Joseph Ambrose

Executive Director - First Bank Center for Family-Owned Businesses
First Bank

Joe is Executive Director of First Bank’s Center for Family-owned Businesses which provides resources to meet the unique needs of generational business owners and their family members. He also has assisted with First Bank’s community reinvestment and development activities across its market areas. Joe is a member of Frist Bank’s Management Committee. In all, he has forty three years of banking experience.

Ann Bueler

President
Midwest Equipment Company

Ann is President of Midwest Equipment Company. Midwest is an employee-owned distributor of industry leading food service equipment providing sales & service to commercial food service establishments across a three-state region. After starting her career in corporate account sales for a fortune 500 technology company, Ann moved to middle market where she was Co-President of a national health science book distribution company and a regional cleaning & restoration company. She has served as an advisor & board member to privately held companies & is a volunteer & past board member of Ronald McDonald Charities of St. Louis.

Tim Buening

Vice President
Capital For Business, Inc. and Commerce Bancshares, Inc.

Tim is one of six partners responsible for sourcing, analyzing, selecting, structuring, and managing various platform and add-on acquisitions. Prior to joining CFB, Tim spent more than 20 years in various roles across a wide range of companies and functions, including investment banking, marketing and innovation, corporate strategy and M&A, leveraged lending, management consulting, sales and commercial banking.

Bo Butters

Managing Partner
CLA

Bo is a Principal at CliftonLarsonAllen LLP with 26 years experience assisting private and public businesses with accounting, tax and consulting issues. He is one of the St. Louis regional leaders for transaction services provided to private equity firms and privately-held companies. Bo has extensive experience serving as the lead partner on due diligence and audit engagements in conjunction with business acquisitions and dispositions.

Marie Carlie

Tax Partner
BDO USA, LLP

Marie possesses over 30 years of tax and business advisory experience serving middle-market and public companies. She oversees all aspects of tax engagements and is responsible for the proactive delivery of tax services. Marie has provided consultation on tax-related issues for business entities in a variety of industries, including emerging technology and life sciences, manufacturing & distribution, specialty services and real estate.

Drew Caylor

Managing Director
WILsquare Capital

Drew is managing director of WILsquare Capital. He has spent his career investing in and operating businesses in the lower-middle market. His background includes the leadership of buyout transactions, service on portfolio company boards and various operating assignments.
Previously, he was a partner at Louis York Capital, a multifamily office making direct investments in industrial manufacturing and distribution businesses. There, he focused on deal execution and served as director of a manufacturing platform company.

John Chalus

Director
BMO Financial Group

John is a Director in the Financial Advisory Services Group at BMO, specializing in mergers & acquisitions, recapitalizations, capital structure optimization and valuation. John has spent his entire career in investment banking, private equity, leveraged finance and restructuring advisory.

John holds an MBA from The University of Chicago, Booth School of Business and a BBA from the University of Iowa.

Kyle Chapman

President
Barry-Wehmiller

As Barry-Wehmiller’s President, Kyle joins his father, Barry-Wehmiller Chairman and CEO Bob Chapman, in leading the organization and serving on Barry-Wehmiller’s board of directors. Kyle brings 20-plus years of private equity and operating experience to his role. His strategic finance, goal setting and -analysis, and mergers and acquisitions expertise help inform his disciplined approach to fostering a vibrant organization.

James Cooper

Managing Partner
Thompson Street Capital Partners

Jim is the Founder and Managing Partner of Thompson Street Capital Partners, a twenty year old private equity firm currently investing from its $1.15 billion Fund V. Thompson Street has acquired over sixty platform businesses primarily in the software, healthcare and business service space. Previously he worked in private equity and investment banking, including J.P. Morgan in New York City

Clayton Costello

Vice President Corporate Strategy
CK Power Family of Companies

Clayton is Vice President of Corporate Strategy at CK Power Family of Companies, a family owned and operated distribution, manufacturing and service provider for diesel and gaseous engines, power generation equipment, power transmission components and construction equipment.

