Samuel J. Agresti

Director
Brady Ware & Company

Sam joined Brady Ware as partner in 2006. He leads the firm’s Dealership Services team, working with dealerships to decrease their tax burden, maximize tax benefits, streamline processes and financial reporting, increase profits, prevent fraud and expand operations to new markets. He links these services with overall tax, audit and strategic planning initiatives to help clients realize financial rewards across their businesses.

Dr. Samir Arora

President & Medical Director
Aventiv Research

Dr. Samir Arora attended medical school in Manipal, India. He completed his residency at Hamot Medical Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he worked on multiple original research studies.

Since then, Dr. Arora has been a Principal and Sub Investigator involved in Phase I-IV clinical research on over 200 studies, and serves as our primary Clinical Trial Investigator at our Columbus, Ohio location.

He’s conducted studies in the therapeutic areas of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidemia, pain, asthma, COPD, osteoarthritis, vaccines, hormone replacement therapy, smoking cessation, peptic ulcer disease, and contraception. Dr. Arora’s study on breast feeding received national attention and garnered interviews on major networks and newspapers.

Jim Baich

Investor
MAD Capital

Jim is founder of MAD Capital, a private company with operating and commercial real estate investments. His operating company investments include Holly's Custom Print, Quality Quartz Engineering, Spoke Real Estate, IGS Solar and Heitmeyer Consulting. He was formerly the Chief Operating Officer for Advanced Drainage Systems and IGS Energy. Jim is Chairman for the Tri-W Group.

Matt Bennett

Partner
Talisman Capital Partners

Matt joined Talisman in 2018. Matt most recently served as Vice President of Corporate Development at MedVet, an operator of emergency and specialty veterinary hospitals, where he led mergers and acquisitions, new partnership opportunities, and other strategic growth initiatives. Prior to MedVet, Matt worked for J.P. Morgan in New York City, where he was in the Corporate Strategy division specializing in digital payments, and also in the Investment Banking division, where he worked on a variety of mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and capital markets transactions.

Matt currently sits on the board of SAGE Integration and Bond Vet.

Matt graduated with a BS in Finance with concentrations in Accounting and Statistics from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Steve Bennett

Market President
U.S. Bank

Steve has led the region as U.S. Bank’s senior executive since 2016. He has more than 27 years of experience in banking. As head of U.S. Bank’s Commercial Banking Group in the greater Columbus area, Steve focuses on helping middle-market clients work toward their goals and meet their financial and operational needs. In addition, he leads the local U.S. Bank Foundation.

Dave Berchowitz

CTO
Stirling Ultracold / Biolife

David has more than 45 years of experience in research and development of engines and cooling machines based on the Stirling principle. In this field, he has established himself as preeminent with many publications including a definitive book. David was solicited and brought to the United States in 1979 to work on automotive Stirling engines capable of operating on different fuels. In 1981 he was recruited by Sunpower Inc., in Athens, Ohio to work on a novel version of the Stirling engine. At Sunpower he became Chief Engineer and operated in this capacity until 1995 when he spun off Global Cooling Inc. originally as an IP licensing company. In 2008, David decided to reconstitute Global Cooling as a manufacturer of deep temperature freezers using the Stirling principle. As CTO, David is responsible for maintaining the Company’s intellectual property and technical excellence. In this regard, Global Cooling owns more than 70 patents. In September 2018, David delivered the keynote speech at the International Stirling Engine Conference in Taiwan.

Benton Bodamer

Member
Dickinson Wright PLLC

Ben is a corporate transactional attorney who has represented a wide range of public and private companies and many of the leading international private equity sponsors. He has significant experience advising clients on domestic and cross-border M&A, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, minority investments, divestitures and restructurings. Ben also is an adjunct professor at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and serves on the board of NoticeAbility and the advisory board of Calmer Choice.

Ilya Bodner

Founder & CEO
Bold Penguin

Ilya has changed the way people buy, sell and think about commercial insurance. A startup enthusiast and insurtech pioneer, he is the founder and CEO of Bold Penguin, a rapidly growing tech company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. He started his career on the front lines as an agent and has been on a mission to upgrade the industry through one successful startup after another.

