Committee

Umberto is an active investor and entrepreneur. His firm, The Fedeli Group, is one of Ohio’s largest privately held risk management and insurance firms, specializing in property and casualty, employee benefits consulting, workers’ compensation, environmental risk management and surety. Umberto sits on numerous private company boards, is a managing member of Strategic Value Bank Partners LP, and has previously held positions on the boards of many other public and private entities. He is a member of the board of directors of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and serves as chairman of the Government and Community Relations Board.

Fred became the CEO of Ancora in 2006 and chairman in 2014. He leads the company and its three registered investment advisers along with its broker dealer. Prior to joining Ancora, Fred served as the executive vice president and manager of the Fifth Third Bank’s Investment Advisors Division overseeing Investment Management, Private Banking and Trust and Banking Services. He served as president and CEO of Maxus Investment Group from 1998 to 2000.

Frank was elected as RPM’s chairman and CEO in October 2008. Previously, he held various positions at RPM starting with his first position in 1987 as regional sales manager at RPM’s joint-venture AGR Co., to his election as the company’s vice president of corporate development in 1991, to CFO in 1993, to executive vice president in 1995, as well as earning the positions of president in 1999, COO in 2001 and president and CEO in 2002. Prior to his employment at RPM, he held various positions in the areas of commercial lending and corporate finance at Harris Bank and First Union National Bank.

Marcia Ballinger, Ph.D., president of Lorain County Community College, has more than 25 years in community college leadership roles that have advanced student success, workforce and economic development, strategic planning and institutional advancement.  Under her leadership and deep commitment to student success, LCCC was recognized by the American Association for Community Colleges (AACC) as the 2018 Recipient of the AACC Award of Excellence in Student Success.

Jeff is regional president of First National Bank’s Northeast Ohio region. First National Bank has approximately $32 billion in assets. He leads FNB’s cross-functional business model in the Cleveland market, with direct responsibility for regional Corporate Banking efforts and business development opportunities. He has 30 years of financial services experience, and most recently served as executive vice president and COO for First Federal of Lakewood.

Bob leads Campana Capital, a private equity, venture capital and real estate development firm. Bob previously served as president of P.C. Campana, master provider for the steel and foundry industries in North America. He is active in the community and serves on the boards of numerous for-profit and nonprofit organizations, including Northwest Bancshares.

Joe is regional president of Fifth Third Bank (Northeast Ohio) where he is responsible for the growth and strategic alignment of the Commercial, Wealth & Asset Management and Consumer businesses.He joined Fifth Third in 2017 and he has more than 25 years of financial services experience.

Sean founded League Park Advisors in 2010.  He was previously senior managing director and head of Investment Banking and Capital Markets at National City Corp. Sean has more than 30 years of experience as an investment banker, private equity professional, corporate lawyer and business leader.

Mark is the Ohio Managing Partner for Key Client Relationships and Growth Strategies at BDO USA, LLP. Since 1987 he served as the co-founder and senior managing director of SS&G until joining BDO. Mark has more than 41 years of professional experience, serving both business and individual clients. Mark’s principal areas of concentration include privately owned businesses; healthcare; tax planning and consulting; auditing of financial statements; research; business advisory services; employee benefits; strategic growth and financing; succession and estate planning. He also has extensive experience with mergers and acquisitions. Mark was named one of the 2008 E&Y’s Entrepreneurs of the Year for Northeast Ohio in the financial services category. He was also a recipient of the Dr. Frank L. Simonetti Distinguished Business Award from his alma mater, The University of Akron, and was honored as the 2008 Outstanding Alumnus from The University of Akron’s School of Accountancy.Since 2012, Mark has served on the board of directors for the Charles Schwab Corporation. He is also currently the chair of the audit committee and serves on the corporate governance committee. From 2009-2012, Mark served on the board of directors for the Schwab Strategic Trust and acted as the audit committee chair. He is also a member for the global committee leadership at Tapestry Networks. Mark also served on the boards of the Summa Foundation, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and The University of Akron President’s Advisory Committee. Mark also served as chairman of the CJD Foundation for twelve years and on the executive committee of the Greater Akron Chamber. Mark is also past president of the Cascade Capital Corporation.

Howard is chair of the Ulmer & Berne Business Law Group. He counsels public and private companies, hedge funds, private equity funds and other investment entities in connection with the raising of capital, compliance with federal and state securities laws, and investment and M&A transactions. Formerly with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Howard represents brokerage firms, financial services firms, investment advisers, and financial intermediaries with respect to their compliance and regulatory matters as well as acquisitions, divestitures and governance matters.

Aaron is the co-founder and CEO of Alliance Solutions Group, a full-service staffing and recruitment firm providing highly specialized offerings within niche industries or specific career disciplines. Established in 2001 and headquartered in Cleveland, Alliance Solutions Group matches talent with opportunity, engaging in thousands of successful placements annually. Aaron received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2015 Award in the Services Category.

