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Chris Vanderzyden

President & CEO
Legacy Partners Division of
The DAK Group
802-375-3683

Chris Vanderzyden leads the Legacy Partners Worldwide Division of The DAK Group. She is a trusted advisor to clients and peers, an industry trailblazer in exit planning, and a mentor and leader to a team of top financial and M&A professionals.

Chris created the Master Exit Plan® process – a comprehensive tool that helps privately held, middle-market business owners create and execute successful exit strategies, resulting in the harvesting and preservation of their wealth for future generations

Chris brings extensive expertise in Mergers and Acquisitions. Starting her career as a CPA for Coopers & Lybrand, the company that later became PricewaterhouseCoopers following a merger, Chris gained valuable expertise in the financial sector. She then broadened her financial experience as an asset manager with Northwest Asset Management in Los Angeles. She subsequently served as an M&A Advisor at a global investment bank.

Following her positions in the corporate world, Chris became an entrepreneur and has successfully built and sold multiple businesses. She has over twenty years of experience consulting for privately held businesses as they grow and ultimately execute their exit plans, while navigating complex deals on their behalf.

Chris speaks internationally on exit planning and mergers and acquisitions, is an expert contributor for media outlets, and a lecturer for Harvard University’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation class. She is also the bestselling author of 7 Steps to Entrepreneurial Victory.

Chris graduated from the State University of New York College at Oswego with a B.S. in Accounting/ Economics. She is also a Certified Value Growth Advisor, and Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

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    VCI – Emergency Vehicle Specialists recapitalized by Tightrope Capital & NewSpring Capital

    VCI is the preeminent full lifecycle sales and service provider of emergency ambulance solutions to first aid squads, EMS organizations, fire departments, hospital organizations, municipalities, and private medical transport companies in the Mid-Atlantic Region. VCI was recapitalized by private equity firms Tightrope Capital Partners and NewSpring Capital.

    DAK led a competitive, sell-side process for VCI, generating multiple offers from a wide range of strategic buyers and financial sponsors. By positioning the combination of VCI’s market leadership position, comprehensive services offering, strong manufacturer relationships, and robust backlog, DAK achieved an outstanding outcome for the company’s shareholders.

    The acquisition provides the shareholders of VCI an opportunity to accelerate its growth strategy by expanding its core ambulance business, building out the value-added segments of conversions and remounts, implementing operational improvements, and pursuing acquisitions with the help of its new partners. Tightrope and NewSpring have an opportunity to leverage VCI’s strong management team and operating platform to build a multi-regional player in emergency ambulance solutions.