Introducing Bluestar 360: Unleashing the Power of Customized Advisory and Consulting Solutions for Behavioral Healthcare
At Bluestar 360, we are driven by a singular mission – to empower our clients and their portfolio companies in the behavioral healthcare industry to achieve remarkable success. We offer a comprehensive range of advisory and consulting services that are tailored to meet the unique needs and challenges of each situation, ensuring optimal outcomes for our clients and their management teams.
We believe that one size does not fit all when it comes to advisory and consulting services. That’s why we take a customized approach, meticulously crafting solutions that align with the specific goals and objectives of our clients. Whether it’s selling your company, enhancing operational efficiency, driving revenue growth, or optimizing market positioning, our team of seasoned operational experts will work closely with you to understand your unique circumstances and design a strategy that delivers robust value.
With a wealth of experience in the behavioral healthcare industry, our team at Bluestar360 brings a deep understanding of the intricacies and dynamics of this ever-evolving field. We have worked extensively with family-owned providers, private equity and diverse portfolio companies, providing strategic guidance and operational support to unlock their full potential and ultimately meet their long-term goal. Our expertise spans various areas, including market analysis, revenue optimization, operational reviews, M&A, and brand positioning, among others.
We recognize that every situation is different, and we take pride in our ability to tailor our services to meet the specific needs of our clients. Whether you require assistance with buy-side or sell-side transactions, founder fundraising, industry consulting, or comprehensive market strategy, our dedicated team will collaborate with you to devise a roadmap that propels your organization toward its goals.
At Bluestar360, we understand the challenges that our clients face in the dynamic behavioral healthcare landscape. That’s why we are committed to working hand-in-hand with you, leveraging our expertise and extensive network of industry connections to help you navigate complexities and seize opportunities. Our proactive, collaborative approach ensures that we deliver tangible results, enabling you to thrive in an increasingly competitive market.
Discover the power of customized advisory and consulting solutions with Bluestar360. Partner with us to unlock the full potential of your behavioral healthcare portfolio companies, drive growth, and achieve unparalleled success. Contact us today to embark on a transformative journey toward excellence.
Professionals are standing by to help you take the first step towards
With over 3 decades of experience in the behavioral space, Jack Bice is a true powerhouse who brings immense value to his clients. His unwavering commitment to their success, coupled with his strong relationships and deep understanding of the industry, sets him apart as a trusted advisor. Jack’s hands-on, results-oriented approach has earned him a reputation for delivering exceptional outcomes for organizations seeking to maximize their value and make informed decisions.
Throughout his career, Jack has cultivated powerful relationships with both providers and investors in the behavioral space. This extensive network allows him to offer unparalleled insights and connections, ensuring that his clients have access to the best opportunities available. Jack understands the power of combining his knowledge, experience, and relationships to drive results, whether working with established providers or guiding investors through strategic decisions.
Jack’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kentucky and a Masters of Education in Community Agency Counseling from Eastern Tennessee State University. These foundations, combined with his real-world experience, provide him with a comprehensive understanding of the behavioral landscape and the unique challenges organizations face.
Driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence, Jack Bice serves as a catalyst for organizational growth and success. As a trusted advisor, he empowers his clients to navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and unlock their full potential in the dynamic behavioral space. With Jack’s guidance, organizations can confidently make informed decisions and achieve their goals with remarkable results.
Tony Porter is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience, expertise and knowledge in commercialization, marketing and business development. His impressive career includes holding senior positions within manufacturing, logistics, transportation, healthcare, and most recently within the corporate business development team at Universal Health Services (UHS).
Throughout his career, Tony has demonstrated expertise in market development, revenue growth, and scalability. He is renowned for his ability to drive results through practical commercialization and Go-To-Market strategies. As a sought after thought-leader in the behavioral healthcare industry, Tony has worked extensively with investors and operators, evaluating current portfolio companies, providing pre-acquisition diligence, and post-acquisition integration.
He is passionate about his family, is a dedicated husband of over 32 years, father to two adult children, and deeply involved in the mission and ministry of his local church.
At Bluestar360, Tony will take charge of business development, commercialization, and strategic initiatives. He will collaborate closely with stakeholders to assess and execute new investment opportunities and offer guidance and support to existing portfolio companies. Tony is committed to fostering growth and success in the healthcare industry, as well as an increased awareness and access to behavioral healthcare for all populations.
Tony holds an MBA in Finance, a BS in Marketing, and is a Six Sigma Black Belt.