Lori Coulter

Co-Founder & CEO
Summersalt

Lori is the Co-Founder and CEO of Summersalt, the disruptive direct-to-consumer sustainable swimwear brand based in St. Louis. Lori and her Co-Founder, Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin, launched Summersalt to disrupt the women’s apparel industry with designer quality, size-inclusive and sustainable garments without the designer price tag. Lori is passionate about empowering women entrepreneurs and students, and champions inclusive economic development and entrepreneurship!

Allyson Coyne

Managing Director & Chief Broking Officer
Aon

Allyson advises clients in the areas of Representations & Warranty Insurance and other transaction related coverages through her position as a managing director in Aon’s Transaction Solutions team. Allyson also serves as the Chief Broking Officer for the Transaction Solutions team in North America and is responsible for developing and executing the team’s broking strategy and leveraging carrier relationships across the Transaction Solutions practice. Allyson has also been involved in matters concerning financial product lines for a wide variety of clients, including financial institutions, biotech and Fortune 500 companies. A veteran in the industry, Allyson has over 20 years’ experience broking bespoke M&A insurance solutions.

Allyson received her B.A. in English and in the Program of Liberal Studies from the University of Notre Dame, and a J.D. from Villanova University School of Law. She also received her M.B.A from Villanova University College of Commerce and Finance. She also served in various volunteer positions, including Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of a non-profit theatre arts organization in Philadelphia and an Advisory Board member for the Advisen Transaction Insights conference in 2017 and 2018. Allyson was also named a “Risk & Insurance Power Broker” in 2018 and 2020. Allyson is also a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences.

Mike DeCola

Board Member & Strategic Advisor

After a 21-year career at FMC Corporation, Mike joined Mississippi Lime Company in St. Louis. Over the next two decades, he turned a small, single-product, single site company into a leader in its industry, and began the creation of a multi-business, diversified manufacturer. When he retired at the end of 2019, HBM Holdings was in five different businesses and continuing its track record of superior performance for its shareholders and a great place to work for its employees. Mike now serves as a Board member for several public and private companies.

John Dolan

President & CEO
PFI Holding Co. LLC

John is the President & CEO of PFI Holdings, which owns and operates four manufacturing companies that produce in-store displays and fixtures for major retailers and brands. A CFB portfolio company with over 300 employees in 7 different manufacturing facilities, PFI closed on their most recent acquisition in December 2020. John has built a reputation in turning around PE held companies in distress with sales focused leadership and rapid managerial development.

Jennifer Drake

Senior Vice President
Aon

Jennifer is a senior vice president on Aon’s Transaction Solutions team. In her role, Jennifer acts as an advocate for clients, facilitating the resolution of transaction liability insurance claims. Previously, Jennifer held a legal consulting role in Aon’s Financial Services Group providing guidance on executive risk and risk transfer solutions to corporate executives and boards, as well as claims advocacy on directors and officers liability insurance and cyber liability insurance matters. Prior to working at Aon, Jennifer was an associate at Goodmans LLP where her practice covered a range of areas including contractual disputes, municipal and land planning litigation and other commercial litigation matters. Jennifer received her law degree from Western University and was called to the Ontario Bar.

Jim Eberlin

Founder & CEO
TopOPPS

Founder and CEO TopOPPS, a leading AI-powered Sales Management solution, Founder of Gainsight, leading SaaS solution for Customer Success platform based in Mountain View, CA, and Founder of Host Analytics (now called Planful), leading SaaS solution platform for Financial Planning and Analysis based in Redwood City, CA.

Kelly Eisenloeffel

President/Director of Operations
Larson Commercial Real Estate/Larson Capital Management

Kelly was named President of Larson Commercial Real Estate in October 2020 and is Director of Operations for Larson Capital Management. She is responsible for leading the overall operations and management of the real estate portfolio which is currently valued at approximately $400 Million and sits on the leadership team for Larson Financial Holdings. She has 20 years of experience working with institutional and entrepreneurial clients in the real estate market and has a Master’s Degree from The Washington University in St. Louis.

