2018 Honorees

Adam Freedenberg, CPA, CFE, CVA
Santos, Postal & Company, P.C.
Senior Manager
Rockville, MD
Area of Expertise: Business Valuation/Appraisal

Adam Freedenberg

Adam Freedenberg continues to add significant, long term value to Santos, Postal & Company.  He does not merely exceed his required production goals as measured by his balanced scorecard—Mr.  Freedenberg is a “finder.”  Using the laser focused skills acquired as a former Division I athlete, he has developed and executed a business plan that drives significant business valuation and advisory business to the firm.

In conjunction with their joint venture partner—Topline Valuation Group, Mr. Freedenberg developed a product known as the Strategic Valuation Assessment (SVA).  His YouTube video discussing the product and its benefits has amassed more than 5,700 views. 

He is a true leader who lives and breathes by the firm’s core values.  He cares about clients, the community, and his profession.

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing the financial consulting profession?

The expanded use of technology within the profession with the intention of automating processes and simplifying the compliance aspect of the CPA.  We are already seeing advanced technology in the works within our tax and audit departments.  For this reason, among others, we are working to further expand and grow our valuation and advisory departments.  The additional diversification will mitigate the risk of technology as it relates to compliance based, commoditized services.  The more our firm can be trusted business advisers to our clients, the less impacted our firm will be by automated processes.

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial consulting profession?

Our firm has seen an increased need in both buy-side and sell-side due diligence services.  It seems M&A activity is prevalent and growing across more and more industries, with the Baby Boomer generation ready to exit.  This type of activity has lent itself opportunities for our firm to take on engagements where we prepare the buyer or seller to engage in the transaction.  These opportunities can include things such as budgeting/forecasting, variance analyses, cash proofs, quality of earnings assessments, valuations, and deal structuring/tax impact analyses, to name a few.

Alex Nechay, CVA, CSAF, CHBC
Transition Consultants
Valuation Manager
Los Alamitos, CA
Area of Expertise: Healthcare Valuation and Consulting

Alex Nechay

Alex Nechay is a director of business valuation at Transition Consultants and has participated in over 400 valuation engagements that include both business valuations and transaction advisory services of healthcare entities and facilities.  He is primarily involved in valuation of physician practices, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care, physical and occupational therapy centers.  Mr. Nechay is a CVA, a Certified Specialist Accounting & Finance (CSAF) with Healthcare Financial Management Association, and a Certified Healthcare Business Consultant (CHBC) candidate with the National Society of Certified Healthcare Business Consultants.  He earned his bachelor of science in health care administration from California State University, Long Beach, and routinely performs valuations and fair market value appraisals throughout the country.

Mr. Nechay spent considerable time studying market transaction data in his work as transaction advisor and has used this market insight to guide his quantitative modeling in the area of business valuation.  He has used advanced statistical analysis of the current databases of closely-held health service entities to bring added integrity to the Market Approach.

Amarilys Rosa Sanchez, CVA, CPA
BDO Puerto Rico, P.S.C.
Assurance Senior Associate
San Juan, PR
Area of Expertise: Business Valuation/Appraisal

Amarilys Rosa Sanchez

Amarilys Rosa Sanchez is prepared, resourceful, and capable of managing all work engagements related to business valuations and appraisals, lean management, litigation consulting, and other accounting related areas in both private and governmental sectors.

As a business advisory and assurance senior associate at BDO, her competencies and technical skills have been vital to the success of multi-services engagements.  Since joining BDO seven years ago, she has collaborated in the Tax, Assurance, and Business Advisory divisions.  This experience has helped her develop a unique and comprehensive understanding of her clients' needs and targeting the right solution approach; always exceeding clients’ and peers’ expectations.  Her eleven years of experience in the different realms of business valuation evidenced her expertise in various industries, such as construction, manufacturing, financial services, retail and distribution, services, real estate, and government, which in turn, makes her advice that much more valuable.

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing the financial consulting profession? 

I consider that one of the most important current issues facing the financial consulting profession is to expose the profession at the level of students and the general public.  I believe that universities and colleges should provide conferences or beginning courses on litigation, valuation, and other fields within the consulting services.

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial consulting profession?

A major growth area in the financial consulting profession is the export of services and the specialization in industries within each consulting service.

Amy LaSala
Cornerstone Business Services
Director of Business Valuations
Green Bay, WI
Area of Expertise: Business Valuation/Appraisal

Amy LaSala

Amy LaSala spearheaded the creation of a business valuation division within her organization.  Her professional acumen, attention to detail, and exceptional client service has raised the bar, not only for the firm, but for their alliance partners and clients' operations.  She is continuously improving the valuation process and analysis, and always provides clients with actionable recommendations to do the same for their businesses.

Outside of her commitment to value added valuations, Ms. LaSala devotes much of her free time to giving back to the community.  She exemplifies professionalism, service, and integrity while giving 110% of her effort to her family, her team, her clients, and her community.

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing the financial consulting profession?

We are currently waiting for the Baby Boomer business owners to start exiting their businesses.  The vast majority of them have no exit plan and no credible idea of what the business is actually worth.  Even worse, the business accounts for the largest part of their retirement funding.  They are leaving their retirement income to chance.  Financial professionals need to start having proactive conversations about exit planning and business valuations so we can help prepare these owners and give them a smooth transition into retirement.

