Committee

Chris is the Resident Sales Director for Ohio responsible for the offices in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.  Chris’s responsibilities include working with Aon’s Corporate Leadership team to identify growth areas and developing strategic plans to execute upon across the three pillars of our firm - Risk, Retirement and Health. In addition, Chris is also responsible for managing Aon’s executive relationships with many of the firm’s middle market and large multinational clients.

Chris has thirteen years of experience in the risk management consulting business with an extensive background in healthcare, manufacturing, and entertainment. Prior to joining Aon, he worked for AIG as an underwriter.

David Allen is an Executive Director and Market Team Lead in the Cleveland office of J.P. Morgan Private Bank, covering Northern Ohio. Dave manages a group of professional advisors and specialists dedicated to designing integrated strategies that help families plan, invest, bank and borrow. A native of Cleveland, he delivers a local presence, extensive industry experience and the global capabilities of J.P. Morgan.

Dave is particularly focused on working with executives, entrepreneurs and business owners to help unlock the value of their concentrated wealth. As a former Chief Operating Officer, he is attuned to the diversity of their needs and takes a personalized approach to address their complex ecosystem. Dave is a dynamic leader who builds an environment of excellence for team members and clients alike. He is known for his ability to solve problems, remove obstacles and turn challenges into successes.

Over the course of his 20+ year career, Dave has built a well-diversified and successful background in financial services. Before joining J.P. Morgan, he was the Chief Operating Officer with Equity Trust Company, and spent the majority of his career in senior roles with Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

Dave has a B.S. from Miami University and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, specializing in Finance, Strategy & Marketing. He holds FINRA Series 7, 9, 10 and 63 securities licenses.

Robert Berdanier is a Managing Director in Riveron’s Business Restructuring & Turnaround Services practice. His focus is on middle-market companies, both distressed and healthy, seeking financial and operational improvement through interim leadership and re-organization. Robert is a seasoned restructuring professional, with significant experience in the manufacturing, distribution & hospitality.

Marketing and business unit professional with 20+ year executive career in consumer products, manufacturing, distribution and professional service sectors, including international and overseas experience. Proven leadership in ecommerce, digital, marketing, sales and operational management. Dedicated to advancing the development of world class organizations through goal setting and achieving measurable results.

Core strengths include improving companies/departments through process refinement, strategic planning, brand and product development and organizational alignment.

Partner at a multi-family office with $1.7 billion under management focused on investment strategy, client relationships and management of the firm. Leads a private capital program which invests in private equity, venture, real estate, and non-correlated assets and built a successful co-investment program across these asset classes. Prior to joining CM Wealth in 2015, Paul was an equity research analyst covering industrials.

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.

Andrew R. Connors is a Certified Financial Planner™ professional with 20 years of experience in the personal financial management arena. He has experience in advising family business owners how they can align their personal, family and business goals. His mission and purpose is to positively impact the long-term well-being of closely-held and family business owners by helping them create and maintain multi-generational wealth. He is known for his ability to translate complex financial strategies and concepts into understandable, actionable ideas.

Prior to receiving his MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, Andrew attended John Carroll University where he earned a B.S.B.A. He earned his Certified Financial Planner^TM (CFP^®) designation from the College of Financial Planning.

Steve is a Finance Associate with a primary role as an Operational Oriented Financial Analyst. He brings multiple years of experience in analyzing and planning capital improvements, standardizing financial operations, and interacting in buy/sell activities. His background includes experience and training in blackbelt six sigma, financial and strategic planning, Due Diligence review and assessing cost structure.

Steve interned with an accounting firm while in college and upon graduation, he accepted a position with a large Fortune 500 firm in Cleveland and became involved in their international acquisition activities. He then moved into consulting with a firm focused on audit and buying and selling of firms before finding his home at Chikol.

Dominic focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, and public and private equity and debt securities offerings. He represents entrepreneurs, emerging-growth, and seasoned companies (public and private), investors, venture capital, and private equity funds, and real estate sponsors in a wide variety of corporate finance transactions. Dominic is chair of Taft’s Mergers and Acquisitions group.

