Craig A. Wolson acts as a Structured Finance and Derivatives Expert Witness and Consultant. He specializes in cases involving credit default swaps (CDS), collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and other types of derivatives and securities.
Background Experience Includes: Acting on behalf of 40,000 investors in $1.6 billion class action suit against bankrupt sponsor of special purpose issuer of notes secured by notes issued by CDO and credit default swaps with sponsor; acting on behalf of class led by two major pension funds against a major bank and numerous large underwriters involving mortgage-backed securities issued by several vehices established by the bank, and securities issued by the bank; acting on behalf of large investment bank defendant in arbitration proceeding brought by another large investment bank involving nine CDOS established by defendant; acting on behalf of large bank that had invested in now-worthless notes issued by SIV established by defendant banks; acting on behalf of large bank against another large bank that had sold the former CDOs and CDS.
Willamette Management Associates(WMA) is a nationally prominent Valuation and Financial Analysis Firm that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Willamette is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: CFG), a banking and financial services company. WMA is recognized as a thought leader in the fields of Business Valuation, Forensic Analysis, and Transaction Financial Advisory Services.
WMA provides services for purposes of transaction pricing and structuring, transaction fairness and solvency assurance, taxation planning and compliance, transaction financing, forensic analysis and dispute resolution, bankruptcy and reorganization, management information and strategic planning, corporate governance and regulatory compliance, and ESOP transactions and ERISA administrative compliance.
WMA's Professional Services:
Business Valuation
Intellectual Property Valuation and Royalty Rate Analysis
Forensic Accounting Investigations
Transaction Fairness Opinions and Solvency Opinions
Lost Profits and Economic Damages Analysis
Not-for-Profit Entity Valuation and Private Investment Opinions
Transaction Financial Adviser and Due Diligence Services
ESOP Valuation and Adequate Consideration Opinions
Curtis R. Kimball, CFA, ASA, is an experienced Financial Valuation Analyst and the national director for WMA’s Wealth Management Valuation Practice. Mr. Kimball works with the firm’s regional, national, and international clients out of WMA’s Atlanta regional office, which he opened in 1995. He has been valuing private company interests and restricted interests in public companies, intellectual properties, and other intangible assets, rights, claims, and investmentsfor a variety of purposes for over 40 years.
Mr. KImball was formerly with Wachovia Bank (acquired by Wells Fargo) and, later, the Citizens & Southern Trust Company (acquired by Bank of America) prior to joining WMA’s Portland, Oregon, office in 1988. He is a noted speaker on valuation issues and a contributing author to several standard reference works on private business valuation including: Valuing a Business, Fifth Edition (McGraw-Hill), Valuing Small Businesses and Professional Practices, Third Edition (McGraw-Hill), and Business Valuation Discounts and Premiums, Second Edition (Wiley).
Trade Resources & Associates is a consulting firm established in 2003 that specializes in cross-border transactions, customs and export compliance, and logistics in the global and domestic movement of goods. Trade Resources & Associates has experience leading global trade compliance and transportation for multinational corporations, such as Micron Technology, Aviza, Inc., Flextronics (formerly Solectron), and Applied Materials.
Consulting Services:
Export Product Classification & Licensing in Information Security Semiconductor, Network Storage and Data, Global Encryption Space
Develop Export Management & Compliance Management Programs, Create Export Control Manual and Technology Control Plan
Provide Guidance in Import Classification, Valuation and Country of Origin, 301 Tariff Exclusions, Trade Agreement Act (TAA)
Trade Compliance Risk Audits
Mergers and Acquisitions ( M & A) Due Diligence
Direct Voluntary Self Disclosures
Trade Compliance Automation Services and Export Screening Support
Logistics and Third-Party Management
Freight Forwarding and Transportation Management
Jo-Anne Daniels, President and Founder of Trade Resources & Associates, has been a International Trade Industry Consultant for over 25 years. She is a frequent invited speaker for trade associations and logistics organizations. Ms. Daniels authored several industry publications and is the past President of the Professional Association of Exporters and Importers.
Professional Memberships:
Professional Member of Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA)
President and Board of Director-Professional Association of Exporters and Importers(PAEI)
Member of Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association (CBFAN)
SUMAC made several key regulatory changes as compared to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that affect compliance and liability. Learning to navigate and master these new provisions are the key to complying with the regulations, minimizing liability for non-compliance, and succeeding in global trade.