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial consulting profession?

A major growth area for financial consulting is exit planning for business owners.  Business owners pour their sweat and tears into their businesses and hope to reap the benefits when they are ready to retire.  With a solid exit plan, business owners may be able to realize more value from the business or retire earlier than anticipated.

Berlin Haugen
BowPoint, LLC
President & CEO
St. Louis, MO
Area of Expertise: Mergers and Acquisitions

Berlin Haugen

Berlin Haugen is the founder and CEO of BowPoint, a St. Louis based boutique investment banking firm exclusively focused on the lower middle market, providing mergers and acquisitions advisory services to private companies and private equity groups across the United States.  During his career, Mr. Haugen has facilitated the completion of 46 transactions, 28 with a private equity group, located across 19 U.S. States and internationally in the manufacturing, distribution, services, consumer products, food, lumber, pharmaceuticals, automotive, construction, technology, software, healthcare, medical device, laboratory, staffing, electronics, and digital marketing industries. 

Prior to founding BowPoint, Mr. Haugen was the managing director at Pritchard Osborne Equity Ventures, a St. Louis based investment banking firm.  He orchestrated the buyout of Pritchard Osborne Equity Ventures, making it the predecessor firm of BowPoint today.  Mr. Haugen began his career with Raymond James & Associates and earned his bachelor degree in Economics and Finance from Murray State University.

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing the financial consulting profession?

There is no more “sacred knowledge” to sell.  The internet has changed the landscape forever on how consultants must position their services to demonstrate value.  Business owners now have unprecedented access to information online, and can quickly self-educate and become overnight experts on anything.  The days of “I know something you don’t know, and now you have to pay me” are coming to an end as technology continues to shine light into the dark places where consultants earn their living.

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial consulting profession?

Exit planning for aging Baby Boomer business owners.  There are so many things an owner can do in advance to prepare themselves for a sale, both operationally and financially, but also mentally so as to maximize business value, eliminate perceived risk, and assure a smooth transaction process that will culminate in an exit that achieves their objectives.  Financial consultants, accountants, lawyers, business brokers, and investment bankers have a tremendous opportunity to expand and deepen their relationships with their business owner client’s by becoming a shepherd, and helping their client’s navigate the road to an eventual exit.   

Brett A. Hickey
Star Mountain Capital
Founder & CEO
New York, NY
Area of Expertise: Private Credit/Private Equity

Brett A. Hickey

Brett Hickey is the founder and CEO of Star Mountain Capital, a specialized investment firm bringing large market capabilities and resources to established small and medium-sized private businesses.  Star Mountain’s distinctive investment platform provides superior information, relationships, and resources to the lower middle-market through three complementary verticals: (i) Direct Investments in Businesses, (ii) Strategic Primary Fund Investments (including to SBIC funds), and (iii) Secondary Fund Investments.  Star Mountain provides its portfolio companies (generally cash flow positive businesses with $10 million to $150 million of annual revenues) with strategic capital, human resources, and relationships to grow and achieve their business objectives.

Mr. Hickey has been investing in private U.S. small and medium-sized businesses since 2004.  Prior to being a principal investor, he was an Investment Banker at Salomon Smith Barney/Citigroup where he covered asset managers and financial institutions.  In that role, Mr. Hickey analyzed and underwrote leading fund managers and financial institutions across multiple asset classes, ultimately working on over $20 billion in completed strategic acquisitions and capital raises.

Mr. Hickey received a bachelor of commerce with distinction from McGill University (finance major and accounting concentration) and graduated from Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management Program (three-year executive program for business owners).  He is a frequent guest lecturer on industry panels and at academic institutions.  Mr. Hickey is also a former Canadian national gold medalist and North American medalist in speed skating.

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing financial services? 

After spending three years incubating the business model for Star Mountain, including through attending Harvard Business School’s OPM program, it wasn’t just about identifying market opportunities, I wanted to develop a truly leading culture and team, because I believe that team is the single most important asset of any business and most financial firms don’t invest in culture, so this is one of our key differentiators.  When I took a step back and looked at which companies had created the most substantial economic value, which seemed to continue to be scalable, sustainable business models with substantial competitive advantages, they tended to be technology companies with strong and distinct cultures such as Facebook or Google, so we emulated those things that are not traditionally embedded in the financial services sector to elevate Star Mountain’s brand, value, and cultural capital.  Cultivate a culture of excellence within your team, and you will find your company ready, willing, and able to conquer the challenges that will inevitably come.

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial services profession?

Technology is the major growth area in nearly all industries and financial services is no different.  Star Mountain believes in the value of data, information, and resources and, as such, has developed a comprehensive business model with a robust investment in technology.  We have a full-time Chief Technology Officer (CTO) who is able to stay on top of both trends in the industry and make real-time updates that are needed for the success of the business.

