Closing the Gaps: Aligning Wealth, Value, and Life After the Exit
Presented By: Fragasso Financial Advisors
A successful liquidity event isn’t just about selling a business — it’s about closing the gaps that determine whether owners truly achieve their goals. This session explores two powerful frameworks — the Wealth & Value Gap and the Three Legs of the Stool (personal, financial, and business) — to help owners think holistically about exits. Hear from business owners, investors, and advisors on how alignment across all three legs drives better outcomes before, during, and after a liquidity event.
Moderator:
Chief Content Officer
Smart Business
Dustin is an award-winning business journalist, bestselling author, and the chief content officer 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.
Panelists:
CEO North America
PiovanGroup North America
I drive value creation for ownership groups based on past experiences with private equity, family offices, high net worth individual shareholders, and U.S. subsidiaries of foreign public companies. Specific tools have been developed and assembled in my toolkit to build and grow value for owners in both the tangible side of adjusted EBITDA and the intangible drivers of market price multiples.
CFO & EVP ePMO
Zippo
One of the most recognized brands in the world, Zippo was founded in the fall of 1932 by George G. Blaisdell in Bradford, Pennsylvania. Since then, the company has manufactured over 650 million windproof lighters. Donald Hall serves as a member of the board of Zipcorp and its subsidiaries. In February 2024, he was promoted to CFO and executive vice president of the Enterprise Project Management Office to drive strategic plans. Hall has been instrumental in corporate strategic planning, product and market diversification, and development of the Asia Pacific market. He is recognized as a strong and effective business partner across diverse industries, skilled in building and motivating high-impact teams driven to grow both the top and bottom lines while optimizing working capital.
Financial Advisor
Fragasso Financial Advisors
Bryan works with individuals, families, and business owners to create and strengthen their financial plans to be in alignment with their personal goals. Whether a client’s goal is saving for retirement, leaving a legacy to loved ones, and/or developing a successful business exit plan, Bryan will take all goals into consideration to create one strategy. He has been a part of the team at Fragasso for over a decade and is a Certified Exit Planning Advisor.
President
Tomayko Group Holdings
John (Jack) Tomayko, Ph.D. Has over 35 years of experience as an entrepreneur and CEO in the healthcare field. During his tenure, the companies have received 18 awards representing Fastest Growth, Best Places to Work, and Healthiest Employer. In 2012, he was awarded the Regional Entrepreneur of the Year in the Healthcare Division. Jack serves on numerous boards including his own Tomayko Foundation.