COMMENDA - Key Persons
Alan R. Abrams has almost 40 years of hands on executive experience, including thirteen years as Chairman/CEO of a diversified publicly-traded company, fourteen years as President of a commercial real estate firm, and several years as a securities analyst and stock broker. His areas of expertise include strategic analysis, strategic planning, executive management, financial analysis, budgeting and financial planning, mergers and acquisitions, real estate development and asset management, executive coaching, family businesses, corporate governance, board representation, asset liquidations, and corporate restructurings. His industry experience includes construction, energy efficiency/sustainability, manufacturing, real estate, securities and investment management, and technology.
As Board Chairman and CEO of Servidyne, Inc. (Nasdaq-SERV), Alan was the architect and driving force behind the successful strategic repositioning and eventual sale of the closely-held, 85 year-old company. Under his leadership, the construction, manufacturing and real estate firm, previously known as Abrams Industries, was deleveraged and "re-invented" through a series of divestitures, asset sales and M&A transactions. After completing a comprehensive strategic analysis, he convinced his fellow Board members, including three close relatives, that the total economic value of the company would never be fully reflected in the price of the company's stock, without a fundamental restructuring. Accordingly, he implemented a process to totally remake the company around its core competencies in owning and operating buildings, and to exploit opportunities created by surging energy prices. Over the next several years, the company exited from two low-margin legacy businesses and restructured its balance sheet, enabling it to self-fund the creation of a new higher margin operating platform, by acquiring a total of five small companies that were combined to form a new business that became a global B2B provider of energy efficiency products, services and online proprietary software for commercial and institutional buildings. Ultimately the company, re-named Servidyne, was acquired by a Silicon Valley-based strategic buyer at a favorable valuation for shareholders in an all-cash transaction.
Previously Alan served as President of Abrams Properties, Inc., where he led the development of several multi-anchored retail "power" centers, and the asset management of the company's 2 million+ square foot portfolio of retail, office and industrial properties. He managed all aspects of the development process, including site selection and land acquisition; anchor tenant leasing; legal, regulatory and statutory approvals; interim and permanent financing; project design and construction; and the asset management of the company's income producing properties and raw land, including property management and leasing, asset acquisitions and sales, and tax-free exchanges. Prior to that, he was a buy-side equity analyst, specializing in high technology stocks, and before that was a stock broker.
In the community, Mr. Abrams has served in senior leadership positions and on the Boards of several not-for-profit organizations, and was the founding member and first President of Temple Kehillat Chaim (Roswell, Georgia). He received his MBA (finance and accounting) with honors from Emory University and his bachelor's degree (history) from Columbia University.
Arthur Hufford has over thirty years of experience in residential and commercial real estate with banks, investment groups and private investors.
Mr. Hufford's career began in 1984 at the Citizens and Southern National Bank in Atlanta where he was a loan officer and branch manager in the construction and development group. From there, he worked as a real estate portfolio manager for an investment group in Atlanta in charge of property management and leasing. In 1994, he joined The Condo Store in Atlanta as a sales manager in the building division and managed new home sales as well as several condominium conversion projects. He has since been associated with several real estate firms in the Atlanta area. His diversified real estate experience includes property management, acquisition and development lending, construction lending, condominium conversion management and both residential and multi-family sales.
Mr. Hufford received his BBA from Emory University and he currently holds an active real estate license in the State of GA. He lives in Tucker with his wife and three children.
Job Titles:
- Executive Search Strategist, Recruiter
Beth Simpson is an executive search strategist, recruiter, and founder/CEO of Parker Blake, a national executive recruiting firm based in Atlanta. Parker Blake is known for outstanding performance in understanding each client company's culture and business distinctives, resulting in placements characterized by exceptional fit and longevity. Founded on key principles of integrity and trust, Parker Blake conducts executive search and placement across multiple industries, with a strong focus on marketing, sales, innovation, and hard-to-find specialty talent. Beth's primary focus in on finding talented professionals for senior, executive, and mid-level positions in companies ranging from Fortune 500 to non-profit organizations.
Beth has excelled in executive recruiting and business management for more than 20 years, including roles in business development and technology. She focuses on establishing strong partnerships with client companies and candidates through deep understanding of goals, objectives, and concerns, leading to tailored strategies that match highly qualified talent with carefully curated opportunities. Parker Blake serves executive search clients in direct hire, interim, and recruitment process outsourcing efforts.
Prior to founding Parker Blake, Beth was a top performer in several large placement firms and in corporate recruiting positions. She is a graduate of Oglethorpe University and resides in Marietta, Georgia, with her husband and children. She is an active member of StoneBridge Church and volunteers her time and expertise with the employment programs of various local non-profits.
Bill Baker is an experienced management professional, primarily in the Information Technology industry, having worked for a variety of service providers and manufacturers. His experience includes startup companies, as well as work groups within fortune 100 organizations.
He has led outside sales groups, as well as customer service organizations, receiving awards for accomplishment and innovation. His use of performance metrics and teaching of consultative selling techniques has built and driven high performance sales groups, producing exceptional results.
Bill's strong management background in sales, operations, engineering, budgeting, purchasing and marketing has given him a holistic view of an organization's business ecosystem, allowing him to work collaboratively within the business. As part of various process re-engineering projects, he has used these skills to help organizations align their departmental objectives to achieve total company results.