Born and raised in Ashtabula, OH, Tim graduated from Kent State University before purchasing MC Sign Company and steadily grew its services to include signage, energy, refresh & remodel construction, facilities maintenance services, and brand environments. Tim sold to private equity 4 times, in 2008, 2015, 2017, and 2021 and has remained CEO throughout. The company name is now Stratus.

Frank Fantozzi, CPA, MST, PFS, CDFA, AIF®, CEPA, is the President and Founder of Return on Life Wealth Partners, formerly Planned Financial Services, an independent registered investment advisor (RIA) providing families and businesses in Northeast Ohio and nationwide with access to a full suite of wealth management and corporate retirement services. An accomplished business owner and board member, his broad experience includes entrepreneurship, business growth and non-profit fundraising.

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.

Todd Federman is the Managing Director of North Coast Ventures. North Coast has seven funds comprised of over 450 of Ohio’s leading investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders - making it the largest, single-chapter investor group in the country. North Coast and its investors have deployed over $100M of capital in over 80 early-stage companies since 2007.

Jerry provides vision, strategic planning and executional delivery to support activities and outcomes helping JumpStart Ventures deliver economic impact and financial returns. JumpStart Ventures currently has more than $140 million under management and anticipates expanding its tech investing activities via the formation of new tech investment funds and through the expansion of investing “platform”’ services. Jerry joined JumpStart in 2004 as a member of the original team of Entrepreneurs-in-Residence.

Bob Girton is a partner at Edgewater Capital, a private equity firm focused on investing in smaller performance materials businesses. In addition to traditional PE roles in sourcing, executing, and managing investments, Bob chairs Edgewater’s DEI initiative and is the partner in charge of the firm’s business development efforts. He lives in Shaker Heights, is a life long learner, and is very proud of his two kids, Ava and Theodore.

A 20+ year industry veteran, Aaron Grossman is widely considered a true visionary and innovator within the staffing and recruitment sector. Having grown up in an entrepreneurial family, Aaron decided to leave a successful position with one of the largest staffing agencies in the world to start his own employment agency in 2001. Alliance Solutions Group, headquartered in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, is a full-service staffing and recruitment firm, with a variety of specialties that focus on specific industries and job disciplines. Today, Aaron is the CEO of the TalentLaunch Network, a network of independently operated staffing and recruitment companies that share technology, accounting & finance, talent operations, legal, and marketing support.

As a founding partner of Little Mountain Industries, Jonathan Hatch has led several investments in the specialty chemicals and plastic packaging industries. He specializes in structuring transactions and provides financial management to Little Mountain’s portfolio companies. Prior to forming Little Mountain Industries, Mr. Hatch was the Chief Financial Officer for the M.E. Osborne Companies, a real estate development company with other investments in construction related manufacturing and distribution companies. Mr. Hatch obtained his MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia in 1994 and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989.

Kurt Kappa is the Senior Vice President, Chief Lending Officer at First Federal Lakewood, the largest depositor-owned community bank headquartered in Ohio with assets of $2.5billion. In this role, Kurt oversees all commercial, consumer lending, treasury management and investment services lines of business.

Sean focuses on developing new business partnerships, marketing, communicating with business owners, and managing investment sourcing and exit planning. Prior to joining Gridiron , Sean served as vice president at BB&T Capital Markets, executing mergers and acquisitions advisory for middle-market businesses. Earlier in his career, Sean worked at Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank.

Jessica has an extensive track record of completing complex transactions in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and risk management strategy and planning, with a primary focus on firms with significant Environmental exposure. She joined Lockton in 2021, as the first professional in the firm’s Ohio series to be dedicated to Property and Casualty. In her role, Jessica serves as an extension to her clients’ risk management teams, developing tailored programs and delivering on carefully executed strategy and planning efforts. With almost two decades of experience in the insurance industry, Jessica has employed her expertise on both the carrier and broker sides of the business. She prides herself on building and maintaining strong long-term relationships and leveraging the privately held Lockton model to ensure her clients’ needs are prioritized. Outside of her professional responsibilities, Jessica enjoys exploring Cleveland with her husband and two beautiful daughters, ages 6 and 8. She also serves on the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center’s Board of Directors.

