R.B. Kiernat focuses on mergers and acquisitions as well as private placements of equity and debt. His transaction experience includes exclusive sale assignments, leveraged buyouts, fairness opinions, and private placements of equity and debt for a variety of private and public middle market clients.

Prior to joining Goldsmith Agio Helms (now Lazard Middle Market), Mr. Kiernat was a vice president of Investment Banking at U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray within the private placement and middle market mergers and acquisitions teams. Prior to joining U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray, Mr. Kiernat was an assistant vice president of E.W. Blanch Holdings' strategic planning group.

Mr. Kiernat graduated from Colby College with a bachelor of arts degree in economics and Spanish, and he received a master of business administration degree at the Curtis L. Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota with an emphasis in finance and strategic management.