Jon Buccola, Founder & Chairman
Gene Buccola, CEO
Gene Buccola has excelled in a career spanning over four decades, marked by exceptional expertise in receivership management, strategic real estate development, and special asset liquidation. His leadership is characterized by a lifelong commitment to evaluating, enhancing, and strategically developing diverse real and personal property across multiple states. He consistently delivers successful outcomes in complex and challenging situations through a unique blend of deep professional experience, operational expertise, and legal understanding.
Gene's leadership is evident in his extensive receivership experience, where he excels at stabilizing and revitalizing distressed assets. He brings decisive direction to asset management, guiding each receivership from meticulous initial analysis and Day 1 procedure development to comprehensive valuation and strategic liquidation. He has successfully managed significant assets, including those valued at approximately $60 million, working with institutions such as US Bank, Liberty Bank, Sterling Savings Bank, Home Federal Bank, and the FDIC. His strategic approach, characterized by meticulous due diligence and decisive action, ensures the preservation and maximization of asset value. He expertly leads teams through complex repositioning and stabilization processes, navigating intricate legal and financial landscapes with precision. His expertise is further recognized through his participation as a panelist for the Oregon State Bar Association Debtor Creditor conference.
His experience extends to special credit banking, where his deep understanding, honed over a decade with First National Bank of Oregon, enables him to navigate complex financial disputes. He has been appointed as a receiver in multiple cases where he led the restructuring of troubled businesses and managed complex commercial properties. His leadership has consistently resulted in successful turnarounds and positive outcomes. His banking career in Special Assets has led to assisting multiple commercial banks, FHLMC, and the FDIC in the evaluation and liquidation of all special asset classes. Notably, he provided critical leadership during the 2008 recession, assisting the FDIC in the closure of several regional banks. Gene has also demonstrated his executive leadership as CEO of a multi-state aviation enterprise and a multi-state commercial property management company, showcasing his ability to lead diverse teams and operations.
Gene's real estate expertise also encompasses development, investment, and management. As a principal broker for over four decades, he has a proven track record of identifying and capitalizing on lucrative real estate opportunities. His deep understanding of market dynamics, coupled with his ability to analyze complex financial data, allows him to make informed investment decisions that generate substantial returns. He has successfully led the management of diverse real estate portfolios, including commercial office, industrial, hospitality, and multi-family properties, demonstrating a keen understanding of property valuation, development, and management. Additionally, his leadership extends to facilitating employee corporate relocation, working with Relocation Resources (RRI) to serve employers like CH2M-Hill Engineering and Hewlett Packard.
Gene currently holds significant roles in industry associations such as AAPL, CRA, and TMA further underscoring his ability to lead and inspire. He is a recognized leader, entrusted with significant fiduciary responsibilities and sought after for his strategic guidance. Gene holds an unwavering commitment to excellence, and this is evident in his approach to life and profession.
Emily Morey,EVP
Emily’s career, with roots in the highly regulated private aviation sector, has instilled a foundation of precision and strategic thinking adaptable to diverse business environments. This experience, marked by ascending leadership roles like President of Business Air and Executive Vice President at High Plateau Capital, showcases her ability to manage complex operations and deliver seamless professional services. Specifically, within High Plateau Capital, she oversees management of multiple multi-million dollar asset portfolios, requiring meticulous attention to detail and strategic foresight in navigating intricate financial landscapes.
Her operational acumen shines in her ability to manage diverse stakeholders, including legal, financial, and operational experts. She provides comprehensive leadership across daily operations, orchestrating complex case management with precision and coordinating employees across challenging projects. This includes structuring work, streamlining processes, and establishing clear communication channels to ensure team alignment and operational efficiency, even amidst rapid change. This skill set is directly applied to the management of current portfolios, ensuring each investment is handled with the same level of meticulousness and strategic oversight.
Emily excels at translating complex information into actionable insights. Her analytical prowess and attention to detail ensure transparency and drive continuous improvement, crucial for the effective management of high-value assets. Furthermore, her ability to anticipate challenges and develop innovative solutions, coupled with her strategic planning strengths, positions her as a trusted thought leader and advisor in environments that require both proactive and reactive strategies.
Ultimately, Emily's exceptional leadership extends to her ability to effectively guide and advise across all organizational levels, from C-suite executives to frontline employees, legal and financial partners. She cultivates a positive and communicative environment, ensuring alignment and collaboration among diverse stakeholders. Her strategic foresight and operational expertise allow her to provide tailored guidance, fostering a shared understanding of objectives and driving exceptional results in the management and operation of high-value assets.
SUSAN PETERSON, CFO
Susan is a highly accomplished accounting leader with over two decades of experience, specializing in providing financial clarity and strategic oversight within the agribusiness sector. Her career is defined by a deep understanding of accounting principles, coupled with hands-on expertise in navigating the unique financial challenges of agricultural operations. She brings a practical and insightful approach to financial management, consistently delivering results in complex environments.