Peter Esparrago

Co-Founder & Executive Chairman
FinLocker

Peter is a global technology executive with 25+ years of experience. Peter is Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of FinLocker, a financial data analytics company for the mortgage and banking industry. Peter is also a Co-Founder & General Partner of Cultivation Capital, a venture capital firm. Peter was a Scottrade board of director until it was sold to TD Ameritrade. Peter spent 16+ years at Accenture, where he was a Partner and left after the IPO. Peter was President of two cybersecurity companies, Cigital and Mycroft. Peter was CEO of IntraISP, a global software-as-a-service company, in which he grew and sold twice. He was President of River City Internet Group, a holding company for various technology businesses. Peter was COO of Ariel Research, a global leader in EH&S data, in which he helped grow and sell the company. Peter has an MBA in Finance from Rockhurst University, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from University of Missouri. Peter is a governance fellow member of National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).

Neal Furlong

Senior Wealth Advisor
Hightower Wealth Advisors

Neal brings 25+ years of comprehensive planning experience in his role as Senior Wealth Advisor at HighTower, a respected St. Louis-based Wealth Management practice. Neal believes in the importance of fundamentals and discipline (stemming from his college football days); it is the approach he takes to creating financial plans. Focused on business owners, Neal’s experience runs from executive/owner benefits through advanced succession planning and holds his Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®) credentials.

VIncent Garozzo

Officer
Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.

With extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and tax issues, Greensfelder attorney Vince offers business-oriented solutions to clients in corporate transactions. He is a member of Greensfelder's Board of Directors andleader of the Business Services Practice Group. He previously served as president. He has represented clients in transactions in the U.S. and abroad, handling the financial, tax, accounting and business-law aspects of mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance transactions.

Eric Gomberg

Investment Banker
Odeon Capital Group

Eric is the Head of SPAC Investment Banking at Odeon Capital Group, a New York headquartered boutique investment bank which he joined in 2019. Odeon underwrites leading SPAC sponsors, and advises both SPAC sponsors, and target companies on their mergers into SPACs. Eric brings unique perspective and capital markets expertise to his role, having spent over a decade on the buyside working at value-focused hedge funds, including Obrem Capital and Dane Capital Management, which he founded in 2014, and which focused on fundamental analysis of, and investment in, SPACs. Before moving to the buyside, Eric spent a decade as an equity research analyst, including over 8 years at Thomas Weisel Partners where he was a founding member of the research team and was the firm’s senior semiconductor analyst. Eric earned a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Greg Gorlinski

Managing Director, Global Investment Banking
CIBC

Mr. Gorlinski is a Managing Director with CIBC Cleary Gull. He joined Cleary Gull in 1996 and has 24 years of transaction experience. He is responsible for managing transactions, business development and private equity coverage. Mr. Gorlinski has advised numerous clients in a variety of industries and has significant experience in the Consumer and Industrial Products and Manufacturing industries.

Mr. Gorlinski previously held investment banking positions with Tucker Anthony Sutro and Rodman & Renshaw, Inc. At Rodman & Renshaw, he also held positions in management reporting and strategic and financial planning.

Mr. Gorlinski is a member of the Wisconsin Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth. He earned an MBA from Loyola University of Chicago and a BBA in Finance from the University of Wisconsin.