Andrew Bojko

Partner
Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP

Andy is a partner in the firm’s Commercial Finance & Banking Practice Group and advises lenders, administrative agents and borrowers in matters involving middle-market debt financings, broadly syndicated debt financings, asset-based lending, ESOP financings, mezzanine debt and acquisition financings. Andy also handles a variety of real estate matters, with a particular emphasis on construction and permanent loans, leasing, and acquisitions and divestitures.

Doug Brody

Managing Director, Tax Business Development
Aon plc

Doug began his career at Aon in December 2020 after 20 years in Big Four as a Transaction Advisory Services leader. In addition to his divestiture-related roles, over his career Doug advised Fortune 500 clients on the tax aspects of acquisitions and internal restructuring transactions, carveouts and spinoffs, primarily in the Media & Entertainment, Life Science, Manufacturing and Consumer Products industries. Doug also sits on the Board of the All Stars Project, Inc., a national non-profit organization that provides afterschool opportunity and enrichment for some of the most underserved communities in the U.S. Doug has a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan Ross Business School, a J.D. from Cornell Law School, and an LL.M. from New York University School of Law.

Hugh Cathey

CEO
ChromoCare

Prior to serving as CEO of ChromoCare since 2016, Hugh was part of eight successive early-stage technology companies. Hugh has been an active angel investor and taken leadership roles in many of these companies. Earlier, Hugh served as president of two publicly traded telecom companies.

Sarah Chambers

Partner
Thompson Hine

Sarah is a partner in the firm's Corporate Transactions & Securities practice group. She counsels clients in a wide variety of areas, including: Mergers, acquisitions and reorganizations; Commercial agreements; Entity formation, organization and governance; Executive employment and separations; Equity and equity-based compensation; Capital raising and financing activities.

Sarah's experience includes negotiating and drafting transactional documents, primarily on behalf of private companies, as well as advising on various complex corporate issues, including governance matters. In addition, Sarah regularly works with insurance companies on corporate, regulatory and government relations matters.

Norm Cook

Executive Vice President of Corporate Development
Sequoia Financial Group

Norm is executive vice president of corporate development at Sequoia Financial Group. Previously, he was president and CEO of Wealthstone Advisers and led Banc One/JPMorgan’s Institutional Investment Group, where he oversaw a team responsible for advising over $250 billion in assets. He also served as director at One Group Global Funds and director of JPMorgan Asset Management (UK) Ltd. and was on Banc One’s Investment Advisors’ Board of Directors and its Investment Policy Committee and Investment Management Group Risk & Policy Committee.

Calvin Cooper

Co-founder & CEO
Rhove

Calvin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Rhove, a fintech company founded to empower everyone to invest in and own real estate. Prior to Rhove, Cooper was a venture capitalist. He is passionate about entrepreneurial development. Cooper serves on the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center Advisory Board and previously taught entrepreneurship as an adjunct professor at The Ohio State University.

Ken Cooper

Founding Partner & Chief Executive Officer
North American Dental Group

Ken Cooper, originally from Columbiana, Ohio and currently residing in Canfield, Ohio, attended Youngstown State University where he studied Finance & Marketing. Ken acquired his Series 7, 63, & 65 Licensure and began working as a Stockbroker and Investment Advisor with Wheat First Securities. From 1995-2005 Ken acted as the CEO in several joint venture deals with Atlantic Records/WEA distribution, Universal Records/Fontana distribution, and Sony Records/Red distribution. In 2008 he founded Dental Express and again in 2010 he co-founded Refresh Dental. Ken also serves on the Mahoning Valley Drug and Alcohol Board.

Scot C. Crow

Member and General Corporate, M&A and Private Equity Practice Group Chair
Dickinson Wright PLLC

Scot manages the firm’s corporate, M&A, private equity, securities and tax practices, and is also the head of the cannabis group, which consists of more than 40 attorneys throughout the U.S. and Canada. He has extensive experience in corporate, mergers and acquisitions and tax law and has served as lead counsel in mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, private offerings, venture capital financings, mezzanine debt offerings, divestitures and other related financial transactions, in a number of industry sectors, including the cannabis industry.

Josh Curtis

Managing Director
Footprint Capital

Josh works with business leaders on ownership transactions and liquidity events, including sell-side and buy-side engagements and transactions, such as management buyouts, succession and exit planning, ESOP formations, capital sourcing and leveraged recaps. Prior to leading Footprint Capital, Josh was vice president at Insource Spend Management Group. He led Insource through two synergistic acquisitions and ultimately, its sale.