A lawyer by training, Michael Sullivan has spent the last three decades assisting for-profit and
non-profit healthcare organizations grow through M&A, joint ventures and de novo
developments. Since 2015, Michael has concentrated on the behavioral healthcare market. He
has worked with a mental health company in the crisis stabilization space; a substance use
disorder residential treatment provider; and most recently, a multi-site, multi-state outpatient
opioid use disorder treatment provider.
Other career highlights include work in the telecommunications, real estate, and government
services industries. Michael earned a B.A. in Economics from Boston College and J.D. from
The Catholic University of America.
In his personal life, Michael is a blessed husband and doting father of three adult daughters. He
is also an avid college football fan and budding cook in his spare time.
Michael Gillis, MSW has been in the behavioral health space for over 30 years. He has always worked in the private, for-profit sector. Michael is a C-suite executive who in the course of his career has run free-standing boutique organizations as well as created start-up corporate entities. His work has been both national as well as international specifically in the US, SE Asia, and Australia. Michael has been involved with investment groups during the merger & acquisition and investment phases of doing business. In addition to C-suite responsibilities, he is trained as a clinician. Michael has a reputation for creating, maintaining, and supporting centers of clinical excellence in behavioral health.
Merritt Widen is a business leader with over 40 years of entrepreneurial experience in a wide array of industries in the US, Mexico and Europe. He is considered a pioneer and thought leader in the field of behavioral telehealth and is one of the few people in America to have built a telehealth company from scratch to national prominence. Currently, he serves as Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Clarity Squared Behavioral, Inc. a company focusing on integrative medicine and providing psychiatric and psychological services to patients in California, Florida and Oregon. Previously, he was Founder, Chairman and CEO of Forefront TeleCare, Inc. a national leader in behavioral telehealth focusing on high acuity senior populations. He led Forefront and its predecessor companies for over 12 years as Chairman, CEO. Forefront was recently acquired by Access TeleCare. For nearly two decades previously, he was CEO of Heartland Financial Corp.a boutique investment bank advising startups and mid-market companies, and serving as court appointed investment bankers/managers for companies in reorganization in bankruptcy. Previously he was Managing Partner of Great Lakes Trading Co. which traded options, stocks and futures as members of the Chicago Board Options Exchange, Chicago Board of Trade, American Stock Exchange, Philadelphia Stock Exchange and Kansas City Board of Trade. He attended the University of Chicago, holds a BA with Special Honors in Psychology from Stanford University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Cecelia Hunt, LCSW, has an extensive career spanning more than two decades in the behavioral health sector, Cecelia brings unparalleled expertise in service delivery within mental health care and substance abuse treatment recovery.
Cecelia’s tenure at AmiCare/WoodRidge, where she played a pivotal role in growing and scaling the organization, stands as a testament to her strategic leadership. Over a five-year period, she spearheaded exponential growth, transforming the company into a robust entity that was eventually acquired by Ridgemont Equity Partners. Under her stewardship, the company’s revenue surged from $10.3 million to an impressive $37.5 million, while EBITDA soared from $1.6 million to $8.7 million at the point of sale.
Following the successful acquisition, Cecelia transitioned to the role of COO at Perimeter, where her strategic acumen further fueled the company’s growth trajectory. By forging strategic partnerships and executing astute acquisitions, Cecelia contributed to Perimeter’s remarkable success, driving revenues to reach $50.3 million with EBITDA at $12.4 million by 2018.
In addition to her operational leadership, Cecelia has been an instrumental advisor to private equity firms, providing invaluable insights into strategy development, identifying opportunities for value creation, and navigating the complexities and inherent risk in the mental health space.
Robb Holub is a dynamic and results-driven professional with a wealth of experience in the business, data management, and finance industry. Known for his strategic mindset and exceptional problem-solving skills, Robb has established himself as a trusted advisor and leader in his field. With over 15 years of experience as an owner-operator in the addiction treatment space, Robb brings a unique perspective to the table. His deep understanding of the industry, coupled with his extensive knowledge of technology utilization in treatment centers, allows him to deliver innovative solutions that drive operational efficiency and improved patient outcomes.
As a very dedicated husband, father, and family man there is no passion greater than the love and support of his family and others. Driven by helping others not having to go through the challenges his family endured brought him to the owning several treatment centers and guiding others as they began their own recovery journey.