Eric Kimberling, MBA, is one of the most recognized and respected independent Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems experts in the world, giving 100% unbiased advice to clients for more than 20 years.
Throughout his career, Mr. Kimberling has helped hundreds of high-profile enterprises worldwide with their ERP initiatives, including Nucor Steel, Petro Masila, the Yemen Government, the City of Charlotte, NC, Fisher and Paykel Healthcare, Kodak, Samsonite, Coors, Boeing, Duke Energy, Filson, and Lucent Technologies, and the Alaskan Native Tribal Health Consortium, to name a few.
Mr. Kimberling has helped manage ERP implementations and reengineer global supply chains in countries as diverse as China, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Lebanon, and the United States. He has won numerous industry awards for his experience and contributions, including Supply Chain Pro to Know and Best Independent ERP Blog award from ERP Focus.
Consulting Services:
ERP Software Selection
SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Epicor, Infor, and other ERP Systems
Organizational Change Management
Implementation Project Management
Independent Verification and Validation
Project Recovery
Merger and Acquisition Business Integration via Strategic Planning
Business Process Reengineering
Six Sigma
Enterprise Strategy
Mr. Kimberling has dedicated himself to giving keynote speeches at industry conferences and universities worldwide, and has been quoted in thousands of articles in newspapers, magazines, and books, including the Wall Street Journal, CIO Magazine, and Fortune. He has authored, published, and presented more than 50 ERP articles and white papers, and is the author of Panorama’s series of ERP Reports, quoted in dozens of publications per year. He is also the author of the acclaimed book, “Lessons from 1,000 ERP Implementations.”
Mr. Kimberling holds an MBA with an emphasis in operational strategy and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. He is also Six Sigma certified and a certified practitioner of multiple ERP solutions, including SAP, Siebel, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Epicor and Infor, among others. He has won numerous industry awards for his experience and contributions, including Supply Chain Pro to Know and Best Independent ERP Blog from ERP Focus.
I have been involved with Microsoft Dynamics implementations for nearly 20 years now. I have also spent the last decade providing Microsoft Dynamics expert witness testimony in implementation failures and lawsuits.
Rod Tasker specializes in Payment Services, Transaction Banking, and e-Commerce. He has over 20 years of experience working for major banks in strategic and business planning and cradle to grave product management, including business cases, feasibility, piloting, commercialization, and retirement. Mr. Tasker consults in strategic management and innovative solution delivery in the banking and finance industry. His achievements in Australia and internationally include: - Leading a team of 25 people in developing an internet payment service - Developing an enterprise Sales and Service architecture for a major bank - Developing an international payments business architecture & operations strategy for a major bank - Obtaining consensus amongst a consortium of 15 global banks for the strategic vision and plan for implementing B2B international ePayments - Developing a variety of e-Banking and e-Payment products and services - Building a payments business from start-up as CEO
Areas of Expertise:
Payments
e-Commerce
Transaction Banking
Identity Services
Product Development / Product Management
Piloting
Commercializing
Business and Strategy Formulation
Consulting Services - Mr. Tasker is engaged by companies that offer payment services as products or services, or for whom payments are "strategic" or "core," for example, insurance companies, exchanges, retailers, and investors wanting to evaluate payment business acquisitions, mergers, or funding opportunities. His services include:
Strategy Formulation
Business Planning
Profitability Improvement
Change Management
Program and Portfolio Management
Regulatory Compliance
Risk Analysis
Ventures / Mergers & Acquisitions
Satellite Media Telecommunication Valuation Consultant Armand Musey
J. Armand Musey, CFA, JD/MBA, founder and president of Summit Ridge Group, LLC, provides consulting services for the Satellite, Media and Telecommunications Industries including business appraisal, intangible asset valuation, strategic consulting, custom research.
Mr. Musey is a highly regarded financial analyst with expertise in Asset Valuation, Business Valuation, Financial Analysis of Economic Damages and Financial Scenario Analysis. He also has significant experience in corporate governance and investment research practices. Mr. Musey's clients include media and communications companies, institutional investors, law firms and other professional services providers.
Mr. Musey has a unique blend of 16 years of equity research (top-ranked sell-side analyst), investment banking and consulting experience. He has completed dozens of financial valuation, strategy analysis, business development and business plan creation assignments in the communications industry. He has experience in 18 financing and M&A transactions.