Junaid is Founder, CEO, and Chairman of the SupplySide Group, a privately held group of companies that represent a diverse array of industries linked through a common priority in recycling, sustainability, and/or green technology. The SupplySide Group of companies largely service the moving, parcel, and storage industries across a broad range of products and services from packaging supplies to real estate development and debt funding. The breadth and success of the SupplySide Group is illustrative of Junaid’s combined expertise in global manufacturing, supply chain, real estate, and mergers & acquisitions (M&A) deal flow.

Together with Béla Szigethy, Stewart Kohl oversees all aspects of Riverside’s activities. He has more than 30 years of private equity investing experience. Prior to Riverside, he was a Vice President at Citicorp Venture Capital, the private equity arm of Citibank. In addition to his work with Riverside, he serves on the following boards of trustees: Oberlin College (Honorary), the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland and the Cleveland Clinic. Mr. Kohl holds a BA from Oberlin College.

Lee Koury is managing partner of Smart Business Network Inc., a national events, media and marketing company founded in 1989, primarily responsible for expanding the company’s Aspire deal-making conference throughout the U.S. He plays a key role in establishing corporate policies and developing long-term strategy and growth plans. Previously, he founded and chaired the Growth Group at national law firm Arter & Hadden LLP (now Tucker, Ellis & West), which focused on working with middle-market and high-growth technology companies. 

Tony is CEO of the Mazzella Cos., a diversified supplier of lifting solutions founded by his father, Jim, in 1954. Tony became president in 1988 and over the next several years embarked on a series of acquisitions. Today, with more than 500 employees and 24 locations, Mazzella Cos. also provides provide training, in-field inspection and repair services that support the company’s products.

Cheryl has a passion for raising awareness in leaders about how their choices and unconscious actions impact their results. She leads four C-suite peer advisory boards, comprised of CEO’s or senior executives from noncompeting companies in Northeast Ohio.  Through a combination of individual coaching, unbiased feedback from peers and insights from world-class speakers, Vistage helps its members become better leaders leading more balanced lives.

Bill is vice president of growth for Nottingham Spirk, leading both the business development and marketing initiatives. As a member of the Nottingham Spirk (NS) Leadership Team, he is focused on future growth and sustainability for the firm. He also helps establish NS equity venture companies and serves as an adviser.

As KJK’s Managing Partner, Jon leads the firm’s experienced team of attorneys and staff in serving a wide array of clients including privately held businesses, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations and high net-worth families. He also has comprehensive experience in real estate development, construction and property management. Jon authored the winning bid to ultimately host the 2016 Republican National Convention and served on the Host Committee.

Steven is president of Squire Ridge Co., a Cleveland-based holding company that acquires niche manufacturing and specialty service companies for long-term ownership. Prior to founding Squire Ridge, he was a general partner of MCM Capital Partners, a Cleveland-based private equity firm, where he spent 15 years. He serves as a board member on a number of privately held businesses, including EnviroScience, Allegheny Performance Plastics and ProFormex.

John is the chairman and co-founder of Cyprium Partners, a private equity firm that primarily makes “sponsorless” non-controlling mezzanine and equity investments in privately owned lower middle-market companies. Cyprium is currently investing out of Fund IV, a 2014 vintage fund with $460 million in committed capital. John founded Key Principal Partners, a predecessor group in 1998 simultaneously establishing Cyprium Investors.

André acquired ASW Global LLC, in January of 2007 after ASW merged with the Cleveland-based company GPI Procurement Services. As CEO, André sets the direction of the company and directs operational aspects so that they follow the strategic plans and policies of the organization. He has more than 20 years experience in entrepreneurial ventures. As one of the principals in Apple Partners, he led a highly successful restaurant management group that was sold to Applebee’s International.

Kevin has been forming, acquiring and operating high-growth companies for more than 25 years. In 2008, he founded Laudan Properties and positioned the mortgage field services company to be one of the premier providers in the industry. Kevin’s achievements have not gone unnoticed having been recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing, privately held companies nationally three times.

Chip is responsible for the firm’s operations and is actively involved in working with the management of portfolio companies, frequently acting as the liaison between the board and management.  He works closely with management to pursue new business opportunities and to set strategic direction and financial goals. Prior to joining Weinberg Captial Group, Chip was president of New Channel Direct, a full-service mailing and marketing company based in Brunswick.

Tom is a partner, audit services, at RSM US LLP. He is a leader of the manufacturing, wholesale and distribution group in Ohio and of the Cleveland private equity practice. He has more than 30 years of experience as an accountant and business advisor, advising clients in industries such as manufacturing and retail/distribution and consults with them on a variety of topics, including financial reporting, strategic planning and estate planning.

With more than 35 years in banking, Alan has worked in and managed units in commercial banking, asset-based lending, leasing, international and consumer finance in Northeast Ohio and in other geographies. He has extensive experience in a variety of industries helping companies with innovative solutions to their financing needs. Alan has planned and managed dramatic expansion of new businesses that broadened geographic reach and increased deliverable product sets.