Dan DeSantis

Partner
Provariant Equity Partners

Dan is a founding partner of Provariant Equity Partners, a Cleveland OH based equity investor focused on the lower middle market. Prior to Provariant, Dan was a partner with Linsalata Capital Partners, a private equity firm, for 18 years. Prior to that, Dan was with Ernst & Young where he was a Senior Manager providing M&A transaction support services to middle market clients. Dan received a B.S. in accountancy from Miami University, and he earned an M.B.A. with distinction, from Northwestern University. Dan’s responsibilities at Provariant include sourcing and transacting new investment opportunities as well as managing portfolio company oversight. Dan serves on the Board of MWE Holdings, Provariant’s initial stand alone investment.

Jonathon S. Eesley

Senior Partner
Windsor Advisory Group

Jon Eesley dedicates much of his professional time to impacting lives. So it’s no surprise that he is committed to helping prominent business leaders – who often have complicated financial lives – with their personal and business financial matters. An empathetic problem-solver with broad-based business experience, Jon has spent the past four decades advising business leaders and owners about their wealth and how to manage the complexities of their personal financial makeup.

Jon has many years of experience helping individuals and businesses achieve their financial goals. He has the ability to review, understand and respond to complex structures, transactions and financial activities. Current clients of Windsor Advisory Group continue to benefit from his in-depth experience.

Dave Enright

Senior Vice President, Commercial Banker
S&T Bank

At S&T Bank, Dave currently focuses on, but is not limited to, ESOP lending and leveraged buyouts. He has more than 17 years of experience with financing M&A, management buyouts, PE buyouts and DIP financing for companies that have filed bankruptcy. Dave has a long history working in asset-based lending as well on distressed situations. Over the years, Dave has worked in middle-market leveraged finance at different banking organizations, serving companies, PE groups, fundless sponsors and family offices.

Michael Farrell

Associate
Benesch

Mike is an associate in Benesch’s Commercial Finance and Banking Practice Group and advises lenders, issuers and borrowers in matters involving both debt and equity financing.

He has represented national financial institutions, private equity funds, mezzanine debt funds and corporate borrowers in connection with senior secured loans, ABL facilities, second lien loans, subordinated mezzanine loans, workout and restructuring scenarios, warrant issuances, equity coinvestments and venture capital financing.

Dale Anne Featheringham

Owner
Featheringham DDS MS Inc.

Dale Anne Featheringham, DDS, MS, MBA is a private practice orthodontist in Wooster, Ohio. She began her dental career after graduating from The Ohio State College of Dentistry, and then completing a residency program in Orthodontics. Following dental school, she went to the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State and completed an MBA program.

Dale Anne worked as an associate for six years, then started her own practice in Mansfield in 2006. She added a Wooster location and joined her practice with two other orthodontist friends to form Trio Orthodontics. This eight-location group practice was eventually purchased by a corporate orthodontic company, Smile Doctors, in 2017. Dale Anne is currently working for Smile Doctors, which is the country’s largest and fastest-growing “orthodontics-only” dental services organization.

Girish Gowda

CEO; Director
SteepGraph; eShocan

An Engineer with proven expertise in launching and scaling start-up technology companies, entering new markets, selling & marketing services and well versed in International Business Development. Created startups and managed a successful exit. Specialties: Scaling Start-ups in Technology Services, Unlock potential via M&A, Business Development & Leveraging Global Delivery.

Sam Grooms

CEO
Hy-Tek Material Handling, Inc.

Sam is CEO of Columbus based Hy-Tek Material Handling, LLC., a full-service one-stop shop, providing customers with comprehensive supply chain consulting, industrial equipment, integrated systems, control systems, installation, lighting, and storage and handling solutions. Since 1997, Sam has been managing Hy-Tek's growth, currently at 550 employees and 10 locations, and brings numerous years of acquisition and merger experience. Active professionally, Sam served on the board of directors of the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA) from 1994-2002. In addition, he was a member of MHEDA’s executive board, 1995-2002, and served as the association’s youngest ever president in 1999. Grooms served on Key Bank’s Advisory Council as well as NACCO Material Handling Group and Unarco’s Client Advisory Councils. Sam holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Youngstown State University and served as a Board of Trustees from 2016-2018.

