Disputes & Claims Advisory

Our Team

Danny Kraus

Managing Partner

Danny is a projects leader with 30 years of operator and EPC contractor experience supporting major multi-billion-dollar construction projects in the power, oil & gas, petrochemical, mining and renewable industries.

Danny has a proven track record of leading multi-discipline project teams and departments to deliver cost certainty to stakeholders through a comprehensive range of project management services from conceptual stages through execution applying appropriate techniques aligned to scope, value, and contract strategy to meet cost and schedule promises.

Danny has delivered major projects for operators including BP and Chevron and brings EPC experience from organizations such as General Electric, AMEC, and SBM Offshore, providing valuable perspective to clients engaging his services through XCEL-Partners.

He has also acted as an expert witness, opined on complex industrial property damage losses on behalf of insurers, and provided testimony in court, including at the Supreme Court of New York.

He is married to Amy and has three children (Harvey 20, Lola 17 and George 15).

Josh Rowan

Board Member

Josh is a seasoned operational leader with over 20 years of experience driving transformation, operational excellence, and measurable business results. Known for strong commercial judgment and integrity, he aligns operational, financial, and strategic priorities to maximize organizational performance. He most recently led Sibelco’s capital project organization and currently oversees Beaver Lake Renewable Energy, SunGas Renewables’ $2.5B flagship green methanol project.

Previously, Josh served as Director and Vice President at Albemarle Corporation, partnering closely with the COO to execute global growth and capacity expansion initiatives in the Lithium Global Business Unit. He managed a $5B+ global portfolio spanning more than 150 projects across ten production sites, with a focus on safety, quality, reliability, and return on investment.

Josh is a U.S. Army veteran and Bronze Star recipient for combat leadership in Iraq, and he was awarded the Louisiana Emergency Service Medal for operational support following Hurricane Katrina.

He holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas and a BS from Texas A&M University, is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor, and was named a 2023 finalist in Energy & Clean Technology by the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia.

He is married to Paige and has two sons (Palmer 16, Brant 12).

Omar Periu

Omar is a globally recognized speaker, best-selling author, and business coach who has shared the stage with icons such as Zig Ziglar, General Colin Powell, Tony Robbins, Larry King, and Robert Kiyosaki. He has authored several influential best-selling books, and his insights have appeared in Success Magazine and Selling Power. A 2013 Florida Businessman of the Year, Omar serves on the Board of Directors at Nova Southeastern University and Wayne Huizenga’s School of Entrepreneurship and is known for blending inspiration with disciplined execution to drive measurable leadership success.

As a globally recognized business strategist, acquisition advisor, and motivational leader, Omar Periu brings decades of experience advising executives, entrepreneurs, and boards on growth and transformation. As a Partner at XCEL-Partners, Omar focuses on acquisition strategy, leadership alignment, and value creation, drawing on an extensive history of supporting business acquisitions on behalf of Fortune 500 companies.

Omar has extensive hands-on experience working directly with private equity investment firms, supporting both deal execution and post-acquisition value creation. He has advised PE partners and portfolio company leadership teams on commercial strategy, sales transformation, leadership alignment, and execution discipline, often during periods of rapid growth, turnaround, or integration. As a trusted advisor to investors and operating teams alike, Omar bridges the gap between investment thesis and operational reality, helping private equity firms accelerate performance and maximize returns across their portfolios.

Brian Rock

Brian Rock is a seasoned project services executive with more than 18 years of international and domestic experience leading complex capital projects across the mining, chemicals, and energy sectors.

Having worked throughout North America, China, and Mongolia, he has led global execution teams, built enterprise-level Project Controls and Procurement organizations, and delivered portfolios exceeding $1B with strong cost and schedule certainty. He specializes in building high-performing Project Services functions, establishing best-in-class project governance, contracting strategies, and risk management frameworks that support confident execution.

From FEL-0 through commissioning, Brian has enhanced capital efficiency and decision-making by deploying tools such as Primavera and Cleopatra, embedding disciplined estimating, planning, forecasting, reporting practices, and developing teams. Brian delivers practical, results-driven solutions through standardized systems, contracting model negotiation, and independent project oversight, aligning projects to business strategy while accelerating schedules and reducing risk.

Brian is PMP-certified and committed to responsible development and disciplined capital deployment. He lives in Greenville, South Carolina, with his wife Mindy and their three

Dean Baudoin

Dean Baudoin is a proven leader in global supply chain, contracts, and procurement, with a distinguished career spanning over four decades in the oil and gas industry. He has successfully led supply chain management teams across major capital projects, joint ventures, and international operations, delivering commercial certainty and operational excellence through a comprehensive suite of contracts and procurement services.

Dean’s expertise includes strategic sourcing, category management, risk mitigation, dispute resolution, and crisis management. He has consistently supported project development from concept through execution and operations, tailoring contracting strategies to fit diverse scopes, values, and contract styles. His leadership has been instrumental in aligning procurement and contracting functions with project goals, ensuring cost and schedule commitments are met.

As a senior advisor, Dean has built and led contracts and procurement teams, implemented purchase order systems, negotiated frame agreements, EPCI contracts and established master service agreements across multiple projects. He has supported offshore developments in the Gulf of Mexico, deepwater initiatives in Côte d’Ivoire, and complex EPCI packages in Vietnam, Angola, and the U.S.