Mark M. Gambill

Mark M. Gambill

Chairman and Founding Partner

When Mark Gambill and Tom Tullidge were considering opening an investment banking firm in 2002, the CEO of a major Fortune 500 company approached them. The CEO said, “If you start a firm, we’ll be your first client, as long as you can always give us objective advice.” That is what Mark Gambill has always aimed to do — bring solutions to his clients that are based on their situation, using the expertise of some of the best people in the business, not merely selling an existing product.

Mark has always known that success in any business is about hard work. “I lost my father at age 10, so I never had a silver spoon. What I did have was a very supportive mother, and the incentive to make something of myself.” Earning scholarships, he attended Hampden-Sydney College, where he graduated summa cum laude and was valedictorian.

Upon graduation, he immediately went to work for Wheat First Securities. In the late 1980s, he founded and became head of Wheat’s capital markets group, where he was responsible for investment banking, public finance, taxable fixed income, municipal sales and trading, equity sales, trading and research. He became President of Wheat in 1996. During Mark’s tenure, Wheat First Butcher Singer became one of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast’s preeminent investment banking and brokerage firms, growing the firm’s assets to $1.2 billion and revenues to $600 million via 128 offices located in 20 states.

Wheat merged with First Union Corporation in January 1998. Subsequent to the merger, Mark served as President of Wheat First Union. He later was named Head of Equity Capital Markets when the capital market areas of the organization were combined. In 2002, he decided to begin his own firm, and joined forces with Tom Tullidge to form Cary Street Partners.

Throughout his career, Mark has been active in the financial community as a principal investor, financial advisor and board member. He was previously on the Board of Directors of Noland Company, which was sold to WinWholesale. He is also the former Chairman of NTC Communications, a privately held communications company, which was sold to Shenandoah Telecommunications in December 2004. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. (NYSE: TRK), NewMarket Corp. (NYSE: NEU) and Triangle Capital Corp. (NASDAQ: TCAP).
Mark lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife. He is proud to say that his son, a recent graduate of Wofford College, shares his strong work ethic.