Robb’s passion for leveraging technology to transform healthcare delivery has made him a sought-after consultant and thought leader and business owner. He has successfully led numerous projects, implementing cutting-edge software solutions and streamlining processes to enhance patient care and drive business growth. As a trusted partner, Robb is dedicated to building strong relationships with clients and helping them navigate the rapidly changing healthcare landscape. His client-centric approach, coupled with his ability to identify opportunities for growth and innovation, has earned him a reputation for delivering exceptional results. Major involvement as a majority owner in several industries like Securities, Investment Advisory, Finance, and Data Management, provided the platform of knowledge needed to succeed in whatever professional challenge that arose on any given day.
Don Mclnnes is a highly experienced professional with over a decade of expertise in NLP, chatbot development, and conversational AI. His journey in these fields began in 2011, and since then, he has actively contributed to their evolution, remaining at the forefront of cutting-edge advancements. Don’s extensive knowledge encompasses various NLP techniques such as accurate and contextually aware chatbots. He excels in designing intuitive conversational interfaces using state-of-the-art machine learning models and deep learning architectures.
Throughout his career, Don has collaborated with diverse industries, providing innovative solutions that enhance user experiences, streamline customer support, and drive business growth. He continuously stays updated with the latest research and technologies, ensuring that he can tackle the most complex challenges in NLP, chatbots, and conversational AI with confidence and precision. His practical application of Conversational AI solutions leveraging LLMs has been his primary focus since early 2023. Using his expertise in Python, LangChain, vector databases, and custom-built frontends, he has built and deployed comprehensive AI assistants.
Don Mclnnes has held significant positions such as Enterprise Solutions Architect, Principal Product Manager, and Conversational AI Architect in renowned companies like Oracle, Wells Fargo Bank, and Autodesk. He possesses hands-on experience with prominent conversational AI platforms like IBM Watson, Google Dialogflow, and Amazon Lex. Additionally, Don has actively participated in speaking engagements at conferences such as Oracle OpenWorld and IBM World of Watson, sharing his insights on Conversational AI. He has also deployed solutions for notable companies including Costco, Kohls, Nvidia, Office Depot, Disney Hotels, and Washington Post. His expertise is further demonstrated through his publications on Medium.com.
Kathy Bolmer, PhD, is a nationally prominent consultant with unparalleled expertise in the field of Behavioral Healthcare. With over three decades of experience, Dr. Bolmer has established herself as a trusted advisor and thought leader in all aspects of the industry. Her extensive knowledge spans areas such as quality, clinical operations, managed care, regulatory compliance, and accreditation issues.
Throughout her career, She has held key roles in both the public and private sectors, taking on responsibilities ranging from ground-floor operations to senior executive leadership. She has been actively involved in shaping healthcare policy, serving as a policy advisor to the United States Congress and as a member of prestigious commissions and workgroups. Dr. Bolmer’s contributions have had a significant impact on shaping healthcare delivery systems and improving access to quality mental health services.
In addition to her work in Behavioral Healthcare, Dr. Bolmer has also made a significant impact in organizational assessment and critical incident recovery. She has successfully worked with numerous organizations to respond, recover, and prevent critical incidents in the workplace. Her clients include both public sector entities such as the United States Postal Service and NASA, as well as private sector giants like General Motors and Southern CA Edison. Dr. Bolmer also has many trusted relationships with some of healthcare’s top private equity groups.
With a proven track record of success and an unwavering commitment to excellence, Dr. Bolmer continues to be a sought-after consultant, providing invaluable guidance to clients seeking to navigate the complex landscape of Behavioral Healthcare and organizational challenges.
Manny began his career working as an Operations Consultant within several Emergency Rooms across the United States. During his time as an Ops. Consultant, Manny acquired extensive experience in EHR system implementation, Operations Management, Managerial Finance, and Continuous Quality Improvement. His primary focus was on improving quality and throughput within the ER and improving patient experience, which led to improved Core Quality Measures, leading to increased hospital reimbursements. He later began working within the Behavioral Health space, with the focus on utilizing data analytics to improve payer relations, revenue cycle management, treatment outcomes and the patient experience. He has a key specialty in developing strong teams to execute financial objectives while developing a culture that is highly patient-centric. Manny’s passion and goal for the Behavioral Health industry is to support Behavioral Health operators by reducing the stigma towards treatment and improving patient equity and knowledge on the different modalities of treatment.
When Manny is not at work, he is an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). He received a B.S. degree in Bio Immunology from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a Master’s degree in Health Administration from The George Washington University.