Brad is a lifetime entrepreneur and has committed himself to the discipline, creativity and constant innovation required to achieve success. He has helped build multiple seven figure businesses in numerous domestic and international markets including B2B, B2C, physical products, software, and professional services.
His most recent company, Entreholic, provides an affordable, entrepreneurial approach to helping small to medium businesses implement and execute innovative growth strategies. Entreholic is also the creator of the Top 200 Tools To Fuel Your Business Growth and the weekly Addictive Tools Series. Brad also enjoys teaching on the topic and conducts educational seminars throughout the year.
Brad serves on the board of the Atlanta Chapter of the Global Entrepreneurs' Organization where he co-chairs the Accelerator Program to help emerging companies achieve $1 Million in annual revenue within three years. He is a graduate of LEAD Atlanta Program, serves on the High Point Civic Association, and co-founded an annual charity event for breast cancer.
Brad is a native of Atlanta and lives in Sandy Springs with his daughter and wife, an inspirational third grade teacher. Brad graduated Magna Cum Laude from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with concentrations in Finance and Marketing.
Brian Anderson has been a Trusted Advisor to the C-Suite of several hundred Public and Private Middle Market Companies in the Southeastern U.S.
Mr. Anderson's financial expertise, coupled with strong tax and accounting knowledge and deep domain industry expertise, has provided his clients in excess of $1 BB of creative/innovative growth, leveraged, acquisition and recapitalization capital centered around fixed assets.
Prior to joining Commenda, Mr. Anderson spent 30 years with GE Capital's Corporate Finance Group in Atlanta. Previously, Mr. Anderson worked for Citicorp Industrial Credit and Fruehauf Finance.
In addition, Mr. Anderson has started, owned, and managed several small companies in the metal converting industries (aluminum die cast and metal machining) as well as residential real estate development and durable goods industries.
Mr. Anderson received a Bachelors of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Western Michigan University and a MBA from University of Detroit.
Brittney Suttle, CPA, has over 10 years of experience in accounting and finance. She brings strong analytical and organizational skills and has a broad knowledge of all aspects of accounting, including inventory management, collections, working capital management, ERP systems, and payroll.
Mrs. Suttle was previously the Controller for HP Products, a division of Ferguson Enterprise, where she was responsible for managing all aspects of accounting as well as participating in financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting. Previous to that role, she worked at HP as a senior financial analyst, with an emphasis on improving gross margin for the company.
Prior to HP, she spent three years in public accounting with Watermark CPA Group, providing audit, compilation, and tax services for private, family-owned businesses.
Mrs. Suttle graduated from Marian University with a BS in accounting and finance and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She volunteers with various organizations in central Indiana and also dedicates time to helping female entrepreneurs understand and manage the money in their businesses.
Carl H. Zehnder opened a consulting practice in 1985 focused on operational needs in multiple industrial settings. He is a change agent, skilled at enhancing efficiency and cost control for both large and small companies. His strengths include building rapport with employees as he gains an understanding of organizational operations and culture.
He assesses each situation as unfamiliar territory that needs to be penetrated. Among his clients are firms that are facing liquidation, may be profitable but are operationally and/or financially underperforming, or hobbled by equipment that does not operate as intended, and similar situations.
1. A small Arkansas manufacturer, $15 million in revenues, was facing liquidation when eleven direct reports conveyed "It's hopeless." Carl worked with each, identifying initiatives that were used to reduce expenses by $2.4 million in 12 weeks; the company was sold as an on-going business.
2. The President of a Chicago manufacturer of Custom Business Forms, $400 million in revenues, was troubled with cost estimating practices. Carl and his consulting team designed and built an Estimate Preparation System that was comprehensive and easy to use. When fully deployed it resulted in a 5% increase in margins, increasing profitability by over $20 million.
3. A large Florida Beer & Wine distributor, $125 million in revenues, had purchased a $10 million palletizer machine whose purpose was to assemble pallets of product for customer delivery. The machine, idle for more than a year, was not able to process at a minimum rate of 5,000 cases per hour. Carl penetrated the equipment, recommended changes, then using a simulator that reflected those changes, projected a processing rate of 12,500 cases per hour.
With an eclectic background in both career and academia, Carl transfers his skills across a wide range of industries. He holds a BME with an Industrial Engineering focus from Cleveland State University. He was awarded an MS in Organizational Management and Behavior from Illinois Benedictine University. And, he was subsequently awarded an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Job Titles:
- CEO of the Dash Group
- Consultant to Ryder Systems
Catherine Hickem is the CEO of The Dash Group, a company that specializes in human capital, organizational health and executive development. She has over 35 years of experience in developing people, assessing corporate cultures, and/or coaching C-level executives. She consults companies who were desirous of maximizing their talent, reducing their costs, lowering their attrition, and improving their efficiency. Catherine and her team conduct gap analyses for companies who are struggling to comprehend all the variables impacting their business.
