Lawrence, Evans & Co. LLC was founded in 2003 and has since grown to include a full staff of consultants with a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. Clients typically are under $250 million in revenues and maybe distressed or start-ups.
We provide investment banking, corporate finance, and advisory services. See an overview of our services.
Lawrence, Evans & Co., LLC was named a 2024 top 10 Lower Middle Market Healthcare Investment Bank by Axial. Click here
Our Team
Neil Johnson
Managing Partner
Neil Johnson has more than 25 years of healthcare investment banking and private equity experience including completion of over $1 billion of corporate finance transactions involving merger and acquisitions, equity and corporate debt financings as well as distressed asset acquisitions and divestitures.
As Managing Partner of Lawrence, Evans & Co., LLC, Mr Johnson’s responsibilities primarily include deal sourcing and evaluation, transaction structuring, securing financing including debt and equity, and fundraising. Many of the completed transactions have involved acute care hospitals, senior housing, home health, behavioral health, revenue cycle management, health IT, big data, analytics, life science, managed IT, cyber or other services related companies.
Prior to forming Lawrence, Evans & Co., LLC, Mr. Johnson worked at one of the largest asset based healthcare lenders in the country and spent time with a national healthcare investment bank as an underwriter. Mr Johnson’s relevant experiences include time as a healthcare bond trader managing over $100 million in assets at a regional based investment advisor. Neil spent time in Germany with an internet start-up and was involved with a successful sale of an internet consumer marketing company. Additionally, he spent time early on in his career with the bank First Chicago NBD that is now part of JPMorganChase.
Neil is a board member and executive of several funds including an active Board member of the Association of Corporate Growth (ACG) Columbus Chapter, and member of Healthcare Business Management Association, Healthcare Financial Management Association, Turnaround Management Association, and the First Connect Bio Medical Steering Committee as well as an education contributor to the Harvard Business School. He founded the annual Healthcare Capital Markets & Innovation Summit HCMIS along with its non-profit fundraiser. He is a Co-Founder of Healthcare Development & Innovation Group (HDIG) the most comprehensive healthcare innovation database and ecosystem.
He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Management from Albion College. Mr. Johnson received his Masters of Business Administration degree from Ohio State University Max M. Fisher College of Business. He is also a 1994 NCAA National Football Champion, Albion College Hall of Fame Individually and as a 4 time Team Member and NCAA Post Graduate Scholarship Recipient (w/ Peyton Manning and Brian Griese).
David Opalek
Director
David Opalek has over 20 years of real estate finance experience with an extensive background in the affordable sector. Prior to his tenure with Lawrence Evans, he served as the Chief Investment Officer at Scioto Properties, a national real estate company that focuses on housing for the disabled.
Dave founded the Columbus office of Love Funding, and he spent 10 years originating loans and managing relationships in the Mortgage Banking services division at Red Capital Group (now Orix) where he closed over $2 billion in FHA and agency financing transactions. Prior to his tenure at Red Capital Group, Mr. Opalek worked for Banc One in their Corporate Trust Department where he focused on multifamily housing bonds.
In addition to his extensive mortgage banking experience, Mr. Opalek has been instrumental in developing new financing structures for the capital markets. Some of his notable accomplishments include the first cash collateralized multifamily housing bonds that fundamentally changed the way that FHA 4% LIHTC are funded and the first Build America Bond collateralized with and FHA loan in the wake of the housing crisis which saved the borrower 30% on their borrowing cost.
Mr. Opalek received his BA from Alma College and his Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School. Additionally, he received his MBA from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.
John Ziegler
Director
John brings over 25 years of operations and data-driven marketing experience to healthcare solutions development. Over the last 10 years John has worked with medical device start-ups before joining Ambassador Software Works. John has a passion for finding solutions that operationalize the vast amounts of data available to organizations to improve efficiency and effectiveness in delivering on their mission.
John also serves as the Past-President and Board Chair of the 1500-member Central Ohio Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Managers Association (HFMA), which has 68,000 members nationally.
John is a graduate of Wake Forest University where he played varsity soccer and has an M. S. from Rochester Institute of Technology. John is a passionate continuous learner holding multiple certificate degrees in entrepreneurship, finance and analytics.
Christopher Luckett
Director
Christopher J. Luckett is a nationally respected healthcare executive with more than 20 years of experience in managed care strategy, payor contracting, and revenue optimization. He has dedicated his career to helping healthcare providers strengthen financial performance, build sustainable payor partnerships, and succeed in both fee‑for‑service and value‑based environments.
Chris began his career at Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, where he led network development across West Virginia and helped transition providers to modern reimbursement structures—an initiative that generated more than $50 million in savings. He also oversaw value‑based arrangements for 23 hospitals, managing all contract negotiations and performance frameworks. He later brought his expertise to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where he renegotiated all managed care agreements and established new strategic payor relationships.
Today, Chris serves as President of Luckett Healthcare and Luckett HealthWorks, two integrated organizations that together deliver comprehensive solutions for healthcare providers nationwide. Luckett Healthcare specializes in managed care contracting, revenue cycle optimization, billing, credentialing, and coding services. Luckett HealthWorks expands that value by supporting clinical operations, population health strategy, and value‑based care performance.
Through these platforms, Chris helps hospitals, physician groups, home health agencies, and ancillary providers improve reimbursement, enhance operational efficiency, and position themselves for long‑term success in an evolving healthcare landscape.
Chris is an active member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), and he is a frequent speaker on managed care strategy, value‑based care, and risk‑based contracting.
Shivam Nag
Associate
Prior to joining Lawrence, Evans & Co. LLC, Shivam was a senior analyst at RocSearch, a customized business intelligence solutions focused on business and financial research with data science. Shivam is an Executive Member of The Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE). He is a Level 2 CFA candidate.