Lee 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. 

Jason is a Managing Director at Copper Run. Copper Run is a middle market investment bank focusing on comprehensive buy-side and sell-side M&A advisory services for deals ranging from $10MM to $250MM. Jason is responsible for leading the execution of client M&A strategies and new business development. Prior to Copper Run, Jason worked in wealth management at Morgan Stanley, where his nationally recognized team oversaw $5B in AUM and provided investment consulting services to institutional clients.

Founded in 2013, Sgt Clean Car Wash is an express exterior chain, currently with 16 locations throughout Northeast Ohio. Sgt Clean is a five time Inc 5,000 winner, five time Weatherhead 100, 3 time Vet100 winner, Smart50 Honoree and two time Smart Culture Award recipient. Brian spent eight years in the United States Marine Corps and graduated from Kent State University with an undergraduate degree in Business Management.

I am a big picture thinker, innovator, and revenue-generating powerhouse with 18+ years of experience in Real Estate, development, investing, mortgage, title and insurance. I am tactical, driven, and persuasive and have proven to thrive in the most challenging economic landscapes. As a readily adaptable and well-networked senior executive, I position my brands for success and keep ahead of the competition. I make the most of cutting-edge technologies for automation, productivity, and accountability. Analyzes and synthesizes data to forecast opportunistic trends in the market. As a growth-minded leader of leaders, I influence stakeholders to buy into my vision through a deep commitment to success.

Tom joined Kirtland Capital Partners in 1995. Kirtland is a relationship-oriented private equity firm that has been successfully investing in lower middle market companies for 40 years. Kirtland is focused on making majority and minority investments in established, profitable and growing lower middle market companies. Tom is involved in all aspects of Kirtland’s business, including fund raising, deal sourcing, acquiring and divesting portfolio companies and portfolio management. Prior to joining Kirtland, Tom was a corporate attorney with Jones Day.

Michael D. Makofsky, a principal attorney at McCarthy Lebit, handles diverse business matters, including sales, mergers, and acquisitions. Michael specializes in complex M&A, advising on structuring, due diligence, financing, and negotiations. He also works with financial institutions, providing counsel on various transactions, from asset-based lending to commercial/industrial loans and real estate financing, among others.

For more than 30 years, Stephen McHale has successfully built data, analytics and technology companies across health care, mainstream media, and more. Now he is dedicating his experience as founder and CEO to his latest venture, UnifyWork, a workforce intelligence platform powering equitable regional talent delivery networks. 

Al Melchiorre is President and founder of MelCap Partners, a middle market investment banking firm that he founded over 22 years ago, Over the past few years, MelCap has been recognized as boutique investment banking firm of the year multiple times by The M&A Advisor. MelCap's clients are predominately privately-held, family owned businesses going through a once in a life-time transaction.

Dwight Montgomery serves as the President of The National Christian Foundation of Ohio, whose mission is to mobilize resources by inspiring biblical generosity. Dwight has 34 years of experience as a financial professional and was the CEO of his own wealth management firm. Through his leadership and vision his firm became one of the most respected financial firms in the Columbus Ohio area.

In 2013, Dwight sold his firm in order to devote his time to the ministry of NCF. Dwight is also a member of the coaching team at SMART Concepts Group. SCG is focused on providing financial advisors strategic and operational advice to achieve business success. Team members help advisors define their operating models and processes to enhance growth, drive performance and the value of their business.

Prior to his career in financial services, he was an educator and college football coach.

Dwight received his BA in Education from The Ohio State University and his MA in Education from Bowling Green State University. Dwight currently holds a Certified Financial Planner CFP® designation and a Certified Kingdom Advisor® designation. He is active in the community serving as a board member for, For Columbus. Leisure time for Dwight involves fishing, fishing and more fishing. Dwight lives with his wife Dona in Dublin. They have three children, Matt, Luke, and Ellie.