Job Titles:
- President of the Dash Group
Cindy Barber is the President of The Dash Group, a company that specializes in human capital, organizational health, and leadership development. She works with executive leaders across various industries to eliminate human capital vulnerabilities that affect their business outcomes. Cindy advises leaders in the prioritization of strategic solutions to best capitalize on the health of their organization, creating a competitive advantage over other industry players. Using various methodologies tailored to the needs of her clients, Cindy works with leaders to build healthy organizations that are sustainable, resilient, innovative, and more profitable.
Cindy brings over 20 years of experience working with clients to better help them achieve their business objectives. Over her career, that has taken on different forms. She spent 15 years working in advertising for industry giants like J. Walter Thompson and BBDO creating strategic broadcast media solutions, managing clients, leading groups of broadcast negotiators and serving in elected leadership roles within the advertising community. After taking some time off to raise her children, Cindy made a career change that allowed her to merge her skills in leadership, business, and organizational health with her passion for human growth potential resulting in a career truly organic to who she is. Cindy is an authentic, thought leader who has earned the trust and loyalty of her clients through her integrity, courage, and ability to deliver results.
Cindy is certified in top instruments for individual and organizational assessment. She works closely with the leadership of one which was developed by a scientist nominated for a Nobel Prize for the behavioral research that went into it. She is also certified in "The Daring Way" and "Rising Strong, two programs, developed by Dr. Brene´ Brown used to develop leaders worldwide. Cindy has extensive experience in the areas of succession planning, leadership development, change management, culture development and employee engagement. She is a sought-after resource for leadership and cultural diligence for acquisition by both private equity firms and privately held companies.
Cindy graduated from The University of Alabama with a BA in Communications. She is also a graduate of Coach-U, is a credentialed member of the International Coaches Federation and is a Certified Daring Way Facilitator (CDWF) in the work of Dr. Brené Brown.
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor to Athyrium Capital Management
Derek H. Lee has more than 22 years of experience in life sciences investments across therapeutics, devices, diagnostics and services / HCIT as an investment banker, venture capitalist, entrepreneur and hedge fund analyst. Mr. Lee specializes in structuring and implementing creative and complex deal structures and working closely with management teams on financing and exit strategies.
Mr. Lee is also a Senior Advisor to Athyrium Capital Management's funds with over $3.7B under management focused on bespoke financing solutions across all healthcare verticals to finance acquisitions and growth since 2012. Mr. Lee founded and is the Managing Director of DHL Ventures LLC, a financial and strategic advisory firm based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Prior to founding DHL Ventures, Mr. Lee was a Senior Analyst with Burrage Capital, a life sciences focused long-short equity fund. Previously, Mr. Lee was the Chief Financial and Corporate Development Officer at Talaris Advisors, a biotech accelerator that leverages a strategic drug development discipline to minimize risk and cost while optimizing the odds of success in drug development portfolios.
Before founding Talaris Advisors, Mr. Lee was a Principal with SV Life Sciences (SVLS), a leading healthcare focused venture capital advisor with approximately $2B under management. For close to a decade at SVLS, Mr. Lee was actively involved with more than 55 portfolio companies across biotechnology, medical devices and healthcare services investments. He worked closely with management teams across a range of issues including equity and debt financings, M&A, IPOs, partnerships and exits.
As an investment banker, Mr. Lee was with the Global Healthcare Group at UBS Warburg where he engaged in a variety of equity and M&A transactions in the life sciences sector. Prior to joining UBS Warburg, Mr. Lee was in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group at Salomon Smith Barney. Mr. Lee received his BS in Finance from Bentley College.
Donald Belanger functions as a business partner maximizing company values with boards, CEOs, chairpersons, investors and owners. He hands-on conducts and oversees finance and administrative functions including accounting, business operations, cash management, company evaluations, debt/equity raises, financial planning, internal audits, internal financial and operational controls, operating plans, performance analyses, pricing models, regulatory compliance and risk reductions.
Silicon Valley key employment positions held include: (i) CFO of Atypon Systems, an international epublisher SaaS and software licenses; (ii) CFO/CEO of Inman Group, an internet real estate news multimedia and conferences for brokers and agents; (iii) CFO/Treasurer/Controller of SRI Consulting (SRI International wholly owned subsidiary) an international consulting, researcher and publisher on chemicals and petrochemicals products/industries/markets and; (iv) Director of Finance of Signasys an engineering and technology integrator for the broadcast industry. Prior to Silicon Valley Mr. Belanger worked at a Boston Law firm conducting client companies' launches, restructuring, monetizations, and tax compliance/planning for individuals, trusts and companies.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Belanger has been a sought after finance professional in Silicon Valley assisting in startups and corporate turnarounds by creating transparent accounting functions, implementing and utilizing key performance metrics, identifying market opportunities, developing growth strategies through financial and operating efficiencies, and creating shareholder value through divestitures, asset protection, business growth and risk reduction.
Mr. Belanger has over 25 years of experience in finance, operations and turnaround management including: strategic planning, company restructuring, financial restructuring, cash management, human resources, internal controls, materials management, production scheduling and regulatory compliance. Mr. Belanger has held positions as CEO, CFO, Treasurer and Controller with domestic and international board experience.
Mr. Swartz has 35 years' experience in the Investment Capital markets. Early in his career he worked for Wall Street firms, Bear Stearns and Oppenheimer overseas calling on Institutions in Europe, Australia and New Zealand on equity and debt issues. Mr. Swartz has led, structured and completed 165 transactions in the last 25 years after leaving Bear Stearns. His focus is on providing strategic advice for companies including capital raises as well as mergers and acquisitions.
