Chris Adams

President & CEO
Park Place Technologies

As President and CEO of Park Place Technologies, Chris is an architect of leadership, innovation and change. Since being named CEO in 2019, Chris has set a new path for growth and customer excellence. He is committed to extending the traditional strengths of Park Place in maintenance and support to meet changing needs of customers in an era of digital transformation. To that end, Chris is leading the category development of DMSO (Discover, Monitor, Support, Optimize), a new approach to bringing order to managing an organization’s critical infrastructure while eliminating chaos and accelerating business transformation.

Chris joined Park Place in 2006 as CFO and his most recent role was COO, where he oversaw global operations, information & technology, new product development, international expansion and all mergers & acquisitions activity.

Ronald Ambrogio

President - Ohio Region
BNY Mellon Wealth Management

Jeff Bechtel

President - Cleveland Region
First National Bank

Jeff is the Regional Market Executive and President – Cleveland Region with First National Bank.  In this role, Jeff lead’s FNB’s cross functional business model in the Cleveland market, with direct responsibility for regional Corporate Banking efforts and business development opportunities.Prior to joining First National Bank, Jeff spent 30 years in the financial services industry, most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for First Federal Lakewood and also in various commercial banking leadership roles for large regional banks.A native of the Cleveland area, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Finance from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Bechtel is also actively engaged in the local community as Chairman and President of the Cuyahoga County Community Improvement Corporation and as a board member for Downtown Cleveland Alliance and Achievement Centers for Children.

Robert Berdanier

Managing Director, Business Restructuring Services
BDO

Robert is a Managing Director in BDO's Business Restructuring & Turnaround Services practice. His focus is on middle-market companies, both distressed and healthy, seeking financial financial and operational improvement through interim financial leadership and re-organization. Robert is a seasoned restructuring professional, with significant experience in the manufacturing, distributing, hotels/ hospitality and entertainment industries.

David Black

Partner & Vice-Chair, Business Department
Ulmer & Berne LLP

David routinely advises clients in M&A transactions with a focus on buy-side transactions. As a partner with Ulmer & Berne LLP, David coordinates his transaction and finance background and his partners’ strengths in tax, ERISA, real estate, and other key areas with the clients’ accountants and other professionals to deliver results to his clients.

Bob Campana

CEO
Campana Capital

Bob leads Campana Capital, a private equity, venture capital and real estate development firm. Bob previously served as president of P.C. Campana, master provider for the steel and foundry industries in North America. He is active in the community and serves on the boards of numerous for-profit and nonprofit organizations, including Northwest Bancshares.

Rocco DiLillo

Chairman
PCX Corporation, City Visitor Inc., PorchLight Destination Services, Advanced Hydro Solutions

Rocco A. Di Lillo was winner of the Ernst & Young, NASDQ and USA Entrepreneur Of Yhe Year in 1997. As a serial entrepreneur, Rocco has operated 10 companies in his career, five he founded and five he acquired. Rocco is the 2016 honoree of the George Dively Entrepreneurship Award which is granted annually by the Harvard Business School Club of NE Ohio. Rocco is the former founder of Bridge Street Accommodations, which provides fully furnished housing for travelers in over 130 markets around the world. Rocco successfully completed an initial public offering of Bridge Street in 1997 on the NASDAQ Market. In addition, he is the former CEO of Cooperative Resource Services, the third largest relocation company in America which was sold to Allied Worldwide. Rocco is the founder and chairman of Porchlight Destination Services, the leading provider of professional rental finding services, nationally, As Chairman and majority owner of PCX Corporation, the largest manufacturer of off-site electrical and mechanical gear for the construction industry, he has reduced operating costs and builds large scale start-up construction projects for such companies as Wal-Mart, Target, Nordstrom, Microsoft, Bank of America and Walgreens Rocco is the founder and serves as Chairman of Advanced Hydro Solutions, a developer of hydroelectric facilities in the U.S

Joe DiRocco

Regional President
Fifth Third Bank

Joe is regional president of Fifth Third Bank (Northeast Ohio) where he is responsible for the growth and strategic alignment of the Commercial, Wealth & Asset Management and Consumer businesses.
He joined Fifth Third in 2017 and he has more than 25 years of financial services experience.

