Financing Your Business: It’s More Than Just The Size of the Check

Tracey is a Senior Vice President and Credit Products Senior Manager in PNC Bank’s Corporate and Investment Banking Group, where her team manages the middle market and large corporate debt portfolio for PNC’s Tennessee and Kentucky markets. Tracey is a 30-year veteran in the financial services and banking sector. Tracey is a graduate of the University of Alabama’s School of Business and obtained her MBA from Goizuetta Business School at Emory University. She holds both Series 7 and 63 Securities Licenses.

John Cascarano is President & Founder of Beast Brands, Inc. Born in Deerfield Beach, Florida, he received his Bachelor's degree at Duke University, where he was a founding member of the trivia company Mental Floss. He attended law school at the University of Michigan and practiced law for 5 years before returning to startup life. John built an online beauty product retailer, which grew swiftly and sold in 2015. During his time there, he saw the opportunity to create Beast. During the early stages of Beast, he served as E-Commerce Director for ABLE, a Nashville women’s apparel and accessories retailer and B Corp. John's goal is to build a global consumer brand with products better for “Beasts of all kinds.”

Hiram Cox is the CFO and Chief Administrative Officer for SMS Holdings, based in Nashville TN. He also serves as the secretary and treasurer for each of the operating companies owned by SMS Holdings. He also served as CEO of the Company’s PrimeFlight Aviation business unit until it was sold to The Carlyle Group in late 2017.

In this capacity, he is responsible for the company’s finance, accounting, treasury, human resources, benefits, Information Technology, risk management, legal departments, acquisitions and divestitures. He also serves as one of 3 members of the Company’s executive committee.

He has been with the Company for 18 plus years and has helped lead the Company through a transformation in terms of business mix (with 4 divestitures and 11 acquisitions) resulting in more than doubling of the Company’s revenue base and a 10x increase in EBITDA. SMS has been recognized as a fast 50 winner on several occasions, as a NBJ’s Best in Business Winner and as a regional winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The company has over 7,000 employees across 45 states and Canada.

Prior to his career with SMS he served as an executive with 4 large global public companies (Delta Air Lines, YRC Worldwide, Northwest Airlines and Central Parking Corporation) , including serving as CFO for several of these companies.   

Jessica is a Managing Director at LFM Capital and responsible for LFM’s business development activities, including overseeing the firm's direct sourcing and outreach to intermediaries. She brings to the Firm over 15 years of private equity, banking and investment management experience, having served in a variety of roles that include business development, transaction diligence, credit analysis and investor communications.