Dr. Stan V. Smith is a nationally renowned Economist and Financial Consultant providing analysis in simple terms that any trier-of-fact can understand. As an expert consultant to plaintiff and defense attorneys representing clients in Federal State courts, he provides testimony and litigation support services in evaluating damages.
Dr. Smith provides Analysis, Testimony, and Litigation Support Services in Evaluating Damages for plaintiff and defense attorneys representing clients in federal and state courts nationwide. His concept of Hedonic Damages is acknowledged by judges, attorneys, and legal journalists as one of the most innovative tort concepts in the last 30 years. He has been interviewed and published in dozens of respected professional journals. Dr. Smith has assisted in the successful resolution of thousands of lawsuits on behalf of clients that include many dozens of the nation's largest law firms, the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as thousands of other prominent plaintiff and defense law firms in almost every state.
The increased use of economic experts in commercial damage cases, as well as in personal injury and wrongful death cases, has resulted in the emergence of a group of experts who offer economic services but are unqualified and ill-trained in economics.
In most courts, the value of a human being is not recognized. According to the laws of many states, your life isn't worth a "plugged nickel" if you no longer work.
PozmantierWilliams Insurance Consultants, LLC is an Insurance / Risk Management firm that offers clients negotiating expertise and depth of knowledge to optimize their coverage while in many cases reducing costs. Services Include:
Joe L. Williams, CPCU, partner in PozmantierWilliams Insurance Consultants, LLC, has over 49 years of experience as an Insurance Agent / Broker and Insurance Consultant. From 1970 until 2007, he was a principal shareholder in a large Houston firm, Wisenberg Insurance + Risk Management, and was Chairman and CEO when the firm was sold to a subsidiary of Wells Fargo Bank. Mr. Williams is very familiar with all phases of the insurance industry, including consulting on bad faith, customs and practices, and standards of care. He has particular expertise in property coverage, business interruption, non-subscription, and risk transfer techniques. During the past several years, Mr. Williams has been a media contact for radio, television and news publications as an authoritative source of information about various insurance and risk management topics. He has taught numerous seminars on Business Insurance at the University of Houston. He has lectured and been a seminar leader on various insurance topics. View Joe Williams' Expert Witness Profile.
Panorama Consulting Group is a technology-agnostic consultancy specializing in Digital Business Transformation and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System Implementations for mid- to large-sized private- and public-sector organizations worldwide.
This highly respected firm is 100% independent of software and technology vendor affiliation. They offer a phased and integrated approach to strategy alignment and execution, enabling each client to achieve its unique business transformation objectives by transforming its people, processes, and technology.
Panorama clients include multi-national conglomerates from Amazon Robotics to Valcor Engineering, as well as governmental entities, including state and local governments, municipalities, school districs, state offices of the attorney general, and tribal governments.
A large capital city in the United States needed to determine the effectiveness of the organizational change management component of its ERP project. The project involved the implementation of Tyler Munis ERP software. The city was experiencing:
Panorama was engaged by the city to perform an assessment of the in-progress ERP implementation. The project had been stopped by the city in October 2019 amidst concerns about the operational readiness of the vendor’s software and the readiness of the city staff to successfully operate the new systems and corresponding processes.
The client was in the process of implementing a new HRMS system and was about a year into implementation when they encountered serious issues with the software during the testing phase. They were concerned that some key business requirements were missed at the beginning of the project and left out of the system’s design and configuration.
The Tribe hired Panorama to assist in selecting software to support its Health Service functions. This software would replace the Tribe’s current health systems. In the first phase of the project, we documented business and technical requirements, reviewed legacy systems, mapped processes, and identified pain points across
A large global retailer in the process of implementing SAP software wanted customized, on-site training for the company's internal resources. The company needed to implement inventory management modules while executing training and communications, but it had a lack of organizational change management experience.
Providing engineering, architecture, construction, and consulting solutions to the global life sciences and advanced technology industries, this firm had recently undergone an internal reorganization of its business units and operations. Each region was following its own processes, and multiple systems were being used. This led to duplicate and inconsistent data.
This multi-billion dollar professional services company was using various, disparate software applications across its worldwide operations. Many of its core business processes were not utilized globally, and dual/triple entry was demonstrated at various sites and in various functional areas.