David Dunstan

Managing Director
Citizens Bank M&A Advisory

David co-founded Western Reserve Partners in 2004, which was acquired by Citizens in 2017, and has more than 25 years of experience advising middle market companies in mergers and acquisitions and capital raising across a wide range of industries. Prior to co-founding Western Reserve Partners, he was a Managing Director at KeyBanc Capital Markets and Manager of Consumer Investment Banking at McDonald Investments. David started his career at Ernst & Young, where he provided financial consulting and audit services to middle market companies.

Umberto P. Fedeli

CEO
The Fedeli Group

Umberto is an active investor and entrepreneur. His firm, The Fedeli Group, is one of Ohio’s largest privately held risk management and insurance firms, specializing in property and casualty, employee benefits consulting, workers’ compensation, environmental risk management and surety. Umberto sits on numerous private company boards, is a managing member of Strategic Value Bank Partners LP, and has previously held positions on the boards of many other public and private entities. He is a member of the board of directors of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and serves as chairman of the Government and Community Relations Board.

Todd Federman

Managing Director
North Coast Ventures

Todd is the Managing Director of North Coast Ventures. North Coast has over 300 individual investors that pool their capital to invest in high-potential, B2B, SaaS startups. North Coast includes six funds and has closed $65M+ of capital in 60 early-stage companies since 2007. Prior to joining North Coast, Todd served as a technology strategy consultant for DiamondCluster and AOL, and launched a consumer packaged goods company, One With Nature. Todd holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Kent State University and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Aaron Grossman

CEO
Alliance Solutions Group

Aaron is the co-founder and CEO of Alliance Solutions Group, a full-service staffing and recruitment firm providing highly specialized offerings within niche industries or specific career disciplines. Established in 2001 and headquartered in Cleveland, Alliance Solutions Group matches talent with opportunity, engaging in thousands of successful placements annually. Aaron received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2015 Award in the Services Category.

Beth Haas

Partner
Cyprium Investment Partners

Beth is responsible for sourcing, evaluating and structuring investments on behalf of Cyprium, as well as on-going portfolio company management. She has diversified experience within the food and beverage, packaging, distribution, industrial and building products industries and has worked on several of the firm’s Canadian investments. Beth also serves as a member of Cyprium’s Investment Committee.

Prior to joining the firm in 2000, she served in various investment banking roles at KeyBanc Capital Markets and Carleton, McCreary, Holmes & Co.

Beth graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with a BA in government and received her MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Additionally, Beth serves on the board of the Cleveland chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, where she is a member of Executive Committee and focuses on the organization’s DEI, Women in Transactions and Young ACG initiatives. She is also a member of the board of Magnificat High School, an all-girls high school and her alma mater, where she co-chairs the Strategic Planning committee. When she’s not traveling or watching her three kids play sports, you can usually find Beth running trails throughout northeastern Ohio.

J. David Heller

President, CEO & Co-Founder
The NRP Group LLC

J. David Heller is the President, CEO and Co-Founder of The NRP Group. Over the past 27 years, Mr. Heller has helped to create one of the largest multifamily development companies in the U.S., from the ground up. Since its founding in 1994, The NRP Group has delivered more than 45,000 apartment homes and currently manages 25,000 residential units across the nation.

Jayne Juvan

Chair of M&A, Securities & Capital Markets
Tucker Ellis LLP

Sean Kelley

Managing Director, Business Development
Gridiron Capital

At Gridiron Capital, Sean focuses on developing new business partnerships, marketing, communicating with business owners, and managing investment sourcing and exit planning. Prior to joining Gridiron Capital, Sean served as vice president at BB&T Capital Markets in Richmond, Virginia. His responsibilities at BB&T included executing mergers and acquisitions advisory for middle-market businesses, as well as establishing and strengthening business development relationships with middle-market investors. Earlier in his career, Sean worked at Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank.

Stewart Kohl

Co-CEO
The Riverside Company

Together with Béla Szigethy, Stewart Kohl oversees all aspects of Riverside’s activities. He has more than 30 years of private equity investing experience. Prior to Riverside, he was a Vice President at Citicorp Venture Capital, the private equity arm of Citibank. In addition to his work with Riverside, he serves on the following boards of trustees: Oberlin College (Honorary), the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland and the Cleveland Clinic. Mr. Kohl holds a BA from Oberlin College.