In 1994 he co-founded his own company and proceeded to institutionalize the small cap public markets developing more efficient financing techniques. He was the Investment Banker for Celgene as well as Ancor (bought by Qlogic), Shopping.com (bought by Compaq) and several others. Mr. Swartz was a Private Equity Manger and Co-founder of the Bridgepoint Fund as well as a Principal in numerous other investments. More recently, Mr. Swartz was the President of B2R, LLC a foot strength training program for runners, walkers and hikers and is a four-time Ironman finisher.
His achievements have been recognized by various leadership groups. He was the first recipient of the Phoenix Award for Executive Leadership for AVID (Advancement for Individual Achievement) a national and international program that is currently serving and teaching two million disadvantaged students to graduate from high school and lead productive lives. Mr. Swartz is also the co-founder of Ministry Ventures the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to best practices and coaching for faith-based ministries serving over 1,500 ministries.
Eric attended Loyola College and Johns Hopkins University. He is married and lives in an Atlanta suburb with his wife. They are the parents of four grown children.
Job Titles:
- Portfolio Specialist at Skyview Investment Advisors
Francisco Javier Perez, CFA, has extensive experience in investment banking, investment management, and financial services. Mr. Perez currently serves as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer for Commenda, Inc. as well as Principal for Commenda Securities, LLC. Mr. Perez has been involved in a myriad of roles in the investment and financial advisory space. Specific areas of expertise are in managing and directing client investments, helping launch and structure investment teams and funds, operational efficiencies, due diligence, market strategy, and in assisting companies with strategic and funding concerns.
Mr. Perez's passion is in creating and building relationships, businesses, and teams, primarily in the healthcare innovation space. Thanks to many years of experience serving health care clients, Mr. Perez possesses an acute understanding of many of the issues important to participants in the health care space and specifically as it relates to investments and strategy.
In addition to his roles at Commenda, Mr. Perez also serves as Portfolio Specialist at Skyview Investment Advisors where Mr. Perez oversees investment portfolios on behalf of health care clients. Mr. Perez was previously a Portfolio Manager with BPV Capital Management where he constructed investment portfolios on behalf of institutional clients. Previous to that role, he helped launch Cain Brothers Asset Management (CBAM). At CBAM, Mr. Perez sat on the investment committee, built all aspects of the accounting and trading infrastructure, and oversaw investment operations. Prior to CBAM, Mr. Perez led and helped build a team overseeing middle office trading operations at BNY Mellon.
Mr. Perez serves on the Orlando City Soccer Foundation Board and CFA Orlando Advisory Council and is involved in various volunteer roles in the central Florida region, including teaching financial literacy classes at Second Harvest Food Bank. He received his BA degree from the University of Florida and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
George Brownlee is a hands-on accounting/finance professional who has worked as an Accounting Manager/Controller for numerous small niche companies. He has also provided reporting stewardship as a Reporting Manager for the FDIC during the banking crisis of the mid 2000s, been a Senior Financial Analyst for the 10 th largest software company in the world and the proprietor of his own real estate appraisal firm.
George is experienced at overseeing the back office needs of small companies, financial reporting, month end closings and budgeting /forecasting. He was part of the receivership team for the 5 th largest bank failure in the country (Colonial Bank). Prior to that George was credited with cleaning-up the royalty payments system for Infor Global Solutions and assisted management with getting through 2 audits with PWC. Before coming to the Atlanta area, George owned his own successful real estate appraisal firm for more than a decade.
George is a graduate of the University of Maryland Graduate School of Management and Technology with a Master of Science degree in Financial Management. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.
Howard W. Mikytuck Jr works with companies looking to take their business to the next level. This is done collaboratively with business leaders to improve their performance and instill the essential elements of continuous improvement including breaking through the barriers of change. Utilizing 30+ years of global experience in business transformation, companies I have worked with realized significant EBITDA improvements. Industries of focus include aerospace, defense, automotive, banking, energy, electronic manufacturing, finance, insurance, healthcare, meat and poultry processing, oil & gas, pharmaceutical, retail, textiles, and venture capital.
Howard began his career in manufacturing with Texas Instruments and was instrumental in them winning the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige award and later with Asea Brown Boveri (ABB). As one of the first Six Sigma Black Belts in the US and an early adopter of Toyota Production System (TPS) methods, Howard used these unique skills to quickly transform average organizations into industry leaders, which rocketed him from Engineer to Senior Vice President. His first role as General Manager, he took a neglected, unprofitable Boston Whaler to breakeven in 6 months and was able to attract Brunswick Marine to purchase the business within the year.
Having effectively used these skills to transform manufacturing businesses, Howard joined GE Capital to test the transferability of these skills into other industries. He quickly developed and translated his manufacturing skills into other industries. He spent the next 15 years applying and refining his proven methods to over 500 companies and numerous industries, with savings and growth to these organizations in excess of $500MM.
Howard has an MBA with honors from the University of Dallas, a PhD (candidate) in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of South Florida.
