Chet Gougis
Partner
O: (312) 268-6012
Chet co-founded Cognitive in 2006. His professional experience includes more than 30 years of advising and consulting with family- and employee-owned companies, and broad experience in both mergers and acquisitions and capital raising. He is the former President and CEO of Duff & Phelps, a financial advisory and investment banking firm, growing revenue from $4 million in 1996 to $225 million in 2006.
Chet is on the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and The Santa Fe Opera, and is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Chet has a B.A. from Harvard College, and an M.B.A from the University of Chicago.
Ron Yokubison
Partner
O: (312) 268-6014
Ron co-founded Cognitive in 2006, and, together with Chet leads and manages the firm. He is responsible for developing investment strategies, deal sourcing, overseeing due diligence and transaction execution and management of portfolio companies. His focus is primarily on the business and technical services, and manufacturing and industrial sectors. He currently serves on the board of directors of Tower Engineering Professionals, Qal-Tek Associates, Thaler Machine Company, Gillette Generators and Grand Equipment Company / Maverick Environmental Equipment.
Ron’s background includes 10 years of operations and finance experience with General Motors Corporation and Connor Sport Court, where he served as Chief Financial Officer and SVP of Operations, and was responsible for all operations, finance, and acquisition activities and integration. He also was previously a Managing Director at Duff & Phelps, with broad and diverse experience in mergers and acquisitions.
Ron has a B.S. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan.
Billy Smith
Partner
O: (312) 268-6813
Billy has been with Cognitive since 2009. He joined as an Associate and is currently a Partner of the firm. He serves as a key leader of the firm’s investment team, reviewing and closing new investments, as well as working closely with management of portfolio companies. His focus is primarily on the business and technical services, and manufacturing and industrial sectors. He currently serves on the board of directors of Qal-Tek Associates, Thaler Machine Company, Gillette Generators and Grand Equipment Company / Maverick Environmental Equipment.
Billy is a former Senior Associate at Duff & Phelps, where he worked on a number of highly complex transactions in the valuation and investment banking divisions of the firm.
Billy has a B.A. from Illinois Wesleyan University, where he was the captain of the golf team.
Jonathan Way
Vice President
O: (312) 268-6011
Jon joined Cognitive in 2022 as part of the firm’s investment team. He focuses on deal sourcing, new opportunity evaluation and portfolio management. He currently serves on the board of directors of Grand Equipment Company / Maverick Environmental Equipment and Thaler Machine Company.
Prior to joining Cognitive, Jon was a Senior Associate at Arbor Investments, where he focused on evaluating and executing investment opportunities. He began his career as an investment banker in Lincoln International’s Global Industrials Group, where he worked on a variety of domestic and international M&A transactions.
Jon has a B.S.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, where he was the captain of the football team, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University.
Jack Wagner
Vice President
O: (312) 268-2330
Jack joined Cognitive in 2019 as an Associate. He is a member of the investment team focused on reviewing and analyzing new platform investments and acquisitions for portfolio companies. Previously, Jack spent two years as an investment banking analyst at Duff & Phelps, primarily supporting sell-side M&A transactions in the industrials group.
Matt Waddick
Associate
O: (312) 268-2334
Matt joined Cognitive in 2023 as part of the firm’s investment team. He focuses on deal sourcing, new opportunity evaluation and portfolio management. His current portfolio involvement includes Qal-Tek Associates and Gillette Generators.
Prior to joining Cognitive, Matt was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Global Industrial Group at Robert W. Baird, where he provided support on a variety of sell-side M&A transactions and other financial advisory services. Prior to Baird, Matt held investment banking and transaction advisory roles with Wipfli Corporate Finance Advisors and Ernst & Young, respectively.
Matt received his B.S.B. from the University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management.