Larry Girouard
Boston Chapter
Larry Girouard is the CEO of The Business Avionix Company, a consulting company that focuses on the development of strategic plans, sales and marketing programs, and assisting companies in changing the way they do business through measurement metrics in order to make them more competitive within their selected markets.
He has 40 years of experience in engineering, sales/marketing, and senior management positions with a proven track record for results over a broad range of manufacturing and manufacturing support disciplines. Larry had entrepreneurial start-ups in both Gallium Arsenide crystal technology and high strength carbon composites.
For the State of Rhode Island, he was the Executive Director for both NASA’s Technology Transfer Program and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership RIMES), a US Department of Commerce Program.
Larry has earned a BSME (University of Rhode Island) and MBA (University of Delaware), and is a frequent lecturer at business functions and colleges/universities. He particpates on the boards of Slater Mill Historic Site, SBANE (Smaller Business Association of NE), and various corporate boards.
Dan Guglielmo
Boston Chapter
In the rapidly emerging Exit Planning field, Dan Guglielmo is considered a national thought-leader. His goal is to continue expanding the influence and deepening the impact of two significant communities: owners of closely-held businesses who have proven leadership skills, and the community of advisors whom these families must rely upon to realize their goals.
He began his professional career at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a Finance Attorney in the Division of Enforcement. As much as he enjoyed learning about the public markets at the SEC, he discovered that his professional calling was working with owners of privately-held businesses. This should come as no surprise, as Dan is a fourth generation entrepreneur.
In 2001, with his partner Ronald B. Ware, Dan founded TrustDesign, a planning-based wealth management firm. Dan now serves as a Personal Wealth Advocate for successful business owners and their families, focusing on increasing the sustainability and transferability of the family’s most valuable asset: the family business. Dan received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado College, a Jurist Doctorate degree from Arizona State College of Law and studied for his LLM in Taxation at Boston University.
Jeffrey Hart
Boston Chapter
Jeffrey P. Hart is a founding member of the Boston law firm of Tarlow Breed Hart & Rodgers, P.C. A member of the firm’s management committee, Jeff concentrates his practice in advising businesses and individuals in the areas of business law, taxation, and estate planning, with a special emphasis on business succession planning.
He was an Adjunct Professor of Law at New England School of Law from 1985 through 1997, teaching courses in Advanced Corporate Taxation and Business Planning and has also lectured on advanced topics of estate planning at Suffolk University Law School.
Earlier in his career, Jeff practiced as a certified public accountant with Arthur Andersen & Co. in Chicago. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and New England School of Law. Jeff was voted one of the top 100 lawyers in Massachusetts in a survey of Massachusetts attorneys published in the November 2004 issue of Boston Magazine.
Laura Kevghas
Boston Chapter
Laura has more than 20 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, including both investment banking and corporate development. Laura was the first employee of Mirus and spent nine years creating descriptive memoranda and successfully negotiating transactions for clients in the technology, manufacturing and business services markets. Laura rejoined Mirus Capital Advisors in 2006, after 10 years on the buy side with Advanstar Communications, Inc., and since her return has put her unique perspective to work successfully advising sell-side clients in the technology, government and business services sectors.
Laura holds an MBA with high honors from Bentley’s McCallum School of Business and a BS Magna Cum Laude in Finance and Economics from Bentley University, where she was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, a business school honor society. Laura is also a member of The Exit Planning Exchange, Vistage, and the Association for Corporate Growth. Her article “Thinking About Cashing Out? How to Create Value in Your Business” has been featured in The Commonwealth Institute online e-newsletter and her published piece titled “Help! Someone Wants to Buy My Company” in the Boston Women’s Business newspaper. She also is a frequent contributor to the Mirus Viewpoint published both online and in print. Laura has been a speaker on topics ranging from “Preparing Your Company for Sale” to “The State of the Mergers & Acquisitions Market” for groups of business owners, early-stage entrepreneurs and attorneys. She holds her Series 7 and 63 FINRA certifications.
Michael Oleksak
Boston Chapter
Michael Oleksak is a co-founder of the Exit Planning Exchange and of Trek Consulting as well as the co-author of the breakthrough book on value creation, Intangible Capital: Putting Knowledge to Work in the 21st Century Organization.
Trek’s consulting clients are intangible-intensive companies in services, technology, healthcare and construction. The firm’s typical client is a private company looking to double in value over the period of a few years, often as preparation for exit planning and ownership transition. Engagements leverage the firm’s tools for measuring, managing and monetizing intangible capital, the class of knowledge assets that makes up 80% of the value and 100% of the competitive advantage of the typical company today. Trek works with its clients to identify the components of its intangible capital infrastructure, make plans to grow/improve it, and often stays involved to help the company execute, adapt and reach its goals.
Prior to co-founding Trek in 2001, Michael worked for over 20 years in finance, sales, marketing and management at Bank of Boston and Thomson Financial.
Steve Snyder
Boston Chapter
As Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Gesmer Updegrove, one of Boston’s premier law firms for technology companies and emerging businesses, Steve Snyder works with entrepreneurs to help them grow their companies. Following 17 years of successfully building, funding and turning vision into reality at three companies, Steve’s focus at Gesmer is providing clients with impactful business guidance to drive revenue and increase profitability.
Steve’s passion is providing extraordinary business advice and utilizing his network to create enormous value. And he really enjoys using his financing experience to help companies grow. As a result, Steve has been able to transform young companies into successful, well-financed organizations, some of which have been acquired or gone public. In each case, Steve helped entrepreneurs turn their vision into reality.
Steve began his career as a corporate and securities attorney but quickly acknowledges that building businesses is much more fun. He enjoys exercising but after two marathons, has been relegated to an elliptical machine.
Shannon Zollo
Boston Chapter
Shannon Zollo, an attorney with Morse, Barnes-Brown, & Pendleton P.C. , represents a variety of U.S. and international clients in securities and corporate matters. As part of his general corporate and technology practice, he advises, amongst others, emerging growth companies, private equity and venture capital firms, and technology and life sciences companies. He has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital transactions, strategic technology licensing and transfer, and executive employment matters.
As the former general counsel of a high growth, venture-backed company, Shannon has substantial experience advising executive management on a wide range of U.S. and international legal and business issues, including corporate transactional negotiations, debt and equity financings, licensing and protection of intellectual property, corporate governance, leasing, import/export compliance, immigration, executive compensation, and employment/labor matters.
Shannon is a graduate of Brigham Young University (Sc.B., International Business Administration, B.A., Portuguese) and Northeastern University School of Law.