Jeffrey M. Granger heads Commenda Capital's commercial finance and advisory services in Florida. He brings over 25 years of experience as a finance executive and has worked with more than 300 companies in various industries, providing financial restructuring services, budgeting, cash management, product or service costing, sales and marketing support, materials management, production scheduling and strategic planning. In numerous engagements he has assumed responsibility as interim CEO, CFO and CRO in a variety of fields, ranging from manufacturing to healthcare, as well as distribution and service industries. The total transaction value of these engagements is in excess of $5 billion and involved structured finance, asset-based lending and leasing transactions.
Previously, Mr. Granger was Managing Director at a nationally recognized turnaround and restructuring consulting firm. As a result he has extensive experience dealing with companies operating under various forms of court protection, including bankruptcy and receivership proceedings. Significantly, Mr. Granger has successfully managed, sold and liquidated numerous companies in diverse industries, both in and out of court protection. Previously, Mr. Granger was Treasurer of a specialty chemical manufacturer where he was responsible for working capital management, budgeting and forecasting, risk management and maintenance of the company's banking relationships.
Mr. Granger's industry expertise is in transportation, staffing, healthcare, construction, chemicals, telecommunications, furniture, food processing, retail and a variety of other manufacturing companies and service providers.
Mr. Granger received his BBA - Economics from Loyola University of Chicago and his MBA from Georgia State University.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Managing Principal at Flying Laboratories LLC
Jennifer Daniels is a dynamic coach, trusted advisor and master facilitator with extensive experience leading change, driving growth and developing leaders with large corporations, mid-market companies and startups. She has partnered with senior executives and functional leadership teams from 200+ companies across diverse industry sectors, including healthcare, transportation, energy, manufacturing, financial services and retail. Jennifer has curated and led over 300 strategic consulting engagements contributing $30MM+ in financial impact to her customers.
Jennifer is Managing Principal at Flying Laboratories LLC, a transformation coaching and strategic advisory practice that infuses change management, leadership development and strategic planning with entrepreneurial business models. The firm's name was inspired by Amelia Earhart's plane, which she commissioned to experiment, learn and improve aeronautical performance. That same commitment to continuous learning, experimentation and growth is what fuels Jennifer's passion to help leaders and teams "innovate, grow and transform on the fly."
For over 20 years, Jennifer held progressive leadership roles in technology, process improvement, sales, marketing and innovation acceleration at GE. She led an intrapreneurial "lean startup" organization at GE Corporate that provided management consulting services to the firm's most strategic industrial and financial services customers. In 2014, she was featured in GE Capital's "We are builders, not bankers" national TV & radio ad campaigns: http://bit.ly/jendanielstvad. Jennifer also served in sales and marketing executive leadership positions at ChoicePoint, USIS, and LexisNexis, and was co-founder of Slimpressions®, a family-owned business with a patented line of women's shapewear products.
Jennifer earned a B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland and MBA from Georgia State University. She serves as Chairperson for the Catholic Charities Atlanta Leadership Program and is a member of the innovation advisory board at Cherry Bekaert.
Jerry has over 37 years of experience and front-line executive involvement, as a principal, an independent partner/contractor and as an employee, with highly regarded publicly and privately held market-leading commercial real estate development, asset management and brokerage companies with decades of passion and experience in development, deal-making & leasing, valuation & markets and financing, construction, acquisition and disposition and asset and operations management. Anderson's development, leasing, brokerage, marketing and asset management consultancy work has led him to various project work in and on multiples of millions of square feet of CRE developments and transactions in multiple product-type silos of CRE in 300+ US markets nationally incalculably valued in the $billions.
His successes in CRE-related ventures in over 30 US states have also led him into successful endeavors in invention, product-development and, ultimately, manufacturing where, as a manufacturer/owner/principal, Anderson has developed and manufactured life-safety technologies, logistics-based products & systems and other forward thinking projects for broad commercial and consumer consumers and marketplaces. His passion remains focused on ideation, innovation and the re-invention of CRE developments, CRE service companies and product-oriented enterprises and their wares.
Jerry is degreed from The University of Texas at Austin- McComb's School of Business and is headquartered near Austin, Texas.
John L. Sams has extensive experience as a CEO, COO and President of seven companies and has also served on the board of directors for six companies. He has led and advised several successful start-ups and early stage companies, turned around troubled companies and successfully grown underperforming companies.
Mr. Sams has a successful track record in industries as varied as utility and power, oil/gas, waste water treatment, waste to energy, gasification, alternative energy, pulp and paper, environmental, automotive, HVAC, and chemicals.
Mr. Sams has established international operations globally, including service companies, manufacturing, sourcing, engineering and marketing in China, Europe, the UK, Russia, Japan, Southeast Asia, India and South America. He has a track record of successfully financing both public and private companies having made more than 17 strategic and tactical acquisitions. He has grown companies organically through a collaborative leadership style centered on start-ups, early stage companies and turnarounds.
He received his BS degree from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Engineering Management/Civil Engineering and his MBA, cum laude, from Georgia State University.
Job Titles:
- Founder and Principal of Commenda Capital
- Managing Director of Runningen Associates
John R. Runningen is a Founder and Principal of Commenda Capital, LLC. For more than twenty-five years he has successfully participated in or lead numerous investment banking or M&A transactions for growing companies nationwide, with aggregate value of $18.6 billion and he has served as a director on more than a dozen corporate boards.