Lee M. Koury

Managing Partner
Smart Business Network Inc.

Lee is managing partner of Smart Business Network Inc., a national events, media and marketing company founded in 1989, primarily responsible for expanding the company’s Aspire deal-making conference throughout the U.S. He plays a key role in establishing corporate policies and developing long-term strategy and growth plans. Previously, he founded and chaired the Growth Group at national law firm Arter & Hadden LLP (now Tucker, Ellis & West), which focused on working with middle-market and high-growth technology companies. 

George Latcheran

Senior Vice President
Huntington National Bank

George D. Latcheran is Senior Vice President, Business Banking Market Manager at Huntington National Bank and has been employed with the Bank since October 2018. Latcheran is responsible for assisting in the strategy and management of the local/regional Bank, developing and implementing marketing plan/selling strategies for the Business Banking Group in the Northeast Ohio market, the market's balance sheet growth objectives and operating income objectives, and providing feedback on Business Banking products and services while assisting in the development of these same products. Latcheran also provide oversight in local market approvals, credit overrides, and pricing adjustments while developing strong relationships with essential partners.

Brett Lindsey

President & CEO
Everstream

Teresa Lindsey

President & COO
Channel Products

Teresa is the President and COO of Channel Products, a privately held, Cleveland-based manufacturer with operations in the U.S., Europe, and China. Ms. Hack also serves on the Visiting Committee of Cleveland State University's Monte Ahuja College of Business and she chairs their Community Engagement Sub-Committee.

Her recent honors include recognition of Channel Products as a “2017 Smart Culture” award recipient, a ”2017 Distinguished Employer of the Year,” award from the Ohio Cooperative Education Association, “2018 E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year” finalist, “2018 Crain’s Cleveland Women of Note in Manufacturing”, and recognition as a Smart Business Magazine "2018 Progressive Entrepreneur" honoree. She is a frequent speaker on issues of leadership, building a strong culture, and personal development.

Tom Littman

President & Managing Partner
Kirtland Capital Partners

Tom joined Kirtland Capital Partners in 1995. Kirtland is a relationship-oriented private equity firm that has been successfully investing in lower middle market companies for 40 years. Kirtland is focused on making majority and minority investments in established, profitable and growing lower middle market companies. Tom is involved in all aspects of Kirtland’s business, including fund raising, deal sourcing, acquiring and divesting portfolio companies and portfolio management. Prior to joining Kirtland, Tom was a corporate attorney with Jones Day.

Stephen McHale

Managing Partner
23Bell Ventures

Stephen has a 35-year career in founding, investing in and building information technology companies. He is recognized for his leadership in data mining, analytics and business intelligence. Stephen was Founder, lead investor and served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Explorys. Formed in partnership with Cleveland Clinic, Explorys addresses the national imperative to leverage electronic medical records for the improvement of Healthcare. Explorys was acquired by IBM in April 2015. Prior to Explorys he was founder, Chairman and CEO of Everstream, which was sold to Concurrent in 2005. In 1983, Stephen founded McHale and Associates, Inc., a USConnect regional office. Stephen is the Managing Director of 23Bell, an Invention Capital firm and an Advisory Board Member to Genesis Inventions. Stephen serves on the board of the nonprofit Center for Families and Children and serves on the investment screening committee for the North Coast Angel Fund and is a member of The Global Center for Health Innovation Industry Advisory Board. He is also an active member of the Entrepreneurs Organization and Chairman of RxRevu Inc. Most recent board positions include Unify Project, Jumpstart, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Clinic Board of Trustees.

William Murphy

Managing Director
UBS

Bill Murphy has built a practice of highly accomplished advisors and investment specialists whose knowledge, integrity and accountability is focused on providing an elite client experience. Bill has been a Forbes Best-in-State Advisor for 2018 and 2019. With direct access to the resources and strategic solutions of UBS Private Wealth Management, Bill delivers investment guidance and financial education to multigenerational families, entrepreneurs, C-suite executives and select organizations.

Tim Phillips

President
First Federal Lakewood

Tim is the president and CEO of First Federal Lakewood, the largest independent depositor-owned community bank headquartered in Ohio. Tim holds responsibility for the sales and operations, as well as enhancing the bank’s commitment to the customers and communities it serves.

