Our Team

Over the past 20+ years, Peter Burns has established himself as an expert in the food and beverage space, especially when it comes to preparing promising companies for acquisition by multinational strategics.  

Prior to his current role as Managing Partner at Sunrise Strategic Partners, Peter directed the sale of ONE Brands, a Boulder-based protein-bar line, to The Hershey Company for $397 million. Before joining ONE Brands in 2017, he served as CEO and president of Justin’s Nut Butters, working with founder Justin Gold to execute a two-year plan culminating in a $286 million acquisition by Hormel.  

Previously, Peter was president of Celestial Seasonings for Hain Celestial Group, for which he developed and managed Celestial Seasonings’ worldwide business. Prior to his accomplishments at Celestial Seasonings, he was the Vice President of Sales at IZZE Beverage Company. Also of note are senior executive positions at the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation and The Hershey Company. 

Vincent Love is responsible for originating, due diligence, structuring and monitoring of Sunrise Strategic Partners’ investments. Prior to co-founding Sunrise Strategic Partners, Vincent spent 10 years in investment banking at Citigroup, focused on the consumer and retail sectors. Representative advisory transactions include Boulder Brands’ acquisitions of Udi’s Healthy Foods and Glutino Food Group; Colgate-Palmolive Company’s acquisition of the Sanex brand; the sale of Peet’s Coffee & Tea; and the initial public offering and split-off of Mead Johnson Nutrition. Prior to Citigroup, Vincent spent three years working in Scotia Capital’s Mergers and Acquisitions Group. In addition, Vincent is a Planet Fitness franchisee, owning clubs in Colorado and Wyoming.

Vincent received a Master of Business Administration from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business. Vincent currently serves on the boards of PACT Organic, Perky Jerky,  Maple Hill Creamery,  Kill Cliff, Coolhaus and Cali’flour.

Steve and Vince met in 2005 on a hair-raising cab ride from Barcelona to Madrid, over the Pyrenees Mountains and through a driving rain storm, finally arriving at one of the first investor meetings on Boulder Brands. A long story they laugh about now – and an experience that formed a one-of-a-kind partnership.

Stephen Hughes is a pioneer in the natural and organic food and beverage industry, and a veteran food industry executive with more than 30 years of experience. Most recently Steve was Founder, Chairman and CEO of Boulder Brands, a publicly-traded natural food and beverage company with a portfolio that included well-known brands EVOL, Udi’s Gluten Free, Glutino, and Earth Balance.

Steve has previously worked in leadership positions on brands such as Celestial Seasonings, Silk, Tropicana and Conagra, where he led the team that launched Healthy Choice in 1988. Steve’s network includes relationships with the industry’s founding leaders, key influencers and decision makers, including cutting-edge retailers, sales and marketing organizations, advertising agencies and consultancies. Most importantly, Steve has been fortunate to have a strong partner – and love of his life – in his wife, Grace. Throughout Steve’s career, she has always kept Steve focused on doing the right thing – which ultimately led them to Boulder and to Steve’s passion for the natural products industry.

With over 25 years of senior executive CPG experience, David has spearheaded organizational and cultural evolutions within CPG businesses, optimizing resources to exceed shareholder expectations. He specializes in General Management, Operations, Supply Chain, and Finance, supporting partner companies by enhancing strategic planning, creating and leveraging operational processes and accelerating results against commercial strategies. 

As an Operating Partner at Sunrise Strategic Partners, David is responsible for commercial diligence on potential investments as well as working with current portfolio companies to optimize and accelerate results against their commercial strategies.

Prior to joining Sunrise Strategic Partners, David was President/Chief Operating Officer at ONE Brands, which exited to The Hershey Company. Additionally, David worked at Celestial Seasonings / The Hain Celestial Group for over 20 years in a variety of senior leadership positions, including General Manager and Chief Supply Chain Officer.

David graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Miami University. In addition to his role at Sunrise Strategic Partners, he supports his local community and public education as chair for Impact on Education, a foundation which supports 30,000 students and 4,000 educators in the Boulder Valley School District.

Hunt is an Operating Partner at Sunrise Strategic Partners, where he’s responsible for commercial diligence relative to potential investments and supporting current portfolio businesses with their commercial strategies. 

Hunt is a seasoned veteran in the field, with over 25 years of senior executive CPG experience. Prior to joining Sunrise Strategic Partners, he led all commercial teams, strategies, and efforts at Justin’s Nut Butter and ONE Brands to successful exits to Hormel Foods ($286MM) and The Hershey Company ($397MM). Hunt also held senior leadership positions at IZZE Beverage Company which exited to Pepsi, Jones Soda, Snikiddy, and Ancient Harvest.

Hunt is also a board member for Quinn Snacks, an investor in several CPG businesses, and a mentor to other executives in the industry.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from St. Lawrence University and Master of Business Administration from the University of Denver.

Mark has more than 20 years of experience managing, analyzing, and executing commercial sales strategies for private equity backed and publicly traded CPG businesses. As an Operating Partner at Sunrise Strategic Partners, he works with current portfolio companies to maximize commercial sales strategies, focusing on sales execution, forecasting and trade fund management across Grocery, Mass, and Specialty Channels. He is also involved with commercial diligence efforts for future Sunrise investments.