Mr. Runningen is also a Managing Director of Runningen Associates, LLC, an investment banking and financial advisory firm that partnered with the Batten Group to form Commenda Capital in 2011. Together the firms provide strategic capital and advisory services to established, growing companies. Previously, Mr. Runningen served as Senior Vice President at WebMD (NASDAQ: WBMD) after it merged with Healtheon in 1999. Prior to WebMD, Mr. Runningen was a General Partner at Cordova Ventures, a $250 million venture capital group based in Atlanta.
Keith Hyatt is a seasoned real estate professional with more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of real estate, with a particular emphasis in real estate development of luxury and urban high-rise, multi-family, and master planned communities for both public and private concerns. Mr. Hyatt specializes in real estate finance, development, and restructuring covering all types of properties, including Hotel/Motel, Office, Industrial, Retail, Condominium projects, Marinas, Multifamily and Mixed Use, and Master Planned Communities, as well as, turnaround and rescue plans for developers, contractors, and businesses with financial difficulties.
Previously, Mr. Hyatt served as the Director of Development for a regional construction and real estate development concern located in Jacksonville, Florida. In this capacity, he was responsible for all facets of acquisition, capital sourcing, capital for-mation, strategic planning, development management, construction management, project management, and disposition. In addition, Mr. Hyatt directed day to day operational management of two campus style office buildings, managed investor relations, and a custom home builder in the Jacksonville market.
Prior to Mr. Hyatt's tenure as Director of Development, as noted above, he was Vice President of Acquisitions for a publicly traded, international development and homebuilding entity with a focus on luxury high rise and highly amenitized master planned communities. The company was known as Taylor Woodrow and Mr. Hyatt was responsible for the acquisition, development, and success of two luxury high rise developments in Florida: The Diplomat Residences in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and The Beach Residences in Sarasota, Florida. In addition, Mr. Hyatt was responsible for the acquisition of two residential sites in Northeast Florida and Georgia and a master planned community in St. Johns County, Florida. His responsibilities included, but were not limited to acquisitions, joint venture negotiations, market research, planning, financial modeling, entitlements, permits, CDD underwriting, HOA origination and management, project and sales management, construction management, and development management.
Mr. Hyatt also has extensive experience in corporate banking. He is a former Vice President and Eastern United States Manager of Great Western Bank's Real Estate Group, where he was instrumental in managing and disposing of the REO assets contained within. Mr. Hyatt also served as a consultant to Chase Manhattan Bank and the merger with Chemical Bank to coordinate systems and cultures related to the merging of corporate philosophies, procedures, policies, and personnel relevant to loan servicing and foreclosure and REO departments.
In addition to working with a wide array of companies at all stages of the growth cycle, Mr. Hyatt also has a specialized focus in commercial real estate asset repositioning and finance. He has been instrumental in structuring and restructuring billions of dollars lent to both private and public concerns and all types of real estate including Hotel/Motel, Industrial, Office, Multifamily, Condominium projects, Retail and Mixed Use communities. Mr. Hyatt has served in the capacity as Receiver in both federal and state cases encompassing all asset classes throughout the country. He has extensive background in all phases of project finance and development for all types of commercial and residential real estate including cash flow forecasting, valuation modeling, highest and best use analysis, and determination of optimal capital structures.
Mr. Hyatt graduated from Eckerd College, where he received a B.A. in Human Development with High Honors and subsequently went on to perform graduate studies at the University of South Florida in Educational Measurement and Research.
Kirby H. Griffin is a career banker, who has been in the financial services sector for 39 years. He has been in leadership positions with banks in consumer finance, commercial lending, mortgage, and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Griffin was president of two banks in Florida. He participated in a leadership position with the FDIC in the resolution of almost 40 banks during the banking crisis between 2009 and 2014 handling some of the largest and most complex transactions. Most recently Mr. Griffin successfully managed a large portfolio of CRE and C&I loans within a $4B bank receivership project.
Mr. Griffin graduated from the University of Mississippi with a BA in Political Science. In the community he has served on a number of not-for-profit boards and currently serves on the Board of Daniel Memorial, Florida's oldest child service agency. He was their Board Chairman from 2008 - 2010 and from 2014 - 2016.
Larry A. Bolterstein, draws on his extensive executive-level career in roles as President, COO and CFO, to guide his clients into becoming top-performing enterprises. With his 40 plus years of executive leadership, he takes companies to the next level of high performance, growth and success. Mr. Bolterstein specializes in providing sophisticated operational and financial analyses and guidance for companies in high growth as well as complex situations.
Formerly, Mr. Bolterstein was Chief Financial Officer at DataPath, Inc., a $300 million satellite and wireless communications company with the U.S. military as its largest customer. Mr. Bolterstein was a key member of the team which secured a successful private placement of the company, and raised $615 million from institutional investors under SEC Reg. 144a. He served as CFO during the rapid growth of the company as revenues increased from $40 million to over $300 million in two years. Mr. Bolterstein holds a top secret security clearance (inactive) from the U.S. government.
