Senior hires Rob Arnold and Matt Curtis join D.A. Davidson Equity Capital Markets, expanding consumer coverage within Multi-Unit Services, Restaurants & Franchising

D.A. Davidson Equity Capital Markets has hired two industry veterans to expand consumer coverage within Multi-Unit Services, Restaurants & Franchising: Rob Arnold joins as Managing Director in the Investment Banking division and Matt Curtis joins as Senior Vice President, Research Analyst.

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D.A. Davidson Equity Capital Markets has hired two industry veterans to expand consumer coverage within Multi-Unit Services, Restaurants & Franchising: Rob Arnold (right) joins as Managing Director in the Investment Banking division and Matt Curtis (left) joins as Senior Vice President, Research Analyst.

“Our entry into the restaurant sector underscores both the significant growth opportunity we see in this dynamic area of the consumer economy and our commitment to clients across the broader multi-unit and franchising space,” said Rory McKinney, President of Equity Capital Markets at D.A. Davidson. “By aligning our banking and research coverage, we strengthen our platform and deliver differentiated perspectives to the companies and institutional clients we serve.”

Arnold joins D.A. Davidson to expand the Multi-Unit Services & Franchising practice alongside Austin Black, Director, and Joe Schimmelpfennig, Head of Consumer, Investment Banking based in Irvine, bringing more than 20 years of investment banking experience with M&A and small-cap publicly traded companies. Most recently, he was Senior Managing Director at B. Riley Securities. Prior, he led Raymond James’ North American restaurant practice for over 12 years, elevating the firm’s reputation within the restaurant industry. Earlier in his career, he worked at several other investments banks, including Piper Jaffray & Co. and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.

“I’m excited to be a part of the growing and broader D.A. Davidson platform as we expand into the restaurant sector,” said Arnold. “Restaurants represent a highly attractive category within Multi-Unit & Franchising and, in partnership with Austin, Joe, and the rest of the Consumer team, we are uniquely positioned to build a leading platform that serves founder-led businesses, growth-oriented private equity firms, and public companies.”

Curtis joins D.A. Davidson’s Institutional Equities team with extensive research experience, having spent the past 15 years at William Blair as a senior member of the Consumer Equity Research group developing considerable expertise in the multi-unit, restaurant, leisure, apparel, automotive, and specialty sectors. Curtis also spent time at Credit Suisse and RBC Asset Management.

“The restaurant and multi-unit services industry is undergoing meaningful change, with fast casual and NextGen concepts driving the lion’s share of growth,” commented Curtis. “I’m thrilled to launch dedicated research coverage of this space and focus on generational winners that aren’t only growing market share but helping to grow the overall market. By deepening our research capabilities in this area, we can offer clients a more comprehensive view of this consumer landscape.”

D.A. Davidson Equity Capital Markets is a leading full-service investment bank and institutional equities platform that offers comprehensive financial advisory, capital markets expertise, and award-winning research across four industry verticals: Consumer, Diversified Industrials, Financial Institutions, and Technology. D.A. Davidson has extensive transaction experience serving middle-market clients worldwide and is widely recognized for providing timely investment ideas supported by insightful analysis to institutional clients.

About D.A. Davidson Companies

D.A. Davidson Companies is an employee-owned financial services firm offering a range of financial services and advice to individuals, corporations, institutions, and municipalities nationwide. Founded in 1935 with corporate headquarters in Great Falls, Montana, and regional headquarters in Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Omaha and Seattle, the company has 1,614 employees and offices in 30 states.

Subsidiaries include D.A. Davidson & Co., a full-service investment firm providing wealth management, investment banking, equity and fixed income capital markets services, and advice; Davidson Investment Advisors, a professional asset management firm; and D.A. Davidson Trust Company, a trust and wealth management company.

For more information, visit dadavidson.com.

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“Our entry into the restaurant sector underscores both the significant growth opportunity we see in this dynamic area of the consumer economy and our commitment to clients across the broader multi-unit and franchising space."