Black Bay Partners Announces Five Team Additions and Two Promotions to Support Growth and Enhance Investment Capabilities

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NEW ORLEANS & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 2, 2025--

Black Bay Partners ("Black Bay" or the "Firm"), a private equity firm specializing in energy and related chemical and industrial investments, is excited to announce the addition of Patrick Westerheide, John Dooley, Taylor Mullen, Charles Liu, and Chandler Clinkingbeard, to its investment team. The firm is also pleased to announce the promotions of Grant McClure and Preston Galatas. These strategic hires and promotions are pivotal to the firm's growth strategy and its unwavering commitment to enhancing its investment capabilities.

New Team Members:

• Patrick Westerheide, General Counsel: Patrick has over 15 years of legal expertise in the energy sector. He most recently served as General Counsel at Piñon Midstream, a former Black Bay portfolio company that was sold to Enterprise Products Partners L.P. Patrick holds a Juris Doctor, MBA, and BBA in Finance from the University of Oklahoma.
• John Dooley, Senior Associate: John brings 8 years of diverse experience in engineering, consulting, and finance within the chemical industry. He most recently worked at Alvarez & Marsal in the chemical and process industry group, and held engineering roles at Dupont and SI Group as well. John holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee.
• Taylor Mullen, Senior Associate: Taylor joins with 8 years of private equity and consulting experience, most recently working at the Watermill Group, an industrial-focused private equity firm. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BS in Commerce and Business Administration from the University of Alabama.
• Charles Liu, Associate: Charles brings 6 years of energy and chemicals investment banking experience, including three years with Citigroup's Global Chemicals investment banking group. He holds a BS in Finance and Management from Tulane University.
• Chandler Clinkingbeard, Associate: Chandler has 7 years of experience in energy and private equity, previously working at Valedus Partners, a generalist private equity firm. He holds a BS in Finance from Louisiana State University.

Promotions:

• Grant McClure: Grant joined Black Bay in September 2022 and has been promoted to Senior Associate.
• Preston Galatas: Preston joined Black Bay in February 2024 and has been promoted to Senior Associate.

"We are thrilled to welcome Patrick, John, Taylor, Charles, and Chandler to our team. Their collective experience in the energy and chemical sectors will be invaluable as we continue to execute on our investment strategy in pursuit of strong returns for our investors. These additions reflect Black Bay Partners' commitment to attracting top talent and enhancing our capabilities," said Michael LeBourgeois, Managing Partner of Black Bay Partners. "We are also excited to announce the well-deserved promotions of Grant and Preston. We congratulate them on this milestone and look forward to their continued contributions and expanding roles."

For more information about Black Bay Partners and its team, please visit www.blackbaypartners.com.

About Black Bay Partners

Black Bay is a lower middle-market private equity firm specializing in strategic growth capital investments within the energy industry and related chemical and industrial sectors. We seek to generate strong and consistent investment returns in partnership with innovative companies that make sourcing, delivering, and consuming energy cleaner, safer, more reliable, and more affordable. Black Bay is based in New Orleans, LA with an office in New York, NY.

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SOURCE: Black Bay Partners

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PUB: 09/02/2025 11:03 AM/DISC: 09/02/2025 11:03 AM

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