Mr. Bolterstein served as Principal and CFO at Worldwide Capital, Inc., the management company for the $208 million Paladin Capital Partners Fund, LP, and the $253 million Paladin Homeland Security Fund, LP, which offers private equity funds with international portfolio investments in the bio-tech, manufacturing, defense and consumer goods industries. There, in addition to his CFO duties, he was a member of the Investment Committees.
Mr. Bolterstein has owned and operated two successful companies in his career including Alliance Services, LLC, an armored car company dedicated to cash replenishment and other services for the ATMs owned by banks, credit unions and Independent Service Organizations (ISO's). As President and CEO, Mr. Bolterstein designed and implemented interactive, automated operating procedures and best-practices processes for this 10-year old company which set the standards for the methodology and technology currently utilized by the entire industry.
Lauren M. Lind has twelve years of experience in sales and financial services industries. At Commenda Mrs. Lind provides administrative support to all members of the team.
Before joining Commenda, Mrs. Lind was a Client Associate at Winthrop Capital Management. There she managed the data integrity of their Client Relationship Management tool, maintained client relationships and provided support for their account needs and provided support to the Portfolio Managers and Research Analysts. Prior to Winthrop, Mrs. Lind was a Department Manager with Nordstrom.
Mrs. Lind attended Miami University (Ohio). She coaches volleyball at Brebeuf Jesuit High School and Team Indiana. Mrs. Lind volunteers for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Indianapolis Chapter.
Lori J. Launderville is a professional with over 30 years of experience in administration, senior management, marketing and business development roles coupled with over a decade of turnaround management experience in a variety of industries. With diversified experience and success in a variety of senior management and business development roles, Lori has extensive knowledge of turnaround management issues and effective crisis decision making. Lori has held key roles spearheading initiatives for a variety of firms developing and implementing programs/strategies within an organization to increase sales volume and/or organizational change. Successfully orchestrated change while ensuring employee morale is high makes the organizational changes transparent. She has received the Senior Service of Excellence award for outstanding performance for streamlining processes. Lori has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from the University of Upper Iowa. Lori previously served on the Board of Directors for TMA - Florida Chapter.
Paul W. Harrison has a unique blend of experience with information technology, numerous mergers and acquisitions, and many strategic alliances and partnerships to increase enterprise value. Mr. Harrison is an owner and Managing Member of HFP Technologies, LLC, an information technology company, and an owner and board director of Xcite Health Corp.
Mr. Harrison has held Executive positions with Fortune 500 companies including Lincoln National Corporation and McKesson Corporation, has served as a director on multiple boards of privately-held and publicly-traded companies, and helped finance, build and sell 8 businesses.
Mr. Harrison has been instrumental in many other businesses, ventures, and projects that ultimately processed information for an estimated 125 million people in several industries worldwide, and resulted in additional revenues and market values of more than $5 billion.
Mr. Harrison has a Bachelor's Degree in Business (BBA) from Georgia State University, USA, a Postgraduate Certificate in Marketing from Edinburgh School of Business, Scotland, UK, and a Certificate in Corporate Governance from the Tulane University Law School, USA. Mr. Harrison has published numerous articles and papers including with the Wharton School of Business, and has 15 professional designations, licenses, and certifications.
Philip A. Marsden has extensive experience as a consultant directing banks, borrowers and small/medium sized companies in turnarounds that have achieved significant and sustainable improvements in operating, loan payment, and cash flow performance. He has carved out a particular niche of achieving "perform again" outcomes from both businesses and loans, which has meant finding the right formula, business by business and loan by loan, that brings both borrowers and lenders to the same page and keeps them there until the job is done. Recent experience has involved hundreds of successful loan restructurings acting as a "Special Assets" resource for various banks, and scores of successful engagements with business borrowers, achieving improved, on-going operating and financial performance.
Mr. Marsden also has considerable bank cash flow lending experience, including in the U.S., Japan, Canada, and Latin America, and across virtually all industries. He has had prior experience in healthcare ABL and structured financings.
Mr. Marsden earned a BA in economics with distinction from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the University of Chicago. His community interests include coaching (basketball) and mentoring youth.
Having over thirty years of experience in merchant, corporate, commercial and investment banking, and restructuring/related consulting practices, Mr. Minick has been involved in over twenty billion dollars ($20 BN) of structured finance transactions (nationally and internationally). He is a Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Commenda, Inc. ("Commenda"), an integrated merchant banking firm, which provides direct investments (debt and equity capital), investment banking advisory services (through its wholly-owned, fully-licensed subsidiary, Commenda Securities, LLC), as well as a wide variety consulting and fiduciary services to middle market companies, financial institutions, and other capital providers, with the stated goal of provided transformational value to shareholders/owners and other constituencies. In addition to corporate management duties, Mr. Minick oversees Commenda's Restructuring Division, which provides turnaround consulting services (in- and out-of-court; financial and operating), bankruptcy advisory services (including committee, debtor, trustee, and related advisory services), fiduciary services [assignment for the benefit of creditors ("ABCs")], state receiverships, Article 9 sales, Special Master, debt and claims purchases, and related services and capital.