Jeremy Gutierrez

Commercial Banking Executive - S.V.P.
Fifth Third Bank

Jeremy serves as the Senior Commercial Banking Executive responsible for the Central Ohio region. In his role, Jeremy is responsible for leading the Commercial efforts of the bank in Central Ohio, West Virginia, and Greater Pittsburgh (PA), This entails direct responsibility for the strategy, execution, performance and community and economic development efforts of the team in the region.

Jordan Hansell

President; CEO & Co-Founder
Rockbridge; Tradepost LLC

Jordan is the President of Rockbridge, an investment platform with two decades of experience investing in real estate and operating companies. In this role, he leads Rockbridge's ongoing efforts to build a unified, integrated and best-in-class organization.

With his extensive corporate expertise in strategy, process improvement and executive leadership, he focuses on maintaining an infrastructure that is scalable for future growth, while continuing to deliver attractive returns for investors. Jordan provides counsel on the strategic direction of the firm as a leader of the Executive Committee as well.

Erika L. Haupt

Shareholder in Charge Columbus and Associates
Roetzel & Andress

A shareholder in the Columbus office of Roetzel & Andress, Erika focuses her practice on wealth transfer and estate tax planning matters, including business succession planning and all aspects of tax and business planning for owners of closely held businesses. In the last several years, her practice has expanded to include fiduciary litigation, representing both trustees and beneficiaries with respect to the distribution of trust assets, interpretation of trust agreements, modification of trusts and trust terminations.

A graduate of Miami University and The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Ms. Haupt is a frequent speaker and has published on a variety of planning topics. She is recognized on top attorney lists published by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine; included among The Best Lawyers in America© in the areas of Trusts and Estates, Closely Held Companies and Family Business Law (Lawyer of the Year 2021 & 2017), and Litigation – Trusts & Estates (Lawyer of the Year 2022, 2020 & 2013); an AV® Preeminent™ rated practitioner in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory; and a Fellow of The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. In addition to her involvement in community and charitable causes, she currently serves as the Shareholder in Charge of both Roetzel’s Columbus office and of the associates firmwide and is a member of Roetzel’s board of directors.

Andy Hays

President
Copper Run

Mr. Hays is the President and Co-Founder of Copper Run, and oversees all client services and company operations. He has extensive experience in investment banking, accounting, and consulting. Mr. Hays has worked with hundreds of companies, both public and private, on various engagements.
Mr. Hays is a Registered Investment Banking Representative, and holds the FINRA Series 7, 79, & 63 registrations. He has also successfully passed the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam and previously worked as a CPA. Mr. Hays has a bachelor’s degree in accounting (honors) and an MBA from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University.

Mr. Hays is a founding member and President of the Association for Corporate Growth - Columbus Chapter. He is also a Board member of The Entrepreneurship Institute and a member of the Aileron Center for Entrepreneurship and is passionate about helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Mr. Hays resides in Upper Arlington with his wife and their three sons and spends his free time with his family in the outdoors; golfing, traveling, boating, skiing, hunting, and fishing.

Lowell Jacobson

Managing Director
BMO Capital Markets

Lowell is a Managing Director on the Mergers & Acquisitions team at BMO Capital Markets. He is focused on origination and execution of middle market M&A transactions predominantly within the Industrials sector. Prior to joining BMO, Lowell spent ~10 years at Wells Fargo Securities where he initially worked in Leveraged Finance and subsequently the Middle Market Investment Banking Group (“MMIB”). Most recently, he was the Head of the Mid-Atlantic division within MMIB. Lowell has expertise in both sellside and buyside M&A as well as Debt Capital Markets, including pro rata bank debt, institutional term loans, and high yield bonds. Lowell holds a Bachelor of Science from Fordham University and an MBA from Georgetown University. He is a CFA Charter Holder.

Sheri Chaney Jones

Founder & CEO
SureImpact Inc.

Sheri Chaney Jones is co-founder and CEO of SureImpact and founder of Measurement Resources Company. Sheri’s passion is helping social sector organizations use data to change actions, outcomes and lives. Sheri is the author of the award-winning book, Impact & Excellence published by Jossey-Bass. Sheri has a M.A. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Central Michigan University and a B.S. from The Ohio State University.

Wade Kozich

Senior Director & Director of Transaction Services
GBQ Partners LLC

As senior director and director of transaction advisory services at GBQ, Wade coordinates a team of 10 professionals, highly skilled in various aspects of transactions, including valuation, due diligence, ESOPs, tax structuring and buy and sell side advisory. He also serves as chief liaison to Footprint Capital, GBQ’s investment banking affiliate, where he helps complete investment banking deals. Since 2015, GBQ’s transaction group has collectively worked on over 550 transactions.

