About

Founded with a mission to help closely-held businesses transition ownership

Our Mission

Sterling Point was founded to bring exceptional M&A execution, advice, and service to closely-held businesses, a mission that continues to drive everything we do today.

Meet The Team

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Aaron Kroll, JD/MBA

Partner

Aaron started his career at an investment bank in Cleveland working on deals in the real estate and oil/gas industries. There he gained a deep appreciation for small businesses which has shaped his entire career. Aaron then transitioned to Richmond, VA to a private equity real estate investment firm, running the capital raising and investor relations. From there he started a business consulting company that specialized in assisting small businesses with strategy development, marketing and capital raising. Aaron earned a Juris Doctor from The University of Akron in addition to a Master of Business Administration, summa cum laude, in Finance. He also received an executive leadership certificate from Cornell University. Aaron received a Bachelor of Science, cum laude, in Business Management from Virginia Tech. Outside of work Aaron enjoys spending time at the lake with his family. Aaron lives in Mechanicsville with his wife and two sons.

Aaron started his career at an investment bank in Cleveland working on deals in the real estate and oil/gas industries. There he gained a deep appreciation for small businesses which has shaped his entire career. Aaron then transitioned to Richmond, VA to a private equity real estate investment firm, running the capital raising and investor relations. From there he started a business consulting company that specialized in assisting small businesses with strategy development, marketing and capital raising. Aaron earned a Juris Doctor from The University of Akron in addition to a Master of Business Administration, summa cum laude, in Finance. He also received an executive leadership certificate from Cornell University. Aaron received a Bachelor of Science, cum laude, in Business Management from Virginia Tech. Outside of work Aaron enjoys spending time at the lake with his family.  Aaron lives in Mechanicsville with his wife and two sons.

Trey Cherry

Partner

Prior to becoming a partner at Sterling Point Advisors, Trey was a Vice President with BB&T as a commercial lender and relationship manager. A BB&T Leadership Development Program graduate, Trey spent 8 years combined working in Georgia, Florida and Virginia and held regional sales leadership positions as well as served on the local senior leadership team. Having come from a family of business owners, Trey has a passion for helping businesses cement their legacies through well-thought succession plans and exit strategies. Trey earned a Bachelors of Business Administration from the Georgia College & State University as a magna cum laude graduate and is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honorary Business Society. Outside of work, Trey enjoys playing sports, running, hiking and giving back as a board member of the downtown Richmond YMCA. Trey and his wife Whitney live in Richmond with boy-girl twins and their baby brother.

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Jeff Juliane

Managing Director - Financial Services

Jeff is the co-head of Sterling Point’s Financial Services Team. Jeff has deep technical expertise in asset/liability management, corporate development, mortgage lending, credit risk, and data analytics demonstrated over 30 years of working in some of the largest financial services companies. At Capital One, Jeff led all the mortgage banking capital markets activities which included sourcing, pricing, negotiating and structuring of all asset sales in addition to leading the day- to-day operations of the capital markets team. Deal activity includes, multiple entity acquisition and sales, MSRs, Manufactured Housing, CMBS, RMBS, NPLs/RPLs and whole loans. During his career, Jeff was also responsible for running a distressed securitization acquisition program, raising capital to launch a de novo correspondent conduit, and performing asset valuation work across all asset types. Jeff has an undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh where he studied Finance and Accounting. When not working, Jeff can usually be found following Pittsburgh sports teams or spending time with his family, including his new grandson, Jaxon.

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Brett Ludden

Managing Director - Financial Services

Brett is the co-head of Sterling Point’s Financial Services Team. During his 25 years in the financial services industry, Brett has led transaction-related analytics and Reps & Warranties strategies, overseen large teams at one of the largest banks in the United States, run a mortgage lender/servicer/securitizer, and led an analytics practice at a consultancy supporting Fortune 500 financial institutions. At Capital One, Brett led analytics teams across the organization, including the mortgage business, corporate development, fraud, marketing strategy, credit policy, and credit risk. Brett has an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia where he studied Mechanical Engineering. Outside of work, Brett and his wife, Hayley, are involved in several entrepreneurial projects involving art and real estate. Brett's free time is spent catering to his two dogs, Mouse and Walter.

