Tom Courtney is an experienced private equity investor and investment banker. Mr. Courtney has advised on more than 200 transactions involving financings, acquisitions and divestitures over the past 20 years. Since its founding in 1995, The Courtney Group has advised on more than 60 investment banking transactions, and has completed 14 private equity investments as principal since 2000. Investment banking, including advising on private placements of securities and mergers & acquisitions, is handled through The Courtney Group, LLC, a registered broker-dealer, member FINRA and SIPC.

Prior to establishing The Courtney Group, Mr. Courtney worked at Morgan Stanley & Co., Alex. Brown & Sons, Inc, James D. Wolfensohn Incorporated, and Peers & Co. Mr. Courtney received an undergraduate degree in Economics from Princeton University and an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He has served on many boards of directors and currently serves on a number of boards including Borga, Inc., BasTech, LLC, Nautilus Dongara Fund, L.P., and Nautilus Fuels L.P.

Areas of interest:

David Kernan has a background as an operating executive in management and sales/marketing at Motorola, General Electric, Ericsson, and Oracle. He co-founded and successfully grew Indicast, Inc., a developer of voice activation software for wireless carriers, which was acquired by Oracle. After leading his former company as part of Oracle, Mr. Kernan entered investment banking at a senior level in 2003 and joined The Courtney Group in 2009. Previously he worked with Askew Kabala and co-founded Catalina Capital. Mr. Kernan has specialized in raising capital, assisting companies in developing strategic plans, and negotiating merger and acquisition transactions. He is currently on the board of directors of Sutura, Inc., and has served on several other boards. He attended Eastern Washington State University.

Areas of interest:

• Technology
• Communications
• Healthcare
• Manufacturing

Sam S. Leslie, CPA is a Managing Director of The Courtney Group, a private equity and investment banking firm with offices in Newport Beach and Los Angeles, California. Mr. Leslie joined The Courtney Group in 2007 to focus on advising companies on strategic and financial matters including financings, acquisitions, divestitures, and the formation of alliances and partnerships. Mr. Leslie has served as a Chapter 7 Trustee in the Central District of Los Angeles and has extensive bankruptcy and insolvency experience.

Before entering investment banking, Mr. Leslie worked in public accounting. In 1988 he founded Leslie, Engell & Associates, LLC, a full service CPA firm serving high net worth individuals and privately owned companies. Prior to the sale of Leslie Engell in 2007, Mr. Leslie concentrated his services in tax and financial matters which often included financings, acquisitions, divestitures, restructuring and other financial advice. Mr. Leslie received a B.S. in Business Administration from the San Diego State University. Mr. Leslie received a CPA designation in 1986.

Areas of interest:

• Consumer Products
• Technology
• Hospitality
• Real Estate

Michael Turner has over 20 years of experience in providing financial advice. He has acted as financial advisor on valuations, solvency, fairness opinions and due diligence regarding over 250 transactions involving mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, recapitalizations and leveraged buyouts. Mr. Turner joined The Courtney Group in 2005. Previously he worked for eight years at Valuation Research Corporation as a Vice President leading its West Coast practice. Previously Mr. Turner co-founded a multi-media company, worked for Marshall & Stevens, an appraisal specialist, and Unocal Corporation in the tax department. Mr. Turner received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Colorado and an MBA from the University of Southern California.

Areas of interest:

• Branded Consumer Products
• Media
• Technology
• Health Care
• Real Estate