Mike leads a multigenerational family office for the founders and owners of GOJO / PURELL, where he is also on the Board. Mike was previously a private equity partner at Linsalata Capital Partners and an M&A investment banker at KeyBanc Capital Markets. Mike has degrees from Miami University (BS Finance) and Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management (MBA).

As a founding partner of The Cleveland Wealth Management Team, Bill has unparalleled experience delivering investment guidance and financial education. He offers a specific focus on the complex wealth management needs of families and business owners. Building close relationships, he and his team offer comprehensive solutions to offer holistic strategies on cash flow, tax mitigation, asset preservation, liability management, estate planning, philanthropy.

Kevin has a long-standing and successful career in banking, currently serving as Northwest Bank’s Ohio Region president. He leverages his knowledge and expertise to direct all of Northwest’s business development efforts in Ohio to meet the commercial, small business and personal finance needs of the bank’s customers.

Drawing upon over 20 years of industry leadership, Bill founded InnovateNOW Venture Studio which propels high-growth ventures through strategic partnerships, investments, and expert guidance. The firm invests in companies through Nottingham Unlimited Ventures. We're not just investors;we're catalysts for world-changing innovation. Our portfolio spans 30+ pioneering companies in med-tech, IoT, e-mobility, and emerging technologies, driving impactful change and shaping the landscape of tomorrow.

Linda is a senior vice president, client strategist for BNY Mellon Wealth Management. In this role, she works directly with clients to address their investment and wealth management needs.

Linda joined the firm in 2023 and has more than 35 years of experience in the financial services industry. Her previous experience includes serving as a Business Development Managing Director for Glenmede.

Linda received a bachelor’s degree from Indiana Wesleyan and is a CFP® (Certified Financial Planner), has acquired a CEPA® designation (Certified Exit Planning Advisor) and CDFA® (Certified Divorce Financial Analyst).

Specialties: Investment and Portfolio Management, Business Development, Endowments, Investment Strategy, Legacy Investing, Strategic Account Management, Wealth Advisory, Foundations, Charitable Giving, Women in Leadership Advocacy.

David's role as Managing Director with Pease Capital Advisors includes directing the day to day operations and leading client relationships. He also plays a pivotal role in evaluating client opportunities, term sheet preparation, and negotiations.

Prior to founding Pease Capital Advisors, David worked in corporate insurance consulting, with a specialty of mitigating risk during a transaction.

Steven is President of Squire Ridge Company, a private equity firm with committed capital that acquires lower middle market companies for long-term ownership.  Mr. Ross serves as a board member on a number of privately held businesses including Louver Shop, EnviroScience,  Allegheny Performance Plastics, and Proformex, Inc.   Steve is Co-Chair of the Advisory Council for the Alliance of Merger and Acquisition Advisors Northeast Ohio chapter and is a member of the Cleveland Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG).

Phil Ryan is an assurance partner in Cohen & Company's Cleveland office and co-leads of the firm’s national Private Equity industry services group. In his Private Equity Market Leader role, Phil helps develop, implement and execute the firm's strategy towards private equity firms and owned businesses. He helps provide tailored, industry-focused solutions across the private equity ecosystem, including at the fund level, operating company level and M&A advisory.

Lou has extensive experience in logistics, software, distribution, service, and manufacturing industries, private equity, venture capital, public and private companies as a CEO, CFO and board member. A key focus for Lou has been in sales and acquisitions of businesses. This includes over 30 sales and over 100 acquisitions.

Matt is the Chief Marketing Officer of Vytalize Health, a leading value-based care platform helping primary care doctors strengthen relationships with their patients through data-driven, holistic, and personalized care. Vytalize helps over 5,000 providers and manages over $4 billion in medical spending. Matt previously was the Founder and CMO of MedPilot, which Vytalize Health acquired after helping navigate over 1 million patients through their healthcare experience.