Tim is a seasoned financial services industry veteran who offers a unique combination of banking expertise and commitment to the mutual form of banking. As a Northeast Ohio native, he is dedicated to helping our communities and businesses thrive.

Jon Pinney

Managing Partner
Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP (KJK)

As KJK’s Managing Partner, Jon leads the firm’s experienced team of attorneys and staff in serving a wide array of clients including privately held businesses, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations and high net-worth families. He also has comprehensive experience in real estate development, construction and property management. Jon authored the winning bid to ultimately host the 2016 Republican National Convention and served on the Host Committee.

Andrew Rutherford

SVP, Middle Market Banking
Truist Bank

Andrew is a Middle Market Relationship Manger where he is responsible for both new client generation and leadership of client relationship teams targeting middle market companies in Northern Ohio. He utilizes the Bank’s full product capabilities, specialty industry expertise and One Team approach to deliver customized financial and advisory solutions. Prior to joining SunTrust now Truist in 2017, Andrew spent 10 years at PNC in Cleveland within the Dealer Finance and Corporate Banking Groups.

Lou Schneeberger

Executive Chairman
Proformex

Professional board member and mergers & acquisition consultant

Jeff Schwab

Sr. VP - Private Equity Services
Oswald Companies

Matt Buder Shapiro

Chief Marketing Officer
Vytalize Health

Matt is the Chief Marketing Officer of Vytalize Health, a new kind of Medicare Accountable Care Organization powering primary care practices with bold financial incentives and smart technology. Vytalize helps over 600 providers and manages more than $1 billion in medical spending. Matt previously was the Founder and CMO of MedPilot, which Vytalize Health acquired after helping navigate over 1 million patients through their healthcare experience.

Matt is also the co-chair of OhioX's public policy committee, a political strategist and advisor for One Medical and Epocrates Founder Dr. Tom Lee, and an active angel investor.

He also sits on the advisory board for Blue Star Families, the nation's largest chapter-based military family organization, and the Catamount Innovation Fund. Prior to MedPilot, Matt led the New York media team at Bully Pulpit Interactive, a political strategy firm created by the digital marketers of Barack Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns.

Sanjay Singh

Executive Chairman
Mace Security International, Inc.

Sanjay is the Executive Chairman of the Board of Mace® Security International, headquartered in Cleveland, OH (OTCQX: MACE). Mace® Security International is the innovative manufacturer of personal safety non-lethal products including Mace® pepper spray and is committed to keeping our communities safe. Mr. Singh directs and leads the company’s long-term vision and strategy, corporate governance and allocation of resources. Mr. Singh has held various executive leadership roles in Fortune 1000, privately held and private equity backed portfolio companies across various industries, including consumer products, services and manufacturing. Mr. Singh is deeply committed to the economic growth of NEO and serves on the Boards of Directors of MAGNET and Entrepreneur's EDGE.

Greg Skoda

Senior Partner
Marcum LLP

Chip Weinberg

Managing Partner
Weinberg Capital Group

Mr. Weinberg is the current Managing Partner of Weinberg Capital Group. Prior to joining Weinberg Capital, Mr. Weinberg served as Managing Director of Global Acquisitions and Business Development for Hawk Corporation (AMEX: HWK), a manufacturer of specialized components used in the aerospace, industrial and specialty consumer markets. Additionally, Mr. Weinberg was an Assistant Attorney General for the state of Ohio under the term of Attorney General Lee Fisher.

Tom Wischmeyer

Partner
RSM US LLP

Tom is a partner, audit services, at RSM US LLP. He is a leader of the manufacturing, wholesale and distribution group in Ohio and of the Cleveland private equity practice. He has more than 30 years of experience as an accountant and business advisor, advising clients in industries such as manufacturing and retail/distribution and consults with them on a variety of topics, including financial reporting, strategic planning and estate planning.

Alan M. Zang

Regional President
U.S. Bank

With over 35 years in banking, Alan has worked in and managed units in commercial banking, asset-based lending, leasing, international and consumer finance in Northeast Ohio and in other geographies. He has extensive experience in a variety of industries helping companies with innovative solutions to their financing needs. Alan has planned and managed dramatic expansion of new business that broadened geographic reach and increased deliverable product sets.