Kara Lewis

Managing Director
AB Bernstein

Kara H. Lewis is Managing Director in Bernstein’s Cleveland Office. As the leader of the firm’s Ohio practice, she has direct oversight on client service and management and the strategic business growth within the region. In her own practice, Kara works with entrepreneurs, business owners, and franchisees developing robust planning and global investment frameworks, which help them navigate various stages of their business life cycle. When engaging with multigenerational families, she works with all generations to create a vision for and strategies to implement their financial legacy. Prior to joining Bernstein in 2015, she was president of Winslow Asset Management. Kara earned a BA in economics from Denison University.

Chad Lowe

Senior Vice President – Loan Syndications
Huntington National Bank

Chad presently serves as a Director of Loan Syndications for Huntington National Bank supporting segments including Institutional Banking, Technology Media & Telecom, Franchise Banking, Food and Agriculture Banking, and Middle Market Banking for Huntington’s nationwide banking services platform.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Lowe was a founding senior portfolio manager for Huntington’s Large Corporate Banking Segment, responsible for evaluating new lending opportunities in broadly syndicated and upper middle market loans.  Mr. Lowe would furthermore perform due diligence of new lending opportunities, including financial statement analysis and forecasting, industry research, competitive analysis, and credit structure analysis of the bank’s syndicated credits in the Central Ohio, Boston, Michigan, Cleveland, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh regions.  In addition, Mr. Lowe has experience in retail banking including branch operations and investment representation, as well as commercial relationship management.

Bassem Mansour

Co-CEO
Resilience Capital Partners

Bassem is a Founder and CEO of Resilience Capital Partners. Bassem is involved in all aspects of the firm's operations, including investment decisions, portfolio company oversight and investor relations. The firm was founded in 2001.

Since 1994, he has been involved in principal investing, leveraged buyouts, restructurings and other mergers and acquisitions. Prior to founding Resilience, Bassem Mansour was an investment banker with McDonald Investments.

Bassem is a member of the Cleveland Chapter of Young Presidents Organization as well as several professional organizations, and is a frequent speaker on private equity and distressed investing.

Bassem Mansour holds a Master of Business Administration from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Dayton.

Paige McCarthy

Senior Analyst
Tri-W Group, Inc.

Paige is a Senior Analyst at Tri-W Group focused on Operating Company investments. She helps identify, evaluate and execute acquisition opportunities. Post-closing, Paige helps integrate these acquisitions by providing financial and operational support. Paige received a B.S. in Finance from Miami University. She was previously at L Brands before joining the Tri-W team.

Martin McCormick

Managing Director & head of FNB Mezzanine Finance
First National Bank

McCormick leads a team responsible for originating, executing and monitoring mezzanine and subordinated debt. He oversees investments supporting clients’ event-driven capital needs, such as acquisitions, buy-out financing, recapitalizations and growth capital. McCormick also manages FNB’s partnerships with other mezzanine and subordinated debt investors for equity co-investment opportunities.

With more than 25 years of financial services experience, McCormick recently served as Managing Director for Huntington Capital Investment Company and prior to that as Principal at Medallion Capital.

Chris Michael

Partner
Ice Miller LLP

Chris Michael is Partner in the Business Group at Ice Miller LLP who spends most of his time counseling financial and strategic buyers and sellers on M&A matters in the lower middle market. His experience ranges over a variety of industries throughout the Midwest and beyond. Chris has called Ice Miller home ever since 2010.

Michael Morgan

Former CEO
Updox

As the former CEO of Updox, Mike has a successful track record in helping organizations use technology to transform the way healthcare is delivered. With more than 30 years of leadership with multiple, fast-paced software, behavioral health and HIT companies, he’s fueled by learning about new businesses and partnering with dedicated, passionate people to create sustainable growth.

Mike O'Brien

Partner
Oxer Capital

Mike is a Partner with Oxer Capital, a firm managing over $335 million across two committed subordinated debt funds serving the lower middle market. He is responsible for all aspects of the firms business including fundraising, origination & structuring of new investments and managing existing portfolio companies. Mike has extensive experience investing subordinated debt and equity capital into varying M&A transactions.

