GA Advisory & Valuation Services Launches Dedicated Financial Due Diligence (QoE) Practice and Appoints Ryan Irby as Managing Director

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., June 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- GA Advisory & Valuation Services, LLC, a subsidiary of Great American Holdings, LLC ("GA Group"), an industry-leading provider of advisory, valuation, field exam, liquidation, asset-based lending, investment banking, restructuring advisory, and real estate services, and majority-owned by funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. ("Oaktree"), today announced the official launch of its dedicated Financial Due Diligence (Quality of Earnings or QoE) Practice. Ryan Irby, Founder of Traders Oak Capital Advisors, has been appointed Managing Director and National Practice Leader to spearhead the growth of this offering.

Ryan brings more than 13 years of experience building and leading QoE practices and has advised on over 400 transactions ranging from under $10 million to more than $500 million in enterprise value. His expertise spans buy-side and sell-side financial due diligence, working capital analysis, and transaction advisory services for private equity firms, investment banks, corporate buyers, family offices, and other investors.

Prior to joining GA Group, Ryan was the Founder and Managing Member of Traders Oak Capital Advisors, a boutique due diligence and M&A advisory firm. He has also held senior leadership roles at ADG Venture Group, BVWD, LLP, Dixon Hughes Goodman, LLP, and Weaver and Tidwell, LLP. Ryan's background includes extensive industry experience across healthcare, manufacturing and distribution, energy, oilfield services, business services, technology, construction, and with large carve-out transactions. He is known for combining deep GAAP accounting knowledge, advanced financial modeling skills, and practical transaction insight to help clients identify risks, validate earnings, and maximize deal value.

"Ryan's depth of experience and proven leadership in transaction advisory services make him the ideal person to build and lead our QoE practice," said Curt Germany, Senior Managing Director and National Practice Leader for GA Group Financial Advisory Services. "His addition represents a major milestone in completing our full suite of financial advisory services and strengthens our ability to support clients across every stage of the M&A lifecycle."

With this addition, GA Group completes its "Core 4" Financial Advisory Services in support of M&A activity: Valuation, Transaction Opinions, CFO Advisory, and Financial Due Diligence (QoE). GA Group's Financial Advisory Services practice provides financial clarity to help clients make better decisions and achieve stronger outcomes. The team supports acquisitions, divestitures, carveouts, and complex financial analyses through services including buy-side and sell-side QoE, transaction support, working capital analysis and dispute resolution, and M&A valuation services.

Ryan holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Finance from Texas A&M University, as well as a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and served as Executive Committee Member and Treasurer of the DFW Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth. He is also a member of the AICPA and TSCPA.

About GA Group

GA Group is a privately held global firm offering a comprehensive set of tailored solutions to meet our clients' diverse needs. Our experts provide advisory and valuation services, as well as monetize, lend against, and acquire assets across a broad range of sectors from both healthy and distressed companies. GA Group and its predecessors are celebrating 50 years of customer service, and the company's leadership has over 100 years of collective experience in the industry. GA Group is majority-owned by funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. For more information, please visit www.gagroup.com.

SOURCE Great American Holdings, LLC