Taylor Hall

Managing Director & Chief Legal Officer
Permanent Equity

From the initial stages to diligence, negotiation, documentation and post-closing integration, Taylor leads all of the transactions at Permanent Equity. In addition, Taylor oversees and assists Permanent Equity’s portfolio companies with all of their day-to-day legal needs, and also provides support with respect to Permanent Equity’s deal generation efforts. Prior to arriving at Permanent Equity, Taylor spent over 12 years in private law practice as a corporate attorney, during which time, Taylor gained extensive experience representing both private and public companies in mergers and acquisitions and other complex business transactions. As both an associate and equity partner, Taylor represented buyers and sellers in industries including consumer products and retail, building products, long-term care, defense, manufacturing, and information technology. In addition to his mergers and acquisitions work, Taylor also provided counseling and guidance related to securities, commercial transactions, finance, and general corporate and business counseling. Taylor received his undergraduate degree from Truman State University, his law degree from Indiana University, and is licensed to practice law in both Missouri and Illinois.

Tom Harmon

President - St. Louis
Commerce Bank

Tom, CFA, is President of Commerce Bank, St. Louis and leads the Bank's commercial banking activities in the St. Louis Region. Tom has 25 years of commercial banking experience including leveraged and syndicated deal experience with privately held, public and private equity owned companies. He also spent over three years as President of Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging in St. Louis where he led efforts to raise bank debt, subordinated debt and equity while tripling revenues.

Matt Harvey

Partner
RSM US LLP

Matt is the Office Managing Partner for RSM's St. Louis office which provides audit, tax and consulting services to clients in a wide variety of industries. Matt has 25 years of experience and serves both public and private companies. He also volunteers as a board member for FamilyForward in St. Louis.

Scott Hendon

National and Global Leader of Private Equity/International Liaison Partner
BDO USA LLP

Scott has more than 35 years of experience providing consulting services and is the National leader of BDO’s Private Equity Practice in the US and the Global Leader of BDO International’s Private Equity Practice, and the international liaison partner for BDO in the United States.

Scott is actively involved in coordinating various services for private equity funds and investment banks on a global basis. This includes assurance, tax, and advisory services.

Scott currently serves on the board of directors for BDO USA LLP and BDO Capital Advisors, LLC, a wholly-owned affiliate of BDO USA, LLP and a leading middle market investment bank. As BDO’s international liaison partner, Scott assists clients in navigating the compliance, regulatory, and cultural issues they face when entering new global markets. He also coordinates services on behalf of BDO International member firm clients doing business in the United States.

Rick Hennessey

Vice President
ButcherJoseph & Co.

Rick is a Vice President at ButcherJoseph & Co., a boutique investment banking firm, where he specializes in ESOPs, mergers and acquisitions, private capital sourcing and valuation advisory services for middle market companies.

Adam Herman

Partner, Chief Visionary Officer
Mueller Prost CPAs + Business Advisors

As a lead partner and Chief Visionary Officer for Mueller Prost, Adam oversees the strategy and direction of the firm, drives profitable growth, and manages the firm’s industry leaders, sales and marketing efforts. Leveraging his extensive experience, Adam helps to lead our transaction advisory and succession planning teams, assisting buyers and sellers in maximizing value and minimizing risk.

Jonathan Herrick

CEO
Benchmark

Jonathan is CEO and chief high-fiver at Benchmark-bringing together 150 employees serving over 500,000 users in 15 countries and 9 languages worldwide. Jonathan is a senior leader bringing over 20 years of experience in growing SaaS businesses, building winning teams and developing forward thinking digital marketing and sales strategies.

Tom Hillman

Managing Partner
Lewis & Clark Holdings

Tom has been involved with private business enterprises over the course of his career, during which time he’s owned more than 60 companies in a wide variety of industries. He is Managing Partner of the Lewis & Clark family of companies, which represents an assortment of investment platforms including private equity, real estate, agrifood/growth capital, and venture capital.

John Hull

Managing Director
The Fortune Group

John is a Managing Director of The Fortune Group. Over the past 30 years, his energy, integrity, and results-oriented approach has earned him the trust and respect of his clients and allows him to address the unique transactional needs of closely-held companies. John was instrumental in the founding of the Alliance of International Corporate Advisors (AICA), a global network of 41 middle-market investment banks that generate over 200 transactions per year with total deal value of more than $6 billion.