Sanjay is Chairman and CEO of Mace Security International, headquartered in Cleveland, OH (OTCQX: MACE). Mace Security International is the innovative manufacturer of personal safety non-lethal products including Mace pepper spray and is committed to keeping our communities safe. Mr. Singh directs and leads the company’s long-term vision and strategy, corporate governance and allocation of resources. Mr. Singh has held various executive leadership roles in Fortune 1000, privately held and private equity backed portfolio companies across various industries, including consumer products, services and manufacturing. Mr. Singh is deeply committed to the economic growth of NEO and serves on the Boards of Directors of MAGNET and Entrepreneur's EDGE.

As a highly experienced private equity professional, I bring a range of capital choices to business owners, management teams and advisors. Utilizing growth capital, non-control capital, majority-stake equity partnerships, full acquisitions, and debt for small and middle-market businesses, I can help your company or client. Tapping into 16 years of experience at The Riverside Company, I lead the firm’s Origination initiatives with deal source firms and referral sources based throughout the Midwestern United States. Together with a team of 16 Origination professionals across North America, we collectively establish new stand-alone companies, also called platform companies; and find and complete add-on acquisitions which enable Riverside's portfolio companies to expand by adding new product lines, service offerings, or geographies.

Daniel Walsh is the founder and CEO of Citymark Capital, an established real estate private equity platform. Walsh is a recognized thought-leader for his proficiency regarding the intersection of the banking and commercial real estate industries, as seen recently on CNBC's Squawk Box. Prior to founding Citymark, Walsh was President, Northeast Ohio for Huntington National Bank. During the GFC, Walsh led KeyBank’s Real Estate Capital Markets businesses nationally, where he oversaw the successful de-risking of a $22 billion CRE debt portfolio. Walsh also co-founded KeyBank’s Real Estate Private Equity group.

Mr. Weidinger has been founding, acquiring and operating high-growth companies for over thirty years. He operates businesses in manufacturing, distribution, real-estate to data processing. Weidinger's businesses have been externally recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing, privately held companies nationally four times, received thirteen Cascade Capital Growth Awards, including the 2017 Legacy Award, SMART 50 Award, CRAIN's Fast 52 winner, and has finished #1, #2, #2, #3, #12, #22 (2023) on the prestigious Weatherhead 100 list honoring the fastest growing firms in Ohio. Weidinger was inducted into the EY Entrepreneurs' Hall of Fame in 2015.

Mr. Weinberg is the current Managing Partner of Weinberg Capital Group. Prior to joining Weinberg Capital, Mr. Weinberg served as Managing Director of Global Acquisitions and Business Development for Hawk Corporation (AMEX: HWK), a manufacturer of specialized components used in the aerospace, industrial and specialty consumer markets. Additionally, Mr. Weinberg was an Assistant Attorney General for the state of Ohio under the term of Attorney General Lee Fisher.

Sean Wenger leads the origination effort for PromiseONE, a holding company focused on opportunities in the lower middle market. Sean originated the acquisition of Precision Communications and serves as the CEO of this platform company. Sean is a member of several PromiseONE company boards. He is also past Managing Partner of Promise Partners, a local non-profit focused on supporting entrepreneurs through acquisition.

Nick is an Entrepreneur, Strategic Business Advisor and Attorney with experience ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies, universities and national non-profit organizations.

Prior to dedicating himself full-time to his entrepreneurial endeavors, Nick had a highly successful twenty-year legal practice with firms in Cleveland, Chicago and Columbus. As an Entrepreneur, Nick has been an owner, investor, director and partner in several companies throughout his career with domestic and international operations. Nick’s motivation and passion over his 25-year career has been to inspire and help people and organizations maximize potential. He has played leadership roles in a number of community and nonprofit organizations focused on improving the lives and conditions of the communities around him. Nick is the Co-founder and Board Chair of the Ohio Innovation and Technology Associaiton (OITA). Nick has served as Vice Chair of the University of Akron Board of Trustees. He has been a champion of entrepreneurship on the national level as a Board Member of the National Small Business Association (NSBA) in Washington, DC, and as Vice Chair of the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE), the largest small business member organization in the country