Prior to forming Commenda in 2011, Mr. Minick was the Managing Member of the Batten Group of Companies, which (through committed and syndicated capital pools) provided interim debt and equity capital (and selected ancillary services) to middle market companies in transition. From 1997 to 2003, Mr. Minick was Managing Partner of Geneva Merchant Banking Partners and related entities (collectively, "Geneva"), which made senior secured debt, junior secured debt, mezzanine debt, subordinated debt, and preferred stock investments through captive funding conduits (including Small Business Investment Companies ["SBICs"]). Previously, Mr. Minick was Vice President of GE Capital Corporation ("GECC"), working in both the Corporate Finance and Commercial Finance groups from 1990 to 1997, focusing on originating, structuring, and managing various types of leveraged financings across industry sectors nationally. He was involved with healthcare, restructuring (out-of-court credit facilities, DIP financings, plan of reorganization financings and claims purchases), and specialty finance opportunities therein. From 1984 until 1990, Mr. Minick was employed by Continental Bank, N.A., where he sourced, underwrote and managed corporate and investment banking opportunities/relationships, leveraged financings, mergers and acquisitions, risk management advisory services and related transactions.
Mr. Minick is a cum laude graduate of Knox College and received his MBA from Indiana University, with a concentration in finance and investments. He maintains Series 79 and Series 63 designations (through FINRA) and has provided expert witness and other testimony in various federal and state court venues. He is the current, appointed Liquidating Trustee of Nighthawk Energy plc. Also, he has served as a member of numerous boards of directors (for-profit and not-for-profit) and is an advisory member of various private investment funds. Mr. Minick is a member of the Turnaround Management Association, American Bankruptcy Institute, and Association For Corporate Growth.
Tom Sailors has over thirty years of experience in corporate, investment and private banking as well as expertise as an analyst and portfolio manager, investing in corporate debt and equity.
Mr. Sailors' career in finance began in 1981 at the First National Bank in Dallas where he was a credit analyst and lending officer covering independent oil and gas companies in the southwest United States. Subsequent roles at Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch and US West Financial Services provided experience in capital markets and leveraged acquisitions. In 2000 Mr. Sailors was named managing director at Banc of America Securities where he built a team of twenty-two professionals focused on advising ultra high net worth private client investors. In 2003 he formed Cloverdale Investments LLC in Dallas, and in 2010 he formed Cloverton Investments Private Limited in Singapore to pursue an independent path for private and public investing based on a global macro perspective. Since 2015 he has been assembling a portfolio of private internet marketing businesses.
Mr. Sailors received his bachelor's degree in finance with honors from Kansas State University and his MBA in finance with honors at Indiana's Kelley School of Business. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation from the CFA Institute.
Job Titles:
- Business Leader
- Chairman of the Board for Curing Kids Cancer
Timothy Huban began his career with GE / GE Capital in their Financial Management Program (FMP). Throughout his 34 years at GE, he has held various Sales, Sales Leadership, Finance, Corporate Finance and Corporate Restructuring positions, which have included significant focus on telecom, media and technology related companies. While at GE Capital, he also gained operational experience as he served as President of three wholly owned TV Broadcasting affiliates of GE Capital. In his most recent position at GE Capital, he was responsible for new business origination for GE Capital's Telecom, Media & Technology Group. This entailed originations calling efforts focused on companies of all sizes, equity sponsors and intermediaries.
Mr. Huban is an experienced business leader with a proven ability to generate principal-based relationships, develop customer-driven strategies and execute on these strategies. He has proven success at leading teams, originating, structuring and closing complex cash flow debt and equity transactions which have supported growth capital, acquisitions, recapitalizations, corporate restructurings and corporate buyout opportunities. Since his retirement from GE in 2015, he has served in a number of consulting and advisory capacities.
Mr. Huban currently serves as Chairman of the Board for Curing Kids Cancer in Marietta, GA and also serves on the Board of Trust at the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Communications. In March of 2007, Tim had his head shaved to raise money for the Saint Baldrick's Foundation, an organization that raises funds for childhood cancer research, and to demonstrate his solidarity with children (and all cancer victims) that have lost their hair due to cancer treatments. He raised over $65,000 in this endeavor. He graduated from Bryant University in 1981.
Timothy J. Sheehan has over 30 years of experience in commercial banking, investment banking and investment management. Mr. Sheehan has been involved in over 200 transactions representing over $22.0 Billion in notional capital. Industry experience includes healthcare, agriculture, technology, and investment management/advisory.
Prior to joining Commenda, Mr. Sheehan was the Chief Development Officer of BPV Capital Management (BPV), a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA). From 1995 to 2015, Mr. Sheehan was a partner in Cain Brothers & Company, the leading healthcare investment bank, where he was the co-head of the special products group which was responsible for all alternative financing structures and investment products. In 2008, he founded Cain Brothers Asset Management (CBAM), a Registered Investment Advisor with up to $2.0 billion of asset under management. In addition to serving as CEO/COO of CBAM, Mr. Sheehan established CBAM's two private offshore investment funds serving as a director on both funds.
From 1985 to 1995, Mr. Sheehan was with Continental Bank in Chicago (subsequently acquired by Bank of America) where he managed global relationships with US multinational corporations, executed capital markets transactions and provided restructuring and mergers and acquisitions advice to public and private corporations.
Mr. Sheehan serves on the Board of the Indiana Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and is actively involved with Timmy Global Health. He received his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, his MS with honors from the University of Illinois and BS from the University of Kentucky.