Project Oversight Case Study: Oil & Gas: Upstream petroleum oil exploration and production company in the Middle East. Company operates several blocks, including one on the Arabian Sea, where crude oil, produced from this
While the company had little technological communication either internally or with its sister firm, the company was growing by leaps and bounds. It needed to modernize its technology and improve its business processes to continue providing outstanding customer service while meeting increased sales demand.
This consumer services company in Denver was using custom software developed in an AS/400 environment. Many of its core business processes were either manual or paper-based, and the company was struggling with the issue of sole dependency on a single employee who understood the legacy systems.
A tax and accounting firm with revenue between $500,000 and $1,000,000, was growing both organically and through acquisition. This firm had a conglomerate of various software. The main financial system (used for time, billing, and financials) was at “end of life,” meaning it was not going to be supported by the vendor in about two years time.
Client Uses environmentally sustainable practices to produce approximately 650,000 tons of chlorine-free, bleach kraft pulp annually. Generates approximately $155 million in annual revenue...
This plastic and rubber injection molding company processes orders using both a made-to-order process and engineer-to-order process. The company engineers to order through a variety of CAD systems and must undergo first article inspections prior to running production batches.
The district contracted Panorama to help in the replacement of its existing systems with a proven, commercial-off-the-shelf ERP system. The client undertook this initiative to replace aging systems, gain efficiencies and update existing processes. Another goal was to improve the timeliness, accuracy, safeguarding and consistency of information
The client was moving from manual processes and old systems to a modern system, so their employees faced a big learning curve. Unfortunately, their ERP vendor only provided them with a “jump start” program that only covered particular deliverables and activities. For example, they provided an overall communication approach but not a communication plan.
Not long ago, this global organization had implemented an ERP system across several aerospace and defense manufacturing plants. It was now considering an upgrade to the latest version of the system. However, the organization knew its end-users were still struggling to adopt the changes instituted by the prior initiative. Panorama deployed two organizational change management experts
The organization was founded in 1981 as a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. It does not just encompass a non-profit organization but also encompasses a for-profit company that has a different fiscal year. As such, the organization must focus on tracking, reporting and financial record keeping – including tracking grants and gifts from contributor to the end-product or support delivered.
Panorama was engaged by the city to select and assist in the implementation of a new ERP and related systems. Framed as an initiative to bring a high “return on citizenship” (the amount and quality of services received for taxpayer dollars) to the city’s constituents, the project’s goal was to implement a platform that would provide the same (or better) quality
The city had been using a decades-old ERP solution and had not evaluated their business processes at any point during that time. Not only was the current ERP system not the best fit for their municipality, but the city was spending an inordinate amount of money on maintenance costs for customization and did not take advantage of instituting best practices or current technology.
Vertical integration allows the company to control all aspects of beef production. It partners with ranchers and operates feed lots, ensuring cattle are fed to their standards. In addition to its processing capabilities, the company operates its own trucking line, providing products from farm to table. The company supplies beef to the US retail grocery and foodservice markets, federal school lunch programs and the US military worldwide.
Philip T. Tringale, PhD, PE is a registered Professional Civil Engineer with over 25 years of Environmental Consulting experience. Dr. Tringale has served in senior technical and management positions throughout his thirty year professional career. With experience gained from a start-up consulting firm as well as from well-established engineering companies, he continues to focus his energies on leading technical projects and overseeing technical and geographic expansion activities.
Consulting Services Include:
Site Assessment and Remediation Program Direction
Mergers & Acquisitions Assistance
Public Participation Programs
Regulatory Agency Interaction
Litigation Support for Litigation involving Source Identification, Nature and Extent of Contamination, Cost Allocation, and Compliance with the National Contingency Plan
As a registered professional engineer, Dr. Tringale has directed numerous site assessments and remediation programs involving soil and groundwater contaminated primarily by organic solvents, metals, and petroleum products. He has particular expertise in site characterization and in the use of in-situ testing to evaluate soil properties. Dr. Tringale has provided final design for remedial actions that involve excavation, containment, bioremediation, vacuum extraction, monitoring, and groundwater treatment.
