Partner

Email Max

Max Knapp is a Partner at Whitewater Capital Partners and has spent his career working in finance, both at reputable firms and as an entrepreneur.

Max is a founding partner of Blackbear Capital, an independent wealth management firm that works with individual and institutional clients across West Virginia and surrounding states.  Max has played a key role in developing the firm’s investment thesis, business development approach, and guiding the overall strategic vision of the firm.

Max began his career working as an analyst on Wall Street for Deutsche Bank Securities.  While at Deutsche Bank, Max focused on Mergers & Acquisitions, where he advised both buyers and sellers of large public and private businesses.  He was a generalist and worked with companies across all sectors and geographies.

Max then transitioned to the private equity firm, Comvest Partners, located in West Palm Beach, FL.  While at Comvest, he was part of the investment team that focused on making acquisitions of middle market (i.e. revenue between $50mm - $1bn) companies across the US.  Max spent his time evaluating, executing, and monitoring investments for the firm.  He was responsible for performing in-depth financial and operational due diligence on prospective businesses as well as current portfolio companies.

Outside of work, Max plays an active role in the community.  He is a founding board member for Coalfield Development’s SEED Fund, which invests in social entrepreneurs across the state.  Max sits on the board of directors of the CAMC Foundation, where he serves on the Investment Committee. Max also serves on the Corporate Relations Sub-Committee for the Clay Center for the Arts, which acts as a fundraising arm for the organization.

Max earned a B.S. from West Virginia Wesleyan College and an M.S. from Vanderbilt University. Max resides in Charleston with his wife, Kylie, and two sons, Dexter and Viktor.

Partner

Email James

James Becker is a Partner at Whitewater Capital Partners and has spent his career working in finance and law. He is also Of Counsel with Lewis Gianola PLLC in Charleston, WV.

Previously, James was a Principal with Station Partners, a lower middle market private equity firm based in Morristown, NJ. At Station, James was part of the investment team, where he was active in all aspects of investment origination, structuring, underwriting, diligence and portfolio monitoring. During his time there, James served on the board of directors and as corporate secretary of two Station portfolio companies, River Riders and Ark Technology Companies.

Before Station, James was an Associate Attorney in the corporate and transactional practice at Lewis Gianola PLLC, helping clients in various transactions including business formation and dissolution, financing, and mergers and acquisitions. While with Lewis Gianola, James served as Counsel to the Judiciary Committee of the West Virginia House of Delegates during the 2021 Regular Legislative Session.

James began his career as a Senior Analyst in investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York. While there, he gained experience in mergers and acquisitions, debt financing and equity issuances for public and private companies across multiple sectors in both the Global Industrials Group and Financial Institutions Group. After law school, James was a Commercial Portfolio Manager with Huntington National Bank, where he underwrote and managed a portfolio of middle market credits.

In the community, James is active on the board of directors of the CAMC Foundation (supporting CAMC Health System), where he serves as Chair of the Investment Committee. James is also a board member with Craik-Patton, Inc., a historic house museum in Charleston, WV.

James earned a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and a J.D. from West Virginia University. He is a member of the West Virginia State Bar.