Dustin S. Klein

Publisher & COO
Smart Business

Dustin is an award-winning business journalist, bestselling author, and the publisher of Smart Business. Over the past 30 years, he has interviewed thousands of business and civic leaders, and helped more than 50 CEOs and entrepreneurs transform their ideas into books. A trained investigative politics reporter and former digital media entrepreneur, Dustin joined Smart Business in 1997 after serving as an editor at several daily newspapers.

Paul Klug

Shareholder
Polsinelli PC

Paul’s practice focuses on corporate law, mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance, securities and private equity, with experience in tax, franchise law and real estate for clients in various industries. Paul counsels companies from startups to emerging and growing businesses, to companies that are downsizing or preparing to sell or whose owners are preparing for an exit, including transactions involving privately held and public companies and private equity.

Rob Koch

CEO
DYOPATH

Rob is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at DYOPATH and a pioneer within the managed service provider (MSP) vertical. He sets the culture, vision, strategy and overall business direction across DYOPATH. His leadership of DYOPATH is grounded in his personal values of adventure, determination, health, learning, love, peace and success. His passion for DYOPATH comes from the people, “We have the best!”, says Koch. His favorite quote is, “It’s not the Destination, It’s the Journey.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Koch’s hometown is Roseville, MN and prior to becoming the CEO of DYOPATH, Koch was an Original Founder and CEO of Single Path, which merged with DYONYX on March 1, 2020, to create DYOPATH. His career started with the City of Chicago and then moved to corporate America where he was involved in several technology-based startups in senior leadership roles.

Koch and his wife currently reside in River Forest, IL with their four sons ranging in age from 14 to 18 along with their crazy English Bulldog, Dotty. Outside of work, Koch enjoys skiing, watching his sons play baseball and rooting for the Minnesota Vikings. He’s an avid reader and at the top of his podcast list right now is, “How I Built This”. Koch holds a Bachelor of Arts from St. Mary’s College and an MBA from Stuart School of Business.

Bob McArthur

President & CEO
Johnny Mac's Sporting Goods Stores Inc.

Bob McArthur was the second generation and second President / CEO of a 52 year old family sporting goods business that had 7 retail stores along with 3 sales offices that supported 30 institutional road salesman. Johnny Mac's conducted business in Mo. Il. IN. and MI with approximately 270 full and part time employees.

Bethany Michel

Managing Director
Harbour Group

Bethany joined Harbour Group in 2014 as Director of Corporate Development. In 2019, Ms. Michel was promoted to Managing Director. Ms. Michel has responsibility for the Control Solutions and SpotSee groups.

Immediately prior to joining Harbour Group, Ms. Michel led the U.S. Buyout fund investments for Northern Trust’s private equity fund of funds program. She was previously with Freeport Financial where she underwrote senior debt transactions for leveraged buyouts and GE Capital where she was a collateral examiner.

Ms. Michel earned her MBA from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and her BS in finance from the University of Illinois.

Robert Newmark

Partner
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP

Bob is a partner with Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, a leading global law firm with 1400 lawyers in 30 offices across the globe. Mr. Newmark concentrates his practice in the areas of business and transactional counseling. Mr. Newmark has experience representing primarily closely held businesses and their owners in a range of transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, general commercial counseling, joint ventures and strategic alliances, cross-border structuring, and issues arising under federal and state securities laws. He also counsels business owners and their families on business succession and estate planning, employing highly sophisticated techniques and concepts. Clients include investment partnerships, private equity firms and financial institutions, and he has considerable experience representing portfolio companies of these firms. He counsels companies in a number of industries, including manufacturing, finance, nutritional supplements, retail/luxury and telecommunications. Mr. Newmark is also Managing Partner of the St. Louis office of his firm.

