Vintage Stone Appoints Scott Cielinski to Spearhead Transaction Execution

DOVER, DE – December 29, 2025 – Vintage Stone Capital, a private investment firm with an exclusive focus on revitalizing the U.S. industrial sector, has announced the appointment of Scott Cielinski as its new Head of Transaction Execution. The strategic hire signals a significant step in accelerating the firm's mandate to acquire and modernize operationally complex industrial businesses.

In his new capacity, Mr. Cielinski will take the helm of Vintage Stone’s investment committee and oversee all diligence operations. The move is designed to reinforce the firm's distinct investment thesis, which targets industrial service and light manufacturing companies in the $25 million to $100 million enterprise value range. This appointment underscores the firm's commitment to a hands-on approach that diverges sharply from traditional private equity models.

A Strategy Beyond Financial Engineering

Vintage Stone Capital has carved out a niche by intentionally seeking out legacy industrial assets that many conventional financial buyers overlook. The firm operates on the conviction that the most significant returns in the modern industrial landscape will not be generated through complex financial structuring, but through fundamental operational and technological improvements. They target established businesses that have proven their market value but have fallen behind on the technological curve, presenting a unique opportunity for transformation.

"The next generation of industrial alpha will not be generated by financial engineering, but by the technological modernization of America’s manufacturing base," stated Ziad Danasouri, Managing Partner of Vintage Stone Capital. This philosophy positions the firm to engage with businesses where operational intricacies might deter other investors who lack the specialized expertise or conviction to navigate such complexities.

Danasouri emphasized the firm's specialized structure and purpose. "We are purpose built to navigate operational complexity that deters other buyers," he said. The firm’s model is not merely to acquire cash flow streams but to actively participate in rebuilding and upgrading the foundational elements of American industry. This involves applying advanced operational frameworks and strategic capital deployment to prepare these legacy companies for the demands of the future industrial landscape.

Institutional Rigor for a Specialized Mission

The selection of Scott Cielinski is a direct reflection of this specialized mission. With a decade of high-velocity transaction experience that includes work on over 50 deals, Cielinski brings a formidable blend of skills perfectly suited to Vintage Stone's strategy. His professional background includes senior roles at prominent firms such as Sun Capital Partners, Incline Equity Partners, and Robert W. Baird & Co., giving him a unique perspective that spans both top-tier investment banking and operationally intensive private equity.

This expertise is critical for a firm that bridges the gap between identifying undervalued assets and executing the complex work of transforming them. Danasouri highlighted Cielinski's qualifications as essential for implementing their thesis with the required level of detail and accuracy. "Scott’s background at Sun Capital, Incline Equity, and Baird gives us the institutional rigor to execute on this thesis with precision," he noted. "He understands that we are not just buying cash flow; we are building the industrial infrastructure of the future."

Cielinski’s experience in the industrial, logistics, and business services sectors aligns directly with Vintage Stone’s target markets. His role will be pivotal in leading a diligence process that goes beyond financial metrics to assess operational potential and technological readiness, ensuring that each acquisition fits the firm’s transformative blueprint.

Addressing a Critical Market Disconnect

Speaking on his new role, Cielinski expressed his enthusiasm for Vintage Stone's distinct approach, which he believes addresses a crucial inefficiency in the lower middle-market. "I am thrilled to join Vintage Stone to drive the execution of this distinct strategy," he said. "The firm has identified a critical disconnect in the market: excellent legacy businesses that have fallen behind the technological curve."

This disconnect creates a pool of high-potential companies that are fundamentally sound but require a partner with more than just capital. They need a blueprint for modernization and the operational expertise to implement it. Cielinski pointed to this combination as Vintage Stone's key differentiator.

"Vintage Stone’s approach combining capital with a blueprint for operational modernization is exactly what the lower middle-market requires," Cielinski explained. He underscored his commitment to a diligence process that is both thorough and sensitive to the operational realities of the businesses being acquired. "I look forward to leading a diligence process that is as rigorous as it is operationally empathetic."

This concept of "operationally empathetic" diligence suggests a deeper partnership model, one where the investment firm understands the history, challenges, and human capital of a business, rather than simply viewing it as a set of figures on a balance sheet. With Cielinski leading its transaction execution, Vintage Stone Capital is doubling down on its vision to not just acquire companies, but to rebuild and future-proof a vital segment of the American industrial economy.