Selected Projects:
Historic Schlage Lock manufacturing complex in San Francisco which was rezoned mixed-use commercial and residential. Services included excavation of sumps and contaminated soils, and the design and installation of a soil vapor extraction system to remove volatile organic compounds
Contra Costa Waste Service Landfill - provided monitoring, remedial planning, and design of landfill closure services for this Superfund Landfill site
Principal, EJ Janik, CPA, CFF, CFE is a Certified Public Accountant with 40 years of professional experience. He has been engaged as an accounting consultant on issues involving, among other things, public and private company audits, due diligence, fact finding, asset tracing, lost profits analysis, damage analysis, fraud analysis, insurance claims and business valuations. Mr. Janik holds a Master of Science in Accounting from Louisiana State University and a Bachelor of Commerce from Rice University. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Janik has provided expert testimony in over 88 matters including testimony in 58 trials or hearings in 8 states. His experience also includes over 23,000 hours of Engineering and Construction auditing and consulting work on construction claims matters involving:
Acceleration
Change Orders
Costs
Defective Plans
Differing Site and Concealed Conditions
Direct Costs
Disruption
Evaluating Claims
Indirect Costs
Overhead
Payroll Fringe Burdens
Profit
Pre-Qualification Filings
Superfund / Hazardous Waste Sites
Terminations
Other Construction Issues
Mr. Janik provides accounting, financial, economic, fraud, and business dispute consulting. He has provided over 150 financial audits and consulted in over 765 business disputes. Janik's clients include Bank of America, Coca-Cola Company, FDIC, General Motors Corporation, IBM, Travelers Insurance, and many more. Specific areas of expertise include:
Huggins Actuarial Services, Inc is a full-service independent consulting firm with more than 100 years of experience providing innovative and clever solutions to a wide range of Actuarial and Risk Management Challenges. They offer a wide range of tactical consulting services providing valuable assistance in the day-to-day operation of your firm, as well as strategic consulting to inform decision-making on matters of extreme gravity.
Huggins employs leading professionals, having the combination of strong analytical skills, business knowledge, and understanding of human behavior to identify, measure, and manage risk. The firm has a reputation of actuarial excellence and a proven track record providing clients with the information and vital services they need to succeed.
Huggins actuaries have issued more than 600 loss reserve opinions to date, and counting. Credentialed actuaries on staff average over 25 years of experience and have reached top levels of achievement in the actuarial profession, including Chief Actuaries of large multi-line national insurance companies and Partner of Big Four accounting firms Their Integrated team approach provides the highest quality work in a timely fashion.
Consulting Services:
Loss Reserving
Enterprise Risk Management
Appointed Actuary
Economic Capital Modeling
Rate Making & Product Development
Individual Claims Simulation Model
Captive Feasibility Study
Warranty and Other Accruals
Ronald T. (Rusty) Kuehn is a Consulting Actuary with Huggins Actuarial Services, Inc. and a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and the Conference of Actuaries in Public Practice, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries and the International Actuarial Association. In addition, Mr. Kuehn holds the Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst (CERA) designation, the Chartered Property-Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation, and the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designation.
Mr. Kuehn is professionally active; he has served as the chairman of the Casualty Loss Reserve Seminar (CLRS), which is jointly sponsored by the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS), the American Academy of Actuaries and the Conference of Consulting Actuaries. He has also served on the on the Casualty Practice Council of the American Academy of Actuaries, the CAS Examination Committee and Committee for Consultants’ Interests, and as past President, Education Chairman and Board Member of the Casualty Actuaries of the Mid-Atlantic Region (CAMAR).
In addition, Mr. Kuehn has served on the Insurance Services Office Private Passenger Automobile Subcommittee and the Homeowners Subcommittee. Mr. Kuehn has also served as a Member of the Conference Task Force on Public Policy Debate of the Conference of Actuaries in Public Practice. He currently serves on the Board of the Insurance Society of Philadelphia (ISOP), and he is a member of the ORSA subgroup of the ERM Committee of the Risk Management and Financial Reporting Council of the American Academy of Actuaries. His over 45 years in business have given him a thorough knowledge of the property-casualty business both from a company and consulting viewpoint. See Full Bio and Consulting Experience.
Grover M. Edie, MBA, FCAS, MAAA, CERA, CPCU, ARM, ARP,is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society, a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, a Certified Enterprise Risk Analyst, a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter, an Associate in Risk Management, and an Associate in Research and Planning.