For 12 years, Susan served as the Corporate Controller for a $60 million, 500-employee maraschino and dried fruit manufacturing cooperative. During this time, she established and maintained robust accounting procedures across accounts receivable, accounts payable, inventory, and costing. Her meticulous approach resulted in successful annual audits, enhanced financial control, and improved cash positioning. She played a key role in the implementation of an ERP system, streamlining sales, purchasing, inventory, BOM, standard costing, variance analysis, and financial reporting. Furthermore, she managed a complex standard cost accounting system, ensuring accurate inventory valuation at the lower of cost or market, and collaborated with Technical Services to optimize yields, waste, chemical reuse, labor, and overhead rates.
Susan’s responsibilities extended to reporting financial results for multiple divisions, including grower services, dried fruit, ingredient fruit, and maraschino. She led the annual physical inventory count across three plant locations, ensuring accuracy through lot evaluation, recount recommendations, and inventory adjustments. Additionally, she developed a procedure for analyzing new product costs and potential profit margins. Susan prepared comprehensive financial reports, including P&L, balance sheets, cash flow statements, trend ratios, and manufacturing variance cost analyses, which she presented monthly to the Board of Directors. She also supervised all accounting staff, including AP and AR clerks, cost accountants, and staff accountants, and assisted the CFO in creating annual departmental budgets.
As a seasoned Controller, Susan excels in providing comprehensive financial oversight, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and strategic financial planning. Her expertise extends to all facets of accounting, including cost accounting, inventory control, financial reporting, and budgeting. She possesses a keen eye for detail, enabling her to identify and address financial irregularities, optimize resource allocation, and drive profitability. Susan has demonstrated enormous success in navigating the financial complexities inherent in agribusiness, including the management of fluctuating commodity prices, seasonal variations, and complex inventory tracking. Her hands-on experience in agricultural operations provides her with an invaluable understanding of the industry's unique challenges and opportunities, allowing her to develop tailored financial solutions that address the specific needs of agricultural businesses. Susan's ability to meticulously examine financial records, identify discrepancies, and uncover hidden risks enables her to develop effective turnaround strategies. She excels at providing clear and concise financial reporting, empowering stakeholders to make informed decisions and implement corrective actions. Susan's leadership in this area is marked by her ability to bring order and stability to financially challenged operations, guiding them towards sustainable growth. Susan’s style is characterized by her commitment to accuracy, integrity, and proactive problem-solving. She fosters a culture of accountability and transparency, ensuring that all financial processes are conducted with the highest ethical standards. Her ability to translate complex financial information into actionable insights makes her a trusted advisor and strategic partner.
MARK KEILHOLZ, General Manager
As a dynamic leader with over two decades of experience, Mark Keilholz specializes in financial and technological transformations across diverse sectors. His career is marked by a consistent ability to drive growth, orchestrate successful acquisitions, and deliver exceptional returns. He seamlessly integrates financial acumen with technological expertise, making him a sought-after leader in today's dynamic business environment.
As Co-founder and CFO of Amplus Group, Mark architected the company’s financial strategy, leading to a lucrative multi-million dollar private equity exit. His strategic leadership earned this company a place on the Inc. 500 list of "Fastest Growing Companies" in 2022. Mark further demonstrated his transactional expertise as Interim CFO at Boost Healthcare Consulting, playing a pivotal role in the company's acquisition by a private equity firm for over $100 million. His meticulous financial management and strategic advisory were crucial in maximizing the deal's value.
Beyond corporate roles, Mark serves as Managing Director for numerous LLCs and high-net-worth individuals, overseeing millions in real estate, properties, and investments. His comprehensive understanding of multi-state accounting, taxation, payroll, and HR ensures meticulous portfolio management. Mark's proficiency extends to information technology; as Vice President of IT at Greenpoint Technologies, he drove enterprise-wide technology transformations, streamlining operations and enhancing efficiency. He played a key role in multiple acquisitions, ensuring seamless IT integration.
Mark's unique ability to integrate financial and IT operations has consistently enhanced productivity and organizational growth. His strategic vision is supported by a Master's in Health Business Administration from the University of Washington and a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Cornell University.
Ewan Rose, Receivership Services
As a seasoned executive with over 20 years of expertise in distressed asset management, Ewan Rose excels in navigating complex legal and financial landscapes. His career is distinguished by a demonstrated ability to unravel intricate challenges and deliver strategic solutions across diverse asset classes, with a specialized focus on distressed hospitality assets. He blends legal proficiency with financial acumen, making him a trusted advisor in high-stakes situations.
Ewan initiated his career as a business lawyer, focusing on mergers, acquisitions, and the resolution of largescale subprime mortgage lender liquidations. He transitioned into private equity, where he managed a broad portfolio encompassing timber, medical equipment lease receivables across the US and Latin America, and a variety of real estate assets including development land, subdivisions, and commercial properties. His advisory role in Chapter 11 bankruptcies included unwinding a multi-state Ponzi scheme and providing financial guidance, expert testimony, and capital sourcing for turnarounds, including serving as a Financial Advisor for a Chapter 11 debtor owning a hotel in Salmon Creek, WA.
Following the housing crisis, Ewan established his own consulting firm, specializing in distressed situations. His engagements featured real estate receiverships, including his appointment as Receiver for Shilo Inn in Medford, OR, which subsequently filed for Chapter 11 prