Meet the Team
Mark Whaling
Co-Founder, Business Development
Mark is the Co-Founder of Black Powder Search, he leverages his 25 years of executive experience at Investment Banks, Institutional…
Robert Kirila
Co-Founder, Business Development and Veteran Relations
Robert Kirila is the co-founder and Managing Partner for Black Powder Partners, Black Powder Holdings, and Black Powder Search. The…
Erik Wisecup
Partner, COO
Erik is the Director of Operations at Black Powder Search, which focuses on connecting veterans with industry executives and hiring…
Tal Bruno
Business Development
Tal joined Black Powder Search in 2023, he leads new business development efforts and identifies potential partnerships between veterans and…
Sean Locke
Senior Advisor
Sean founded The Locke Group (TLG) in 2003. He possesses more than two decades of search and advisory experience for…
Colin Brune
Special Advisor
Colin has 20+ years of experience in the talent acquisition arena and has worked for the industry’s titans: Aerotek, TEKsystems,…
Denise Kermode
Chief Administrative Officer
Denise Kermode joined Black Powder Search as Chief Administrative Officer in 2023 to take over all organizational, logistical, and personnel…
Representative Talent
Examples of the quality of candidate you can expect from us
Rob Ramsey
Rob Ramsey is a US Army Veteran that served as a Senior Ordnance Logistics Warrant Officer, retiring in 2015 as a Chief Warrant Officer Four. After retirement, Rob worked at NCH Corporation as the Vice President of Sales for Partsmaster Corporation, leading 113 sales representatives and 10 Regional Sales Managers responsible for $80M in sales revenue. Rob provided the sales strategy, vision, and leadership to each sales region which grew Defense sales from 0 to $29M in four years. Rob then did something similar for Womack Machine Supply Company in 2019 as General Manager where he augmented Womack’s 143M annual revenue with $13M in new Defense contracts, led the transformation to meet NIST 800-171 cybersecurity standards, and attained AS9100 and ISO 9001:2015 certifications within the first 18 months. Rob served as a member of the Executive Team and Corporate Sales Management Team, developing policies and priorities to drive sales for 11 Regional Sales Managers covering 21 states.
Dave Nolan
Dave Nolan is a US Army Veteran that served as a Green Beret in the 7th Special Forces Group – Airborne as a Sergeant Major, retiring in 2021. After retiring from the Army, Dave was hired as a Program Manager for Amazon managing the logistics and delivery of 3 million units weekly across three regions in the New York area. Dave has a 25-year track record of driving results, leading teams, and managing high performers in the military and the commercial world. Experienced in using analytical tools to solve business problems. Dave’s proficiency in data analysis, project management, and stakeholder management, combined with his passion for building relationships across internal and external organizations is unique and critical to our success in building companies post-acquisition.