Prior to joining Sunrise Strategic Partners, he was SVP of Sales at ONE Brands, where he managed the Grocery, Mass, and Specialty Channel Sales team, which exited to The Hershey Company. Prior to ONE, he held a similar role as VP of Sales at Justin’s, which exited to Hormel. He has also held senior level sales management positions at Ancient Harvest, Celestial Seasonings, and Acosta Sales & Marketing.

Mark Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Curry College. 

Jeff has nearly 20 years of experience in CPG working across marketing, ecommerce and sales at equity-backed emerging brands and large publicly traded companies. As an Operating Partner at Sunrise Strategic Partners, he specializes in ecommerce and marketing and is responsible for assisting portfolio companies with strategy and planning for digital sales channels, including direct to consumer, omnichannel marketing activation, branding, and consumer insights/analytics.

Prior to joining Sunrise Strategic Partners, Jeff was VP of Marketing & eCommerce at Perfect Snacks, where he built omnichannel capabilities that drove significant growth and facilitated a successful acquisition by Mondelez International. Prior to Perfect Snacks, he held various roles at Justin’s, WhiteWave Foods, and Kashi. Jeff has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Connecticut. In addition to his role at Sunrise Strategic Partners, Jeff supports upcoming natural products brands as a member of the board of directors for Naturally San Diego.

Randy has over 14 years of experience in the CPG space, primarily working on emerging food and beverage brands. In his role as Senior Associate at Sunrise Strategic Partners, he focuses on new investment sourcing, due diligence, and partner company support.  

Randy joined Sunrise from Thanasi Foods, where he oversaw brand management functions for Duke’s Smoked Meats and BIGS Sunflower Seeds, leading to the company’s sale to Conagra during his tenure. Prior to Thanasi, Randy held senior marketing and innovation positions at Udi’s Gluten Free Foods before and after the business sold to Boulder Brands, and later to Pinnacle Foods. Randy holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts from Colorado College.  

Randy lives in Boulder, where he enjoys running, biking, skiing, camping, and spending time with his family.  

Nick has 12+ years of experience in investing and corporate finance, working with businesses ranging from multinational corporations to startups. 

As a Principal at Sunrise Strategic Partners, Nick is responsible for originating, performing due diligence on, and structuring Sunrise’s investments. He also provides assistance to Sunrise’s portfolio companies in functional areas such as financial planning and analysis, strategy, and capital structure management.

Prior to joining Sunrise shortly after its inception in 2016, Nick worked at Castanea Partners, a private equity firm focused on the consumer and retail sectors. Nick also previously worked in investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Nick received a Master of Business Administration, with Distinction, from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Finance, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Lehigh University.

Peter is a Senior Associate at Sunrise Strategic Partners, where he is responsible for originating, performing due diligence on, and structuring Sunrise’s investments. He also provides assistance to Sunrise’s portfolio companies in functional areas such as financial planning and analysis, strategy, and capital structure management.

Peter has over five years of experience in investing and corporate finance with a wide range of consumer businesses. Prior to joining Sunrise, he worked at MidOcean Partners, a private equity firm focused on the consumer and business services industries. He also previously worked in investment banking at Credit Suisse, where he focused on a variety of M&A advisory and capital raising assignments for consumer and retail companies.

Peter received a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the University of Virginia.

Lexy is an Associate at Sunrise Strategic Partners, where she combines her experience in investing and corporate finance with her passion for increasing the accessibility of better-for-you food and beverages.

She is responsible for originating, performing due diligence on, and structuring Sunrise’s investments. She also supports Sunrise’s portfolio companies in functional areas such as financial planning and analysis, strategy, and capital structure management.

Prior to joining the company in 2022, Lexy worked at Goldman Sachs, where she supported the M&A and capital raising activities of healthcare and biotechnology companies.

Lexy received her Bachelor of Science in Management Science and Bachelor of Arts in International Business from the University of California, San Diego.

One of the leading consumer public relations strategists in the U.S., Katy Love Is an award-winning communicator who has made a distinct mark leading or partnering with a diverse collection of a-list consumer brands.

The former vice president of global communications at Crocs, Inc. where she led all communications efforts for the footwear innovator, Love has more than 17 years of integrated communications experience, including leadership roles at Build-A-Bear Workshop and FleishmanHillard, one of the world’s largest communications firms.

A mother of three, Love is a noted lifestyle expert who has been featured on The Food Network, The View and media markets across the U.S., including Chicago, Dallas, New York City, and Denver where she served as the lifestyle contributor for FOX-TV Denver.

Jenn McFerron Sloan spent 17 years working as a journalist and live television producer at stations in Kansas City, Phoenix, and Denver. In news, she fostered a love for creative storytelling and learned how to think fast, react faster, and always adapt. And as a long-time producer for a lifestyle program, Sloan mastered the craft of helping businesses create and share meaningful content with consumers.

Sloan’s broadcast and journalism experience brings a unique set of skills to public and media relations. She knows exactly what it takes to be featured in top-tier media and how to bring ideas to life in television, print and digital outlets.

A graduate of the prestigious University of Missouri School of Journalism, Sloan is respected among her peers as a superior writer, editor, and team leader. She has impeccable attention to detail, and you’ll find her positive attitude contagious.