Patrick Odell

Director of Strategy and M&A
Brixey & Meyer Capital, LLC

Patrick is the Director of Strategy and M&A at BMC. At BMC, Patrick’s responsibilities include due diligence, deal structuring, and deal sourcing, as well as working with business partners and portfolio companies to foster growth and return for all stakeholders.

Prior to the launch of BMC, Patrick consulted on various transactions for many of Brixey & Meyer’s clients on the buy-side and sell-side. He also spent seven years at Ernst & Young LLP (“EY”). During the latter four years at EY, Patrick worked in EY’s transaction advisory practice consulting on buy-side and sell-side transactions for strategic and financial buyer on deals ranging from $10 million to over $2.8 billion. Industry experience in these transactions includes consumer products, manufacturing, distribution, government contracting, healthcare and food services.

Andy Panos

President; COO
US Telehealth; Cloudbreak Health

Andy guides the business strategy, sales initiatives, and product innovation for Cloudbreak Health, the company solving for the ages-old barriers to medical communication with specialized technology and leading-edge services. With Andy leading the charge, Cloudbreak has established itself as an organization on a mission to humanize healthcare.

Dan Phlegar

Founding Partner
Oxer Capital, Inc.

Dan is a founding partner of Oxer Capital, a lower middle market mezzanine private equity fund with over $300 million in assets under management in two funds. By partnering with community banks as investors and structured as an SBIC, Oxer has invested in nearly 50 companies partnering with independent sponsors, management teams, and small private equity funds on acquisitions, management buyouts, ESOPs, recapitalizations, and growth capital transactions.

Paul Powers

Founder & CEO
Physna

Paul is the Founder & CEO of Physna. Physna identifies, searches and analyzes physical items and 3D models similarly to how Google searches text. A serial tech entrepreneur with a unique background, Powers is the recipient of many awards including Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2019, and is regularly featured in national and international news discussing the coming reality-based software revolution.

Tom Pozda

President & Chief Executive Officer
HBD Industries, Inc.

Since 2014, Tom has been leading HBD through a cultural transformation from a privately held decentralized holding company to integrated operating company. HBD operates 12 diverse engineered product businesses. As CEO, Tom sits on the Board of Directors and participates in both Governance & Compensation, Audit, and Pension committees.

Prior to HBD, Tom spent 8 years leading engineered product businesses with Crane Co. Tom started his career with Crane as the President of its Pumps & Systems business unit in 2006 and was promoted to Global Business Unit President to lead the integration and expansion of several internal mergers leading Crane ChemPharma Flow Solutions in 2008, followed by Energy Flow Solutions in March of 2012.

His major accomplishments included strategic global investments in emerging regions, vertical marketing segmentation initiatives, global sales and marketing processes integration, and transformation of legacy business into a “global matrix” organization. Tom and his businesses were instrumental in furthering the development and adoption of the Crane Business System and operational excellence.

Prior to 2006, Tom served 10 years in increasingly senior positions at General Electric in operations, marketing, and product management in Automotive, Aerospace, Compound Semiconductor, and industrial industries. During his tenure with GE, Tom developed essential insights into manufacturing methodology, while acquiring expertise in the six‐sigma. Tom has demonstrated leadership and results in a start‐up, turnaround, and mature business environments in both privately held and publicly traded enterprises.

Christie Prue

Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Two Labs

Christie is the Vice President of Human Resources, striving to create an environment that allows Two Labs employees to do what they do best, with passion, energy and a sense of fun. She believes that creating a culture of collaboration, engagement, trust and passion allows employees to achieve their personal and professional goals while maximizing business performance.

Christie has more than 20 years of HR experience with large corporations and small nonprofit organizations. She has a bachelor’s degree in Business and Organizational Development from Bowling Green State University. She enjoys hanging out with her husband and two teenage daughters, walking with her Pomeranian, Maggie, reading and interior design.

Rick Ricart

President and Director of Sales & Marketing
Ricart Automotive Group

Rick is the President and Director of Sales & Marketing of Ricart Automotive Group in Columbus, Ohio. Ricart Ford was founded in July 1953 by his grandfather, Paul Ricart Sr. It was his grandfather’s philosophy that to lead, you must first work alongside the employees. Rick started out as a lot attendant and by 2005 had worked in eight different positions with the various brands. In 2011, having touched every aspect of the business, Rick assumed all sales and marketing operations at the dealership, experiencing significant and sustainable growth every year thereafter. Rick has a true passion for marketing, innovation and mobility advancements. Rick was recently appointed president of the company.