Prior to joining Huggins, Mr. Edie was Vice President and Chief Actuary at GMAC Insurance Company, where he oversaw all actuarial activities including pricing, loss reserving, and enterprise risk management in personal auto, commercial lines, auto extended service contracts, assumed reinsurance and other miscellaneous lines of insurance. He introduced Economic Capital Modeling to the organization during his tenure. His previous employers include Erie Insurance Group, John Deere Insurance, and the Insurance Services Offices.
Mr. Edie has over 25 years of actuarial experience. He started his insurance career as an underwriter. The primary services Mr. Edie provides to his clients includes Economic Capital Modeling, Enterprise Risk Management, profitability analysis, rate level reviews and filings, and loss reserve analysis. See Full Bio and Consulting Experience.
Kim E. Piersol, FCAS, MAAA, is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Prior to joining Huggins, he served as Senior Vice President & Chief Actuary for Crum & Forster Insurance Companies. Prior to that he served as Group Vice President & Chief Actuary for CNA Insurance Companies, and was a consulting actuary for KPMG LLP, Arthur Andersen LLP, and CFO of AIG Risk Management (AIGRM).
Mr. Piersol is professionally active; he has served on the American Academy of Actuaries Environmental Liabilities Work Group, the NAIC Technical Advisory Committee on Catastrophe Reserves, the Workers’ Compensation Reinsurance Bureau Actuarial Committee, and has been a Director and Treasurer of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS). He also served on the Professional Liability Actuarial Subcommittee of the Insurance Services Office (ISO). He has also served as a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army Field Artillery. His over 40 years in the actuarial field have given him a thorough knowledge of the property-casualty business both from a company and consulting viewpoint. See Full Bio and Consulting Experienc.
HP Accounting Services, Inc. is a leading provider of interim and outsourced Financial Management for tech and other companies. A CPA and business valuation firm, they support their clients’ compliance with the IRC 409A and SFAS 123(R) rules, intangible asset valuation, as well as issues involving damage calculations, expert witness services in litigation.
Consulting Services:
Accounting - Bookkeeping (Monthly/Quarterly/Annual), Accounting system setup for new businesses, Personal financial statements, Business Plan Development & Loan Brokerage, Audit Preparation & Liaison, Budgeting
Business Valuation - Purchase Price Allocations — FAS 141R
Mergers & Acquisitions
Business Fraud Prevention
Robert Bates, JD, CPA (Virginia), CFE, CVA, CFO has over 30 years of Financial Management and Accounting experience as a Controller and CFO in various industries. He has been in several industries, including telecom, media, retail and financial services in addition to having consulting experience at startups in the software, technology, and life sciences fields. Mr. Bates specializes in International Accounting, Software Issues, and Obtaining Financing. AS CFO of public companies, he has completed due diligence accounting/reporting for 12 acquisitions, including performing Business Valuations and dealing with FAS 142 issues. Mr. Bates has handled accounting for complex debt instruments including warrants, beneficial conversion feature, and other derivative issues. He has also been responsible for SEC reporting: 10Q’s and 10K’s.
Economic downturns and recessions are notorious for encouraging fraud. As new and prospective fraud examiners, it's imperative that you become aware of the various fraud risks that can occur and the red flags that indicate a fraud in progress.
Beat K. Schlumpf, FCILT, is an Expert in European Supply Chain Management, Networks and Logistics. Mr. Schlumpf has over 40 years of experience in supply chain execution.
Mr. Schlumpf is one of the few experts worldwide with operative experience of all carriers (Sea, Air, Road, Rail) and all speeds (heavy lifts, general cargo, full load, parcel, express, mail, courier). His core competence is in the assessment, development, and implementation of integrated logistics solutions. He is the Inventor of the "Operations Efficiency Assessment” and the Time Factor model for process assessments.
Mr. Schlumpf has extensive knowledge in a broad range of management assignments. He has experience and professional competence in distribution logistics for manufacturers, retailers, producers, forwarding and transportation companies as well as postal operators (textile, machinery, postal services, mail, parcel, express, and transportation industries.)
Business Consulting Focus:
Facilities Design
Worldwide Distribution Network Design
Freight Audits
Tender
Outsourcing
Logistics and Supply Chain
Supply Chain Law
Expansion, Consolidation, and Warehousing
Mr. Schlumpf has acted as an Expert at the UNCTAD and was featured speaker on practices and operation used by global freight logistics firms for the World Trade Organization (WTO) and lecturer for distribution logistics.
