution of the supply chain. I’m excited to build the transportation and logistics practice at Cascadia and bring the full capabilities of the firm to clients across the industry.”
Earlier in his career, Smith held investment banking roles at UBS, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and Wasserstein Perella. He holds a B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he served on the Harvard Law Review.