Katherine Hill Ritchie

Director of Strategic Development, Member of the Board
Nottingham Spirk

Mrs. Hill Ritchie has worked internally and as an advisor to 8 family offices through her firm, Private Capital Investments, LLC. Her current role is Director and Board Member for Nottingham Spirk Family Office, and her past roles include: Simon Group Holdings, Eden Capital, PEX Global, and Wedge Alternatives. She spent 7 years in Switzerland where she was a Managing Director at Palladio Alternative Research and Senior Analyst and Investment Committee Member for the Saad family office’s $3.5 billion investment portfolio. She is an Angel Investor and is on the investment committee for University Impact and the BVC Oceans Fund, both social impact VC funds.

Katherine received her MBA from Fordham University and her BS in Psychology from University of Maryland. Her Board member activities include: Chair of the ACG New York Family Office Committee, Board Member of ACG NY, and Family Office Advisory Board of TriState Capital. Her past philanthropic volunteer activities include: Global Co-Chair of The Guild, the Philanthropy and Education Committees of 100 Women in Finance, and Fordham MBA Overseers Board. 

Steven Sauer

Vice President & General Manager
Tiller Corporation

Steven is the Vice President & General Manager for the Minnesota District of Martin Marietta (NYSE: MLM). Martin Marietta is a leading supplier of construction aggregates and heavy building materials, with more than 400 locations spanning 27 states, Canada and The Bahamas. Martin Marietta acquired Tiller Corporation in May of 2021 at which time Mr. Sauer served as Tiller’s Executive Vice President and COO.

Jeff Schumann

CEO
Aware

Jeff successfully built more than 10 companies throughout his career – starting in middle school, continuing through college and even while holding a highly-prominent position at a Fortune 100 company. Before graduating from high school, Jeff had already built and launched his first software company: a video platform that grew to more than 100,000 customers. He found additional early success leading his next venture, an online service that monitored and tracked Al-Qaeda communications on the dark web.

Prior to forming Aware, Jeff was most recently responsible for leading all enterprise collaboration at Nationwide Insurance, where he was charged with digitally transforming the way more than 35,000 Nationwide employees do business. His work was also recognized by Forbes, CIO Magazine, Fortune, the Harvard Business Review, Gartner and the Wall Street Journal.

Wendy Schutt

Human Resources Consultant
WKS Consulting

Wendy is an independent Human Resources & Project Management professional with 25+ years of HR management and consulting experience with Fortune 500 companies and small business. She works with business leaders to assess core human resource needs, develop and implement plans and tools to meet business and HR needs and impact the bottom-line, and align human resource strategy with business goals and activities. She performs HR due diligence for potential acquisitions, providing risk assessments and recommendations for post close changes and assisting with design and implementation of integration plans.

Sarah Matesich Schwab

President & COO
Matesich Distributing Co.

Sarah Matesich Schwab, President and Chief Operating Officer at Matesich Distributing Co. and 4th generation to run the family business. Matesich's distributes beer, wine, and non-alcoholic products to 1,000 accounts over 10 counties in east central and southern Ohio. Sarah currently serves on the Wholesaler Beer and Wine Association of Ohio board, National Beer Wholesalers Association Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, The Boys and Girls Club of Newark Advisory Board, The Works Advisory Board and serves on the Licking County United Way Board as Chair of the Campaign.

Mark Slayman

Senior Vice President, Commercial Region Manager
The Huntington National Bank

Mark is a 30 year veteran of the commercial banking industry in Columbus, Ohio who recently joined Huntington to lead it's middle market commercial banking efforts there. The entirety of his career has been dedicated to helping local businesses grow through the provision and sourcing of capital, the streamlining of payment systems, and the mitigation of financial risk.

Robert A. Smith

President
Armada Waste - OH

With over 32 years of solid waste and recycling experience, Rob has successfully led teams as small as 7 and as large as 1300 to increased sales and profits, cost controls, and process improvements which have resulted in consistent advancement in profits, safety, compliance, customer service and operational efficiencies. After time as a District Manager, Market Area GM, and Area Vice President, Rob started his own company, from scratch which has grown over the past 10 years to become Armada Waste, a regional force in the Solid Waste and Recycling business, spanning 5 locations across Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky with a current annual run-rate of nearly $40 million.