John Oeltjen

Partner, Risk Management Services
Mueller Prost CPAs + Business Advisors

John is a widely known and respected professional, offering more than 40 years of business leadership and consulting experience. He began his 30-year public accounting career with a “Big 4” firm, where he served as lead partner for the St. Louis Regional Middle Market practice, leading its rapid revenue growth and expansion. John also holds 12 years of experience in the private sector, where his roles included President, Chief Operating Officer and part owner in various manufacturing and distribution businesses that saw significant increases in operational efficiencies and profitability under his watch.

With this unique experience, John is able to leverage his knowledge and experience of internal controls, lean manufacturing and process improvements, along with his expertise in strategy development, corporate finance, information management, and other specialty services to help clients improve their business.  His current areas of concentration include risk advisory and attestation services, merger and acquisition services, corporate strategic planning, transition planning services. process improvement, operational efficiency, and information technology services.

Victor Richey

Chairman, CEO & President
ESCO Technologies Inc.

Vic is Chairman and CEO of ESCO Technologies, a St. Louis based diversified industrial manufacturer serving end-markets that include aerospace & defense, utility solutions and RF shielding and test segments. He joined the company in 1985 and held a variety of positions at the subsidiary and corporate levels, primarily in marketing and general management prior to assuming his current role in 2002. Previously, he spent six years as a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army.

Barry Sandweiss

General Partner
Cultivation Capital

Barry is a General Partner @ Cultivation Capital the most active VC in Missouri. Prior to Cultivation Capital, he was a Co-Founder and COO of Lenders One, the largest mortgage cooperative in the United States that was acquired by Altisource (ASPS). While at ASPS, Barry served as SVP and as part of the Global Leadership team during which time the market capitalization grew to over $5 + Billion via the spinouts of AAMC and RESI. In a career spanning 30 + years, Barry has co-founded 7 start-ups.

Michael Scully

Regional President
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

Michael is regional president of PNC Bank in St. Louis where he leads the local executive banking team. In addition, he represents PNC in the community and directs community engagement. Scully has 36 years of corporate and commercial banking experience in St. Louis. He joined PNC in October 2013 from U.S. Bank, NA and its predecessor where he served in a variety of business and commercial banking leadership roles.

Jack Senneff

Managing Director
Thompson Street Capital Partners

Jack serves as a Managing Director at Thompson Street Capital Partners, a St. Louis-based private equity firm focused on investing in founder-led middle market businesses in the Healthcare & Life Science Services, Software & Technology Services and Business Services & Engineered Products sectors. He leads the firm’s Deal Origination and Portfolio Support teams. Prior to joining Thompson Street, Jack served in the United States Army as an Infantry officer in Ranger, Airborne, and Mechanized units. He also subsequently managed a regional service sales force with Cintas Corporation, a national facilities service provider. Jack is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and earned his MBA from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Kevin Short

Managing Director & CEO
Clayton Capital Partners

Kevin is managing director and CEO of Clayton Capital Partners, a St. Louis-based investment banking firm specializing in merger and acquisition advisement. He is author of "Sell Your Business For An Outrageous Price," which synthesizes his experiences selling mid-sized companies for twice the industry average EBITDA multiple. He has also orchestrated more than 150 purchase/sale transactions with an aggregate value of more than $1 billion. Years of experience enable him to aggressively pursue his clients’ objectives during the turbulence that characterizes every transaction.

Bill Spizman

Partner & Enterprise Account Leader
RSM US LLP

Bill specializes in transaction advisory services for private equity funds, strategic buyers, and sellers of privately held companies, and has significant experience with mid-sized companies. With more than 30 years of transaction experience, Bill assists owners and operators with creating transformative value during their ownership period by introducing and overseeing the firm’s most relevant consulting capabilities, insights, experiences and perspectives to our clients.