C. Zachary Meyers, CPA, CVA
C. Zachary Meyers, PLLC
Owner, CPA, CVA
Scott Depot, WV
Area of Expertise: Expert Witness

C. Zachary Meyers

C. Zachary Meyers has been retained in over 1,500 engagements as a testifying expert, consulting expert, or joint/court appointed expert for civil, criminal, tax, and matrimonial litigation since 2011.  Mr. Meyers has provided expert testimony and been qualified in Federal District Courts, State Courts, and Family Law Courts as an expert in Business Valuation, Forensic Accounting, Pension Valuation, and Taxation.  Mr. Meyers also served as conference co-chairs for the NACVA and the CTI’s 2018 Annual Consultant’s Conference.  Mr. Meyers is the author of the Unimpeachable Neutrality Series for the publication, QuickRead where he serves as an editorial board member.  Mr. Meyers was elected to the first NACVA Standards Board in 2016, appointed co-chair to the NACVA Standards Board in 2017, and recently appointed chair to the NACVA Standards Board in 2018.

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing the financial consulting profession?

The most important issues facing the financial consulting profession relate to the selective evolution of financial consulting services apropos to technological developments like artificial intelligence.  I look at these technological advances as opportunities, not threats.  One must keep in mind that, like artificial intelligence, the electronic spreadsheet was first viewed as a threat to the workforce.  While the threat was real, I cannot imagine doing my work without this now antiquated advance in technology.  Much like the electronic spreadsheet , I see artificial intelligence as being beneficial to individuals within the financial profession by giving them the ability to offer new services and enhance the services they already provided.

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial consulting profession?

Litigation support and divorce valuation will always require a very human element of professional judgement that I feel cannot be substituted or replaced.  While the general public may trust Turbo Tax to do their taxes, it will be quite a while before Siri, Cortana, or Alexa will be able to testify in court.

Christopher G. Coyle
Skoda Minotti
Manager
Cleveland, OH
Area of Expertise: Business Valuation/Appraisal

Christopher G. Coyle

Christopher G. Coyle has developed into an invaluable member of Skoda Minotti's Valuation and Litigation Advisory practice group.  He works tirelessly to deliver high quality valuation work to a diverse client base.  In a very short time, Mr. Coyle has demonstrated a level of knowledge and capability in the areas of valuation for financial reporting, estate and gift tax matters, divorce matters, and economic damages cases.  He is sought after and well-respected by the firm’s attorney clients in litigation matters.

In addition to his role within valuation and litigation support, Mr. Coyle is also a key member to the firm’s Transaction Advisory Services practice group, assisting clients in the areas of M&A and succession planning.  He regularly runs due diligence and sell-side readiness assessment engagements for Skoda Minotti’s clients. 

He is active in business development and thought leadership and has authored countless blogs and articles over the last four years in a wide array of valuation topics.  He has made time to give back to the community through his involvement as a board member with Empower Sports, which uses athletics to promote kindness, character, and tolerance to mentally and physically challenged individuals.

Craig Waugh
Polsinelli PC
Shareholder
Phoenix, AZ
Area of Expertise: Litigation Consulting

Craig Waugh

Craig Waugh is a rising star in the legal community.  He recently spoke to all securities lawyers in his state on current developments in securities litigation.  Mr. Waugh is active in Greater Phoenix Chamber and its young leadership—he gives to the community and mentors other younger lawyers.  He won a high profile four-year multimillion dollar award in a cross-border case involving a prominent Sinaloa Mexican grower against a large multinational produce company in the U.S.

David Burdette, CVA
Prairie Capital Advisors, Inc.
Director
Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Area of Expertise: Business Valuation/Appraisal

David Burdette

David Burdette is a Director with Prairie Capital Advisors—operating out of the Atlanta, Georgia office.  He provides valuation and strategic advisory services to business owners specializing in ESOPs, gift and estate planning, strategic planning, and M&A.  Mr. Burdette is a committed member of the ESOP Association and is on the Interdisciplinary Advisory Committee on Fiduciary Issues.  

Mr. Burdette holds a bachelor of arts degree, economics and business (with a concentration in financial management) from Virginia Military Institute.  He is a CVA with NACVA, and a member of the Association for Corporate Growth, the Institute of Business Appraisers, and the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO).   

Mr. Burdette joined Prairie in 2012 and has shown commitment and leadership by significantly contributing to the growth and development of Prairie’s presence in the Atlanta market.  He provides educational technical seminars and webinars on ownership transition and valuation topics to Prairie’s prospects, clients, and industry partners as well as mentorship of the Atlanta office staff.  Additionally, he leads the ESOP Committee at Prairie which is responsible in communicating the benefits of being an employee owned company and making Prairie a fun and enjoyable workplace.  

David Kirtland, CIA, CRMA, CFE
AXIA Partners
Compliance Manager
Houston, TX
Area of Expertise: Other

David Kirtland

David Kirtland is a manager in the compliance consulting practice for AXIA Partners, a Houston-area consulting firm that specializes in helping mid-market, private and public companies with their financial and IT needs.  His areas of expertise include accounting systems and internal controls, fraud education, fraud detection and prevention, project management, performance improvement, and process efficiency identification.  He is the vice-president and training director of the Houston Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, a non-profit organization providing training and networking opportunities for anti-fraud professionals in the greater Houston Area, receiving the chapter Executive Leadership Award in 2016.

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing the financial consulting profession? 

I would say the top challenge facing the consulting profession is continuous improvement and reputation management.  Often, I find that we—as consultants—work really hard to establish ourselves as technical experts and leaders in our professions; however, once we have established ourselves, it is easy to become complacent.

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial consulting profession?

In my opinion, an area of growth for the consulting profession is fraud prevention.  There are countless firms who specialize in fraud detecting and recovery, and very few who specialize in proactive prevention.  Too many times we allow our clients to rely on very weak fraud prevention measures outlined by regulations, but it is clear that this is not enough.