Mr. Schlumpf has published articles on outsourcing, one stop shopping, co-operation with forwarders and integrators, and new inventing Operations Audit to increase efficiency.
The Garibaldi Group is a accounting firm that takes accounting and financial management to a new level of responsiveness.
Providing a full range of traditional as well as non-traditional services, this boutique firm focuses on the closely held businesses that are the backbone of our nation. The Garibaldi Group lives by two rules...A commitment to excellence and a passion for accounting. The complexities of accounting, compliance and the twists and turns of the financial markets is a full time job that requires specialized expertise and professional vigilance. We are committed to providing the best possible service, expertise and experience to help companies and individuals achieve their goals. With our accounting acumen and our desire for professionalism being our first and foremost value, we always try to help each client with a level of responsiveness they deserve.
The Garibaldi Group helps ensure that businesses comply with all current accounting regulations and trends in the financial markets that may affect them.
Consulting Services:
Accounting, Auditing, and Consulting for Small to Mid-Sized Closely Held Businesses and Professional Practices
Business and Professional Practice Valuations
Forensic Accounting Fraud Engagements and Expert Witness Testimony
Tax Planning and Compliance
Private Wealth Management
Business, Financial, and Estate Planning
Founder of The Garibaldi Group and one of the industry's leading law firm services experts, Michael J. Garibaldi, CPA, ABV, CFF, CGMA, has a strong background providing efficient and affordable solutions to complex matters of finance.
A Certified Public Accountant licensed by the State of New York, Mr. Garibaldi is Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV), and Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF) by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). He is recognized as a Chartered Global Management Accountant by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants.
Mr. Garibaldi works closely with law firms and other professional service firms, manufacturing, wholesale/retail, medical, technology, restaurant/hospitality, artists and galleries, construction, and real estate clients where he is responsible for providing accounting, tax planning management consulting services, and financial reporting.
Michael Garibaldi is a Candidate Member of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), Member of the Institute of Business Appraisers (IBA), the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), the AICPA and the NYSSCPA. He is a past President and former member of the Board of Directors of the NYSSCPA Nassau Chapter, and has held a variety of positions on the Litigation Support Committee of the Nassau County and State Chapters of the NYSSCPA. Mr. Garibaldi has also held a number of positions on other committees and sub-committees within these organizations.
Most lawyers know how big a problem occupational fraud is in corporate America. They may even count as clients companies that have been defrauded and suffered significant losses. Yet a "not at my firm" attitude persists among many partners who take for granted the honesty and integrity of their colleagues and staff.
When a dishonest CFO or controller cooks the books, it can be devastating for the victim organization. In addition to direct financial losses, financial statement frauds erode trust between management and other stakeholders, including lenders, investors and employees who own company stock. Unfortunately, it's common for smaller companies to associate financial misstatement with large public companies that focus heavily on earnings per share.
It may be detrimental to an expert witness's credibility if even the appearance of a lack of independence exists. In today's legal environment, discrediting an expert based on his or her relationship with counsel, the client or the judge is common. Let's examine how to identify an expert's independence.
There are many more purposes for which valuations are used. Each has its unique presumptions. It must be understood that there is no one value and that the same investment can have a different value to different people and for different reasons. Each valuator must analyze such differences, understand the presumptions inherent in the purpose for which the valuation is to be used, and select and implement a method to determine proper value for the purpose.
When a client voiced strong suspicions that her soon-to-be ex-husband was hiding assets, her attorney investigated the claim but found nothing amiss. However, he hired a forensic accounting expert to help ensure his client would receive an equitable share of the marital estate. The expert turned up a trunkload of hidden treasure - undeclared cash income and property "stashed" under the names of the husband's mother and siblings.
Goodwill can be a significant asset for a professional practice. It may include both "personal" goodwill that's attributable to individual owners and "business" goodwill that can be transferred to third parties. When accountants and other types of professionals divorce, the amount of goodwill to include in the marital estate can become contentious (and may vary depending on state law). If expert testimony on the issue is inadequate, a court might look elsewhere for help, as it did in a recent Texas divorce case, Hill v. Hill.