Marcos Arellano

Managing Director - Charlotte

Marcos joined Sterling Point in 2022 as Managing Director in our Charlotte office. Marcos has experience in M&A, finance, management, and consulting – a diverse background that enables him to be an effective advisor in a wide variety of transactions. Marcos started his career in law as an attorney in the mergers and acquisitions group of a multi-national law firm, working directly on a variety of deals reaching valuations above $1B. Since then, Marcos has served in the U.S. Navy as a financial manager and utilized his MBA in leading large teams across a range of industries. He has direct experience leading and growing multi-million-dollar businesses and has founded and led his own consulting business, helping family-owned businesses run more efficiently. Marcos grew up in an entrepreneurial family, working in the family business, which reinforces his desire to help entrepreneurs realize the value of the businesses they have built. Marcos enjoys spending time outdoors running and playing golf and spending time with his wife Haley and two kids. He received his BA in Political Science from NC State University, his JD from NYU and his MBA from Duke University.

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Amy Melberger

Managing Director - Veterinary Services

Amy is passionate about connecting with people and loves building meaningful relationships with her clients.  She strives to make a positive impact in people's lives by helping small business owners realize their future dreams, honor their life’s work and maintain their legacy through practice sales, partnerships and joint – ventures.

Amy fell in love with the veterinary profession while working in a practice during school breaks. After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Tech, she spent much of her career supporting veterinarians and helping them achieve their business goals.  Amy has 20 years’ experience in Sales, Business Development and acquisitions.  Prior to joining Sterling Point Advisors, Amy worked in veterinary distribution at Henry Schein in the DC metro area.  Most recently, she was Director of Business Development at National Veterinary Associates (NVA), partnering with and facilitating practice sales for over 40 hospital owners during her tenure.  That role led her to join Sterling Point Advisors as a Managing Director in 2023.

Amy, her husband and their three sons reside in Loudoun County, VA.  Outside the office, you can find her spending time with her family, attending her boy’s activities or planning their next weekend get-away.

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Samantha Ciulla

Managing Director - Veterinary Services

Samantha has been working in the veterinary field her entire career. She started in kennel and also worked as a practice manager, acquisitions and business development. Before joining Sterling Point Advisors, Sam worked in Business Development for several consolidation companies, including VCA and VPP.

Sam is extremely passionate about building relationships and connecting her practice owners to the right buyer for themselves, their practices and their teams. She understands the importance of preserving the culture and legacy of each practice and strives to achieve successful and positive transactions.
Outside the office, Sam’s passion for animals does not stop. She is either volunteering at an equine therapy ranch or fostering cats for a rescue she works with.

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David Leonard

Director - Financial Services

David is the Senior Director of Sterling Point's Financial Services Team. Following a brief stint as an actuary, David spent several years managing credit risk at the Federal Reserve, Goldman Sachs, Capital One, and many government agencies. Most recently, he oversaw client delivery for a consultancy that provided valuation, modeling, data science, and technology solutions for financial institutions. David has an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University where he studied Actuarial Science and a graduate degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Outside of work, David enjoys playing with his four young kids, golfing, and hiking.

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Chase Estep

Vice President

As the Vice President of the Charlotte office, Chase is responsible for client relations and business development in North Carolina. He brings a wide range of relationship management skills gained from working in the private sector in land acquisition as well as his experience in the political arena. Prior to joining Sterling Point Advisors, Chase worked in politics as a communications coordinator and regional field director where he gained experience organizing field operations and managing strategic initiatives. During his time in land acquisition, Chase dealt with deal sourcing and due diligence gaining an understanding of the role local government plays in the development process.

 

Chase earned a Bachelors in Political Science from Wake Forest University. He is active in his community having served on the board of The Charlotte Rescue Mission as well as having served on the Alumni Governing Board of his alma mater Charlotte Latin. Outside of work, Chase plays various individual and team sports, can often be found reading, and enjoys exploring the outdoors.

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Michael Korman

Associate

Michael joined Sterling Point in 2018 after earning a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Radford University. Before joining Sterling Point, Michael interned with S.L. Nusbaum Realty Co., a leading commercial real estate company in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. He developed an interest in M&A during his time there, working with a wide array of business owners. As a Virginia Beach native, he enjoys spending his leisure time on the water, surfing and boating.

Teddy the Dog

Company Mascot

Teddy the Dog is Aaron’s beloved pal.  Teddy loves visits to the office and the attention of his family and office colleagues. 

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