Dimitri Yimga MBA, CPA, CVA, CFE, CGMA
TruVim CPA
President
Anchorage, AK
Area of Expertise: Business Valuation/Appraisal

Dimitri Yimga

Dimitri Yimga is president at TruVim CPA—an Alaskan based certified public accounting practice firm.  Mr. Yimga specializes in business valuation, forensic accounting, and litigation support; and has conducted various valuations for a variety of industries, including: healthcare, construction, transportation, and information services.

Born in Cameroon, West Africa, Mr. Yimga earned a bachelor in accounting and a master in business administration from the University of Alaska, Anchorage.  

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing the financial consulting profession?

Adapting to change—such as but not the least: information and data democratization, the looming succession crisis from the aging Baby Boomers generation, understanding the new markets and society need and wants, cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, blockchain, artificial intelligence, global trend and globalization, lack of talented and committed workforce, privacy, and regulation—just to list a few.  These are the changes financial consulting professionals are facing presently and no one is immune, whether big or small firms.  We may need to go back to the drawing board, as what worked yesterday may not work today, and will definitely not work in the future.

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial consulting profession?

I do not believe there is a single major growth area in the financial consulting profession; I believe there are many.  Today we are witnessing a rapidly changing world affecting areas such as, but not limited to, political landscape, social policy, technology innovation, and population demographic.  These lead to transformative market environments thus new opportunities, which innovative financial consulting professionals must identify and cater to in order to stay competitive.

Félix Zogning
University of Quebec in Outaouais
Associate Professor
Ottawa—Gatineau, DC
Area of Expertise: Mergers and Acquisitions

Félix Zogning

Félix Zogning is a media figure, academic, and associate professor of financial accounting at Université du Québec en Outaouais.  He specializes in issues related to financial markets, entrepreneurship, and governance.  His work deals with, among other topics: the performance of listed companies; mergers and acquisitions; governance mechanisms within private and public organizations, and the impact they have on performance; as well as methods of facilitating the internationalization of small or medium-sized businesses.  

Félix Zogning is the chairman of the board of directors of Vues d’Afrique—the biggest African film festival not held in Africa—and is a member of the Ordre des administrateurs agréés du Québec and the Association francophone pour le savoir (Acfas).  In addition, he is the author or co-author of a number of works, including: Performance of Listed Companies and Economic Growth (2010); Advanced Financial Accounting (2013); Investment, Financing, and Accounting Regulation in OHADA Space (2014); Financing of SMEs and Public Sector Performance (2015); Fundamentals of Financial Statements (2017); Informal Economy, Entrepreneurship, and Employment (2017); and Governance and Performance (2018).

In 2016, Félix Zogning was named a winner of the RBC Top 25 Awards—an award which, “recognizes inspirational immigrants who have come to North America, achieved success, and made a positive difference living here”.  In 2017, he received the Robert P. Morin Award of best administrator under 35, from the Professional Order of Chartered Administrators.  He is part of the group of 30 governance ambassadors.

Harshad Khurjekar
RSM
Transaction Advisory Principal
New York, NY
Area of Expertise: Mergers and Acquisitions

Harshad Khurjekar

Harshad Khurjekar is a leader and principal in RSM's Transaction Advisory Services group providing financial due diligence services to top private equity investors and corporate acquirers in the New York marketplace.  He is a trusted advisor by top private equity firms and they have benefited from his significant M&A experience, expertise, and outstanding ability to navigate complex parts of an M&A transaction.  Over the past 12 years, Mr. Khurjekar has led more than 200 transactions, worth over five billion dollars, with a particular focus on the business services, transportation and logistics, industrial products, consumer products and retail sectors, and cross-border M&A.  

He has worked on more than 30 cross border acquisitions and leads RSM’s cross-border efforts with particular focus on Asia.  Before joining RSM, he spent seven years with KPMG’s Transaction Services practice most recently as a director.  In addition, Mr. Khurjekar has worked with other large advisory firms, mainly providing financial and operational consulting services to portfolio companies of mid-market private equity funds.

Mr. Khurjekar leads business services and transportation and Logistics industries nationally for RSM from Transaction Advisory Services perspective.  He is also a board member of the ACG New York Chapter (Association of Corporate Growth), a global organization focused on middle market M&A with 56 chapters and over 14,000 members around the world.

Jason W. LeRoy, ASA, CVA, CFE
Doeren Mayhew
Shareholder
Troy, MI
Area of Expertise: Business Valuation/Appraisal

Jason W. LeRoy

Jason W. LeRoy specializes in engagements related to litigation (family law, shareholder disputes), tax compliance (gift, estate, PPA’s), and forensics.  His industry specializations include: construction, manufacturing, auto dealerships, professional practices, and real estate holding companies.  Mr. LeRoy also provides expert witness testimony.  He was voted in as a shareholder in 2012 and leads a $2.5 million valuation practice with one other shareholder and nine total full-time staff in two offices (MI, TX).  Mr. LeRoy is focused on perpetual learning and improvement.  He is an avid researcher and continually shares his knowledge with those around him, including: his staff, peers, clients, attorneys, judges, mediators, arbitrators, etc.  He strives to be a thought leader on valuation, forensic, and litigation support topics and regularly communicates with his network through e-mail newsletters, public speaking, in-house training, and social media.

