Skip to Content
Session B

Financing Your Business To Supercharge Growth

Presented By: First National Bank

Cash is king, but business financing is golden. Join a roundtable discussion among senior executives and veteran financiers as they share thoughts on current trends in raising growth capital and what you need to know about finance.

Join us after the 40-minute panel discussion concludes for a live post-session discussion where you will can meet the speakers and ask questions via Zoom.

Moderator:

Ron Donatelli
Pittsburgh Regional President
First National Bank

Ronald is President of the Pittsburgh Region of First National Bank. He is responsible for integrating FNB’s successful cross-functional business model and for developing small business, middle market and corporate banking opportunities in the Company’s headquarters market. Donatelli also oversees FNB's Asset-Based Lending group, which operates across the Company footprint.

Donatelli joined FNB in 2009 to lead its Asset-Based Lending division and has had oversight for various corporate banking groups within the organization, including Syndications and International Banking Services. He has more than 35 years of financial services experience, having held a range of leadership roles with asset-based lending groups at major banks in the Pittsburgh area.

A graduate of LaRoche College, Donatelli is active in the community as board chairman for Bridgeway Capital and chair of the Watson Institute/First National Bank Pro Am golf tournament committee.

Panelists:

Mark Guterman
Managing Director
First National Bank

Mark serves as Managing Director of Loan Syndications for First National Bank (FNB). He is responsible for originating, structuring and executing loan syndications for commercial and industrial banking transactions across FNB’s footprint.  

With over 15 years of financial services experience, Guterman joined FNB in 2016. He previously served as a Senior Credit Analyst with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America and before that in investment-related roles at Chapdelaine Credit Partners, GSC Group and J.P. Morgan.

Guterman received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Ryan Heishman
CEO
Allen Distribution

Ryan is Chief Executive Officer of Allen Distribution, a provider of integrated logistics solutions and management throughout the United States. Ryan believes long-term partner relationships are built on performance and trust.  Ryan joined Allen Distribution in 2001 as the Business Manager and was promoted to Vice President 2006 before becoming the President & CEO. He has also been involved in the community by servicing on boards of the United Way and the YMCA and participated in other community focused projects. Ryan received his Master’s Degree in Finance from Drexel University and holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Elizabethtown College.

Craig Heryford
National Chair Business Transactions Sections
Gordon Rees LP

Craig's practice is concentrated in the area of mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and corporate finance matters as well as the representation of mature and emerging businesses. He has experience in a wide variety of commercial transactions, including numerous corporate finance and venture capital funding transactions involving both equity and debt, as well as merger and acquisition and private equity transactions.

Mr. Heryford regularly represents investors, including private equity and venture based investors, in portfolio investments and acquisition and divestiture transactions. He has also represented fund clients in fund formation work, including the structuring and formation of the funds, negotiation and preparation of investor documents and constituent fund documentation.
Mr. Heryford is the chair of the firm's Business Services Section and Business Transactions Practice Group.

Rocky Pontikes
Managing Director of Investment Banking
Mesirow Financial

Rocky is a managing director in Mesirow Financial’s Investment Banking group. He is responsible for developing key relationships, leading deal teams throughout the transaction process and providing advisory services on middle-market M&A assignments within the distribution & supply chain and industrials sectors.Rocky has more than 20 years of investment banking experience. Prior to joining Mesirow Financial in June 2001, he was an investment banker in the global investment banking division at Merrill Lynch & Co., providing corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and public and private capital advisory services to middle-market and growth-oriented companies. Rocky has played an integral role in many notable M&A and capital markets transactions across numerous industries with aggregate transaction value of over $10 billion. He has led several industry award-winning and notable transactions in recent years.In 2012, Rocky was named a winner of The M&A Advisor 40 Under 40 Awards for the central region. Rocky is an active member of The Economic Club of Chicago, The Association for Corporate Growth and Turnaround Management Association.Rocky earned a BS from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds FINRA Series 7, 63 and 79 licenses.Rocky has four sons, is happily married to his wife Jen, and is an avid golfer and paddle player.

Conference Location

600 Commonwealth Place
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Tel: (412) 391-4600