Bob Esecson has over 25 years experience working directly with business owners who are exploring the expansion, refinancing or eventual sale of their businesses. Bob has held senior executive positions at a merchant banking firm and several financial services firms, which provided specialized M&A, Corporate Finance and Strategic Consulting services to both public and private companies, ranging from middle market firms up to Fortune 100 firms. He subsequently founded, managed and later sold his own boutique investment bank. Mr. Esecson earned his B.S. in Management and Accounting from Bentley College and his Juris Doctorate from the New England School of Law in Boston.

Ray Walsh has thirty years of business experience in North America and Europe. He has held senior management positions with major corporations and, as an independent consultant and investment banker, has executed M&A work for many public and private companies including multinational acquisition searches. Subsequently he acquired, built and sold multiple businesses on his own behalf in the US and UK in fields ranging from media to marketing to software. Ray trained as a lawyer in Canada, the UK and the US. He has a BA and MS from SUNY, an LLB from the University of New Brunswick, Canada, and an LLM from University College London. He subsequently studied finance at London Business School.

Ron Ekstrom has more than 25 years of business experience working within large corporations in management, financing and M&A at executive level positions and has also acted as an independent consultant to a wide range of businesses. He has started, acquired and sold a range of his own businesses in sectors that include retail, marketing and media. Ron’s skills were sharpened through select corporate training programs within such media giants as the Tribune Co., Gannett and News Media Group and through direct involvement in their acquisitions and divestitures activity.

Jim Nickerson has more than twenty years experience in retail, finance, accounting, strategy and operations. This includes work as a tax specialist with one of the big four accounting firms and Director of Operations for one of the oil majors, with responsibility for the operational and financial integration of acquisitions. As an entrepreneur Jim later founded, grew, managed and divested a petroleum distribution company and a chain of retail stores. Jim is a CPA and has a BA in Accounting from the University of New Orleans.

Mariola Andoni has 12 years experience assisting start ups, small businesses and mid market companies with their business development and growth strategies. She has advised businesses in a variety of sectors including retail, services, publishing, transportation, and communications. As an entrepreneur Mariola established her own consulting services advising on sustainable practices and business plans for lifestyle enterprises, new media businesses, and non profit organizations. She studied Entrepreneurship at San Francisco State University and Sustainable Ethical Enterprise Design and Development at Presidio World College in San Francisco and earned a BA in Sustainable Entrepreneurship.

John Voltolini has over twenty years of business experience in executive, consultative and operational roles in the biomedical industry as well as in quality assurance, financial services, business valuation and exit planning. As an entrepreneur John acquired, expanded and sold several of his own businesses in a variety of sectors including business acquisitions and sales. He obtained a BS in Medical Technology from Northeastern University, as well as completing advanced studies in Business Accounting and Entrepreneurship. John has also earned Series 7, 63, and 65 Licenses.

Satish Patel’s business career spans over twenty years. He first worked as a CPA focused on audits, finance, business valuations and other financial matters. As a serial entrepreneur he subsequently built, acquired and sold several high tech and retail chain businesses to public companies. As CFO he directed all their operational activities and established the firms’ presence in overseas markets such as Japan, Germany, China and India. Satish is the founder and principal of several business to business service companies, including Blackbridge. Satish has a BA in International Management from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India and a BA in Accounting from California State University at Fullerton.