Mr. LeRoy is responsible for staff training and development.  He does this through scheduling webinars, leading in-house training, and leading cascade training sessions from information learned at national conferences.  He recently completed a three-year partner training program through The Growth Partnership and has implemented principles related to staff development, motivation, time management, networking, and continual learning into the practice. 

He produces reports that are detailed, credible, and well supported.  Mr. LeRoy sets a high standard for himself and the team, and conducts himself with high ethical and moral standards.  These attributes add value and strengthen the business valuation profession.  He has been an asset to the business valuation community and will undoubtedly continue to be throughout his career.

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing the financial consulting profession? 

Business valuation is becoming more and more complex and assumptions and methods are constantly changing.  Valuation experts need to invest sufficient time and resources to stay abreast of changes and trends from current case law, regulatory changes, tax reform, new valuation tools, etc.  The business valuation profession needs to continually educate appraisers and their clients on how to adhere to technical and ethical standards.

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial consulting profession?

Ownership transition is a large growth area and will be for many years to come.  As business owners continue to retire or transfer their business to younger generations, they will need advice and guidance from trusted advisors, including business appraisers.  Appraisers can provide value to clients working through mergers, acquisitions, gifting, preparing buy-sell agreements, and others.

An additional growth area is in family law matters.  With the passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, for agreements entered into after Dec. 31, 2018, alimony will no longer be tax deductible to the payer or taxable to the payee.  This will certainly result in a push to finalize divorce agreements before the year-end to take advantage of the deductibility of alimony payments.

Jeffrey F. Gibralter, CPA, ABV, CFF, CFE
Klein Liebman & Gresen, LLC
Partner
Syosset, NY
Area of Expertise: Business Valuation/Appraisal

Jeffrey F. Gibralter

Jeffrey F. Gibralter became a partner at Klein Liebman & Gresen, LLC in 2013.  Mr. Gibralter had previously been a manager in the Forensic Services practice at PwC, and auditor and senior tax consultant at E&Y.  Mr. Gibralter has assisted hundreds of closely-held companies, attorneys, accountants, and financial professionals with engagements involving business valuations, forensic accounting, litigation support, and expert witness testimony.  Mr. Gibralter’s engagements have involved matrimonial matters, estate and gift tax planning, shareholder disputes, the acquisition and sale of businesses, corporate planning, complex separate property analyses, and financial asset tracings.  He has been court appointed as a neutral financial expert and has testified as an expert witness.  

Mr. Gibralter has a diversified background in litigation and forensic consulting, accounting and auditing, and tax consulting.  Mr. Gibralter has lectured and published articles on business valuation and forensic accounting topics, including: business valuation in divorce, tax topics, working with financial and computer experts, and more.  He believes in using innovative and collaborative thinking to guide negotiating strategies. 

Mr. Gibralter is dedicated to professional and community organizations, serving as current chairman of the NYSSCPA Business Valuation Committee, and treasurer of three organizations: (1) Estate Planning Council of Suffolk County; (2) Child Abuse Prevention Services; and (3) National Association of Divorce Professionals.  Mr. Gibralter has provided input for establishing professional standards, and assisted various community groups in resolving sensitive matters.   

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing the financial consulting profession? 

I would consider the changes to the tax law to be the most important issue facing the financial consulting profession, especially as it relates to business valuations.

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial consulting profession? 

I would consider management planning to be the major growth area in the financial consulting profession.

Jessica Giresi, CPA, ABV, CFE
WithumSmith+Brown, PC
Senior Manager
Princeton, NJ
Area of Expertise: Financial Forensics

Jessica Giresi

Jessica Giresi’s national forensic accounting practice involves a wide range of consulting services in connection with civil and criminal litigation matters. With over 15 years of public accounting experience, she brings the traditional accounting background attained earlier in her public accounting career into complex fraud and forensic investigations, economic damage assessments, professional liability matters, bankruptcy litigation, partnership/shareholder disputes, and matrimonial litigation. Ms. Giresi routinely tackles complex tracing analyses and fraud investigations, cash flow or business valuation issues, executive compensation structures, elective share and other statutory calculations, and other intricate accounting issues.

Ms. Giresi has been recognized as a leader in the field of forensic accounting, having been awarded the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (AICPA) Forensic and Valuation Services Standing Ovation Award in 2016. Because of her strong commitment to client service, Ms. Giresi was also recognized by Withum as a 2017 nominee and 2018 winner of the firm’s prestigious Strength in Client Service Award. Ms. Giresi is quickly making a name for herself in the legal community, actively developing new business for her firm, and quickly becoming known as a go-to expert in relation to complex forensic matters. 

Beyond Withum, Ms. Giresi was appointed by the New Jersey Supreme Court to the District VII Ethics Committee for the 2018 to 2022 term, where she serves as a non-attorney public member of this regulatory body for the adjudication of attorney discipline matters. Ms. Giresi is also an active member of her community and a participant in Withum’s community outreach initiatives.

Jessica Scouten, CPA, CFE, MAFF
KraftCPAs PLLC
Senior Manager, Forensic & Investigative Accounting
Nashville, TN
Area of Expertise: Financial Forensics

Jessica Scouten

Jessica Scouten’s case work (which includes internal investigations of accounting and financial reporting irregularities and more intensive investigations of alleged fraud/other misconduct subject to litigation) illustrates her diverse skillset within the industry.