Jeff Sopp

CEO
Kensington Hill Partners

Jeff leads Kensington Hill Partners, a board of directors and corporate growth advisory firm, which concentrates on five business competencies: board advisory services, private equity investments, business consulting, executive search and sales advisory services. Its focus and expertise is on mid-market and entrepreneurial companies with high-growth potential. With offices in Columbus, Ohio, Jeff supports and invests in companies throughout the Midwest.

Joshua Sosland

Managing Director, Fifth Third Debt Capital Markets
Fifth Third Bank

Josh has over 25 years of debt capital markets, leverage finance and complex transaction and portfolio management experience. In his current role with Fifth Third, Josh manages a team responsible for all loan syndications transactions done within Fifth Third’s regional footprint and diversified industries vertical. The credit facilities originated by Josh and his team include deals for sponsor and non-sponsored companies with both leveraged and non-leveraged capital structures.

Renée Tyack

Vice President of Sales
Capital Plus

Renée has literally grown up in the cash flow business. She rejoined Capital Plus in 2015 with a focus on increasing visibility for the company by providing educational opportunities, developing strategic partnerships, and continuing to coach emerging entrepreneurs on the various forms of financing available in todays’ market. She is passionate about helping local business owners take control of their cash flow and make educated decisions on how to finance their business through the various stages.

Renée developed her career over the past 20 years with KeyBank, Capital Plus, First Hospitality Group, and The Chicago Hilton & Towers.  Her experience is rooted in customer service, entrepreneurial growth, small business finance, and business development

Andrew Vollmer

Managing Director
BellMark Partners, LLC

Andy is Managing Director and Co-CEO of Bellmark Partners, LLC, and head of the firm’s Cleveland office. Andy has 30 years of investment banking experience, having personally completed well over 100 M&A, special committee, and board advisory assignments. Previously, he was with KeyBanc Capital Markets, where he was head of the sponsor coverage, consumer & retail, and M&A investment banking groups.

Fred Vorys

Founder & Principal
Aegis Advisors

Fred has made non-control investments and served as financial advisor during the last 33 years, currently as Founder & Principal at Aegis Advisors and previously as a Managing Director with Banc One Capital Markets/Banc One Capital Partners. He has been involved in recapitalization, growth financing, and m&a transactions totaling over $2.0 billion in value and direct investments cumulatively yielding a 35+% IRR.

Kumi Walker

Chief Business Development & Strategy Officer
Root Inc.

Kumi oversees Root’s business development and strategic partnership efforts. This is done through a growing portfolio of distribution, emerging tech, and data partnerships. In addition to these partnerships, Kumi and his team are responsible for launching Root’s Enterprise business, which is dedicated to improving the way companies measure and manage driving risk.

Prior to Root, Kumi was General Manager of Live Video and Head of North America Business Development at Twitter. Prior to Twitter, Kumi was Head of Business and Corporate Development at StackMob (sold to PayPal), a mobile API creation and management platform.

Mark Whitman

Founder
TeamBuilder Search

Mark helps his clients recruit the top 5% of organizational leaders. Before founding TeamBuilder Search, Mark built and successfully exited a digital agency. Mark has also held leadership roles in multibillion-dollar and emerging growth organizations. In addition to his professional pursuits, Mark was a member of the USA Sport Jujitsu team winning a Silver Medal at the World Championships and a Gold Medal at the National Championships.

Will Zell

Founder & CEO; Executive Chairman
Zell Capital; Nikola Labs

Will has founded three technology companies in addition to building successful real estate and retail ventures over the past 14 years. He is deeply passionate about seeing startups succeed, serving for a time as the Managing Director of a startup accelerator. Will draws from a broad range of experience in communications, organizational development, leadership, brand development and innovation. He brings drive and passion to the Nikola Labs team.  Will was honored at the White House as top entrepreneur under 30 as part of Empact100 list and was also received the 2019 BizTech Executive of the Year award by Columbus Business First.

Terry Ziegler

General Manager, Retail TPx
Blacksmith Applications

Terry has over 28 years of consumer packaged goods management experience in the areas of trade marketing, consumer marketing, category management, sales, and finance. Professional experience includes leadership and management roles at RJR/Nabisco, Borden Foods, Dairy Farmers of America, Synectics Group and AFS Technologies.