Jim Sramek

Founder & CEO
Midwest Equipment Company

Jim is CEO and founder of Midwest Equipment Company. The company’s journey began in 1993 when he purchased a 7-employee Taylor food service equipment distribution company. Over 28 years Midwest purchased 3 other distributorships, grew to 72 employees, increased revenue by 1700% and has remained a top-ranked distributor in its network. In 2018, Jim sold the company to the employees through an ESOP, achieving his lifelong goal to reward the people who made Midwest the success it has become. Jim is a passionate fundraiser for numerous St. Louis charities and active committee chair and volunteer for Ronald McDonald Charities of St. Louis.

John Sten

Partner and Co-Leader, Securities Regulation and Litigation Practice
Armstrong Teasdale LLP

John is a partner at Armstrong Teasdale and co-leader of the Securities Regulation and Litigation practice. He has over 25 years of corporate, securities and white-collar criminal defense experience. He began his distinguished career as a member of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Summer Honors Program before being selected to begin his legal career in the SEC Division of Enforcement in Washington, D.C.

Rose Thompson

Chief Operating Officer
ButcherJoseph & Co.

Rose is the COO of ButcherJoseph & Co., a family of companies covering multiple lines of business including traditional M&A advisory, ESOP buyouts, private capital, and valuation advisory. Headquartered in St. Louis and nationally recognized as a leader in ESOP transaction advisory services, ButcherJoseph advises middle market companies all over the U.S. in a variety of industries.

Dave Watkins

Retired
East Balt Bakeries (prior)

Dave is retired, formerly with various CEO, COO and CFO roles, as well as 20 years with KPMG. Dave has Ex-Pat experience running the European Division of Maritz and significant international experience as CFO/COO of East Balt Bakeries covering 13 countries. Dave currently serves on the Private Directors Association Board and the Audit Committee and has other served other Boards prior.

Daniel White

Principal
EY

Daniel is a principal in Ernst & Young’s Transaction Advisory Services group where he helps clients design and implement tax-efficient methods of achieving their strategic business objectives. He has over 20 years of experience advising private equity funds and multinational corporations on complex business transactions, including cross-border acquisitions, divestitures, global restructurings, spin-offs, and joint ventures. Dan is co-author of the Wolters Kluwer CCH expert treatise Federal Taxation of Corporations and Shareholders, is a frequent speaker at the American Bar Association and Tax Executives Institute, and has co-authored articles in Practicing Law Institute’s course books.

Douglas Wilber

CEO
Denim Social

Doug the CEO of Denim Social, a social media management software company that provides tools to empower marketers in regulated industries to manage organic social media content and paid social media advertising on one platform.

James E. Williams Jr.

Founder, President & CEO
Estel Foods, Inc.

James E. Williams Jr. is founder, president and chief executive officer of Estel Foods Inc., which owns and operates 20 McDonald’s restaurants in the St. Louis metropolitan area. As an operator of one of the world’s most recognized brands, Williams has come full circle in his employment history: as a teenager, he worked at McDonald’s.

Known for working seven days a week and maintaining an active role in all parts of the business, Williams relishes his engagement with the company’s corporate entity, while ensuring that local operations are sound and efficient. Employee development and customer satisfaction are priorities in his operations.

Williams began his business career with McDonald’s in 1998 with a single store in Granite City, Illinois, and grew his business one store at a time before acquiring multiple stores in 2014. Estel Foods Inc. has headquarters in East St. Louis, Illinois, Williams’s hometown.

Before becoming a McDonald’s owner-operator, Williams served nine years with the U.S. Navy, where he clocked more than 2,000 flight hours in various countries around the world. Williams was recognized for his military service and earned the U.S. Navy Achievement Award. He credits his Navy experience as key to business success, most notably the concept of teamwork.

Michael Zeller

Member & Head of Global Services
Moore & Van Allen

Mike is the co-head of Moore & Van Allen's Global Services Group. In that role, he provides his corporate transactional clients the accessibility, responsiveness, knowledge and understanding of in-house counsel, coupled with the deep, full-spectrum Moore & Van Allen legal resources and cost-efficiencies.