Ms. Scouten managed the firm’s largest engagement, a heavily-involved forensic accounting project in which she oversaw more than 50 personnel.  She and the team worked closely with attorneys in a white-collar crime investigation, which entailed the analysis and mining of more than nine million e-mails and other documents. 

She frequently speaks at conferences and seminars sponsored by law firms, higher education institutions, and accounting/finance organizations.  She has presented on topics such as financial statement analysis, fraud investigation, and forensic accounting.  Ms. Scouten’s commitment to community involvement speaks highly of her character.  She is particularly passionate about her work with the Nashville Conflict Resolution Center and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville.  She has also received KraftCPAs’ annual practice development award, which recognizes commendable leadership in professional societies and not-for-profit organizations. 

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing the financial consulting profession? 

The retention of skilled and knowledgeable young practitioners is a current hurdle facing the profession.  It is important to provide the next generation with opportunities and experiences to engage and empower them so they feel like a valued team member.

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial consulting profession?

The use of technology allowing professionals to more effectively and efficiently meet client needs is a major growth area.  Technology must be embraced to remain competitive and relevant in the profession.

Josh Shilts, CPA, ABV, CFF, CGMA, CFE
Villela & Shilts
Managing Partner
Jacksonville, FL
Area of Expertise: Financial Forensics

Josh Shilts

Josh Shilts has provided domestic and international clients with an array of traditional and “non-traditional” CPA services for over a decade.  Mr. Shilts’ practice focuses on providing litigation support for both domestic and commercial issues.  He provides assistance in the calculation of business valuations, economic damages, and forensic accounting.  Mr. Shilts’ unique background also includes providing organizations of varying sizes with consultation on budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning, as well as insight into the appropriate organizational control structures to assist organizations mitigate fraud and other risks.

Mr. Shilts has held positions with public accounting and advisory consulting firms as well as stops “in-house” with public and private organizations.  This unique experience has allowed him to understand the many qualitative components that drive organizations.  He uses this experience to assist him with litigation and business consulting matters.  He is respected by his peers for his innovative and disciplined thinking. 

Mr. Shilts is regularly called to testify on matters involving hidden assets, undisclosed income, valuation, lost profit, and other forensic accounting matters.  He has been qualified as an expert in various circuit courts around Florida.  Additionally, his expertise is also used in mediation settings as well as in resolving internal organizational issues for clients in various industries and locations. 

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing the financial consulting profession? 

Meeting client demands in an economy where some services aren’t affordable or profitable.  Many clients fall into the small business category and—while we would love to provide excellent service—many times the budget does not allow us to provide the additional services needed.  The struggle today is paying respectable wages to professional employees while still meeting client demands even when we are asked “to go above and beyond”.  This is a macro problem in many industries, but I think it hits the financial consulting profession harder because of the continuous need for our services.  While there are many business models that use outsourced resources, what this does is not allow us to “groom” the next generation of financial professionals on the foundation of items they need to know to afford them the opportunity to grow.

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial consulting profession? Valuation and dispute resolution.  Valuation encompasses tax, finances, and also looks into the potential profitability opportunities of an entity.  I think more and more businesses are starting to identify that a valuation can be used to assist them in business planning, estate planning, taxation, and finance.  The valuation is now being seen as an important tool to allow businesses to identify their future opportunities.  That said, we live in a litigious society and I am a believer that financial professionals must have a “seat at the table” in assisting in dispute resolutions as it relates to commercial and domestic issues.  The skill sets needed for this go beyond finance and accounting, and many individuals are building upon their core finance knowledge to complement their soft skills.  In doing so, they are showing their value to the business and legal community.

Julian Dozier, CPA, CFF, CFE, ABV
Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A. CPAs
Director, Assurance Services
Tallahassee, FL
Area of Expertise: Expert Witness

Julian Dozier

Julian Dozier has made a positive impact on, not only the firm, but the accounting profession since joining Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A. CPAs (THF) in 2006.  Mr. Dozier has risen from an entry-level staff to an experienced director in the Assurance Services Department.  His experience includes auditing, consulting, and providing forensic accounting services to multiple industries.  Mr. Dozier is the leader of the Firm’s Forensic Accounting Group.  

Mr. Dozier has been the lead on more than two dozen forensic projects, has been deposed as an expert witness, and has signed/co-signed expert reports in a variety of matters.  His experience includes criminal, civil, and bankruptcy cases.  In addition to managing engagements, he serves as a quality control reviewer or technical resource for other projects.  He has also critiqued valuation reports in a litigated environment.  Multiple judgments or settlements in excess of $10,000,000 have been secured as a result of Mr. Dozier’s work.  

He has taught continuing professional education courses for his colleagues at THF, addressing matters pertaining to accounting standards, auditing, and fraud.  Service to the accounting profession includes involvement at the state level through repeated appointments to the Accounting Principles and Auditing Standards Committee of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA), including election as chair for 2014–15 (vice chair 2013–14), and election to the governing council of the FICPA for 2016–18.

Kaitlin Wilusz, CFA
Value Management Inc.
Manager
Jamison, PA
Area of Expertise: Business Valuation/Appraisal

Kaitlin Wilusz

Kaitlin Wilusz is motivated and driven.  She received her CFA while working at Ernst & Young in Times Square—in the Transaction Advisory Group—for four years.  Ms. Wilusz is now working at the family business started by her father where they perform valuations for ESOP, financial reporting, estate an gift taxes, divorce, and M&A purposes.   The firm also provides expert testimony services.  Ms. Wilusz is in charge of the intern program and mentoring.  She also is in the process of completing her ASA designation.

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing the financial consulting profession? 

In regards to the business appraisal profession, the most important current issue is understanding the impact of tax law changes.  In general, the increase in competition in the financial consulting industry highlights the need to diversify service offerings.  Offering various services in addition to providing business valuation, such as providing M&A consulting services, succession planning services, etc., are key to thriving in the financial consulting profession.

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial consulting profession?

To me, major growth areas are succession planning and succession consulting.  Helping clients gain clarity and realize value, a focus of Value Management Inc.—especially as Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age—is a major growth area.  Additionally, understanding and leveraging technology and software in the financial consulting space could be a path to differentiating and growing.

Kaycea Campbell, PhD
Strategic Economic Analysis
CEO/Principal Economist
San Pedro, CA
Area of Expertise: Expert Witness

Kaycea Campbell

As an experienced career economist specializing in economic theory, analysis, and policy, Long Beach, California based Kaycea Campbell offers expertise in loss analysis in civil litigation.  With her credentials, she is a sought after expert jury witness, providing economic reports and advisement to plaintiff and defense attorneys for personal injury, wrongful death, employment disputes, healthcare loss analysis, and lost profits from business cases.  With a PhD in economics and management, Ms. Campbell is also an experienced researcher whose analyses have been published in authoritative journals.

Ms. Campbell is a tenure-track associate professor at Pierce College, teaching Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and related Economic Theory courses as required.  She is now the chair of the department that houses the disciplines of Political Science, Economics, Administration of Justice, and Chicano Studies.  She also teaches economic courses at other colleges within the Los Angeles Community College District (Mission College and West Los Angeles College).  She also serves as an adjunct assistant professor of economics at the University of La Verne and Chapman University instructing both graduate and undergraduate students in economics and business courses.

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing the financial consulting profession?

The financial consulting profession is so popular that it is home to a large number of consultants, many of whom have only superficial knowledge, especially in the applied mathematics, that serves as a foundation for financial consulting.  In a sense, financial consulting has been a victim of its own success; high demand has driven high supply, which, in turn, threatens to reduce the quality of individual financial consultants.  Many people who enter financial consulting do so merely for reasons of compensation; they are not necessarily passionate about, or skilled in, the underlying details of financial consulting as a practice and as a set of theories.

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial consulting profession?

The most important growth area in financial consulting is statistically driven consulting.  While the field of financial consulting has always relied heavily upon quantitative models, there has always been a gap between the models employed within the profession and the models innovated in other fields such as applied statistics and econometrics.  For example, deep learning and machine learning models are both of extremely high relevance to financial consulting in functional domains such as portfolio optimization, but relatively few financial consultants have acquired the requisite experience in these kinds of statistical modeling.  There is a substantial opportunity for financial consultants who are able to (a) learn and apply complex statistical models and (b) translate these models into actionable results for clients.  

Mary Beth Koester
Rea & Associates
Senior Manager
Dublin, OH
Area of Expertise: Business Valuation/Appraisal

Mary Beth Koester

As a business valuation specialist, Mary Beth Koester consults with her clients on the value of their business, the key drivers that impact value, and areas of opportunity for growing profitability and business value.  With a background in veterinary practice valuations, Ms. Koester has a passion for working with practice owners and has earned a national reputation as a thought leader in this area.  She is a frequent speaker and writer for industry events and publications and has been invited to serve on several industry advisory boards.   

Since joining her firm less than two years ago, Ms. Koester has truly become a person of influence among their partner group, clients, and her peers.  She was hired as a manger in July 2016 and was promoted to senior manager in November 2017.  She is currently transitioning to the role of director of Valuation Services, which will make her the firm’s youngest-ever specialty practice lead.  In this role, Ms. Koester is responsible for the growth and direction of the firm’s valuation practice and leading a team of five.   

In 2018, she graduated from Rea’s 2017–2018 NextGen class, which is a nine-month program for the firm’s select top up-and-coming leaders.

Michael Cheng
401 Merritt 7
FASB Project Mgr
Norwalk, CT
Area of Expertise: Financial Accounting Standards

Michael Cheng

Michael Cheng joined the staff of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in 2012.  Mr. Cheng serves as the Private Company Council (PCC) coordinator where he is responsible for all PCC related matters.  He also leads the board’s private company decision making framework project focused on determining whether and in what circumstances it is appropriate to adjust financial reporting requirements for private companies following Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).  Currently, he is leading a project to help the board decide its future agenda.

Prior to joining the FASB, Mr. Cheng held various management positions with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).  Most recently, he was an Audit Senior Manager—Private Company Services in the firm’s Stamford, Connecticut office.  From 2003–2011, he also held roles of increasing responsibility in PwC’s Core Assurance divisions in Buffalo and Rochester, New York.

Mr. Cheng earned his bachelor of science degree in accounting with a concentration in finance from Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York.

Robert Metz
Whitley Penn
Forensic, Litigation & Valuation Partner
Austin, TX
Area of Expertise: Other

Robert Metz

Robert Metz has always endeavored to provide excellent client services with a focus on integrity.  He has abided by this principle even when it has meant advising clients and attorneys based on information which they may not want to hear, but is in their best interest and/or the best interest of the case.  As a result, he has quickly gained a reputation among clients, attorneys, and judges of providing accurate, honest, and trustworthy counsel and expert testimony.  He is also dedicated to furthering the profession through education and trainings.  He has given numerous presentations to educational and professional organizations, including universities, the Texas Society of CPAs, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, attorneys/bar associations, finance and treasury management organizations, construction management groups, and oil and gas organizations, among others.  Some of the topics he has presented on include business valuations, fraud and forensics, economic damages, lost profits, etc. 

Ryan Ghose
Valuation Research Corporation
Vice President
New York, NY
Area of Expertise: Business Valuation/Appraisal

Ryan Ghose

Ryan Ghose joined Valuation Research Corporation (VRC) as a vice president in the firm’s solvency and fairness opinions team in 2015.  Mr. Ghose has provided multiple opinions across a variety of industries, including: retail, technology, software, healthcare, oil and gas, and manufacturing.  Mr. Ghose has provided advisory services on over three billion dollars of financial transactions and has helped the New York solvency and fairness opinions team become one of the leading advisers to major private equity firms and the boards of their portfolio companies.

Prior to joining VRC, Mr. Ghose was a primary credit analyst at Standard & Poor’s (S&P) in New York City.  During his eight-year tenure with S&P, Mr. Ghose covered a portfolio of credits in numerous corporate industries, including: consumer products, midstream energy, healthcare, as well as residential mortgage-backed securities in S&P’s structured finance division.  He also served as a mentor for junior-level analysts and was the recipient of three Acknowledging and Celebrating Excellence (ACE) awards for his attributions in Leadership, Role Modeling, and Teamwork.   

Mr. Ghose holds a master degree in business administration from Columbia University’s Columbia Business School, and a bachelor degree in Quantitative Finance, with minors in mathematics and economics, from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Ryan T. Grau, CVA, CBA
FP Transitions, LLC
Valuations Director | Partner
Lake Oswego, OR
Area of Expertise: Business Valuation/Appraisal

Ryan T. Grau

Ryan Grau is the valuations director and a partner at FP Transitions, LLC, the nation’s leading valuation, brokerage, and consulting firm serving the financial services industry.  Mr. Grau has completed and supervised the production and delivery of thousands of appraisals and numerous expert opinion reports in his career.  He is a lifelong learner and is committed to upholding the professional standards in the business appraisal industry.

His expertise centers on appraising financial services businesses for purposes such as mergers and acquisitions, marital dissolutions, damages, litigation support, charitable contributions, gift taxes, and institutional lending.  Mr. Grau’s mission is to provide clarity to business owners, attorneys, and CPA’s on the topic of value and valuation by minimizing the “art” and “subjectivity” in the valuation process and replacing what is often referred to as guess work with defensible logic based on experience and observations.

Mr. Grau is an accomplished author and has been invited to contribute his thoughts and expertise to industry specific journals and best-selling books on the topic of succession planning for financial advisors and buying, selling, and valuing financial service practices.  He has been the featured lecturer at several educational seminars for the advisor-elite among the nation’s largest independent broker-dealers.

Samuel Paik, CPA, CGMA
Luxury Brand Partners, LLC
Vice President, Finance
Miami, FL
Area of Expertise: Mergers and Acquisitions

Samuel Paik

Samuel Paik is the vice president of finance and oversees the financial operations of Luxury Brand Partners (LBP)—a creator and incubator of artist-driven beauty brands developed for luxury and premium retail markets.  He designed the finance and operations infrastructure to allow the scaling from a single-brand startup to a management company with several portfolio companies; and with other like-minded partners at LBP, focuses on creating shareholder value—successfully acquired and divested portfolio companies exceeding $0.6 billion of transactions.  He also serves as acting CFO for some of the portfolio companies and was the interim GM for one of its growing brands.

Prior to joining LBP, Mr. Paik held finance and accounting leadership roles at RSM and Equinox where he developed his expertise in GAAP and tax compliance, strategic planning, treasury and investor relations, operations risk management, and what he believes is the most valuable skill: team building and talent development.  He serves as a mentor to dozens of rock stars in the industry who will undoubtedly be featured in future editions of 40 Under Forty.  Mr. Paik is conversational in Korean and “can get by” with his Spanish, which helps in Miami, FL, where he currently resides and serves as a governing body member of the Miami CFO Invitational.

Born and raised in Queens, NY, Mr. Paik obtained his bachelor of science in accounting with a second concentration in finance from the University at Buffalo. 

What would you consider to be the most important current issue facing the financial consulting profession?

Talent.  Recruiting, developing, and retaining the right individuals who are balanced in their priorities and who have the right mix of the four C's (character, competence, career-oriented, and culture-fit).

What would you consider to be the major growth areas in the financial consulting profession?

Growing and competing through M&A is back at the forefront of the minds of board members and executives and with that, will be the normal valuations services.  Whoever can best incorporate artificial intelligence into the due diligence process will provide a competitive edge in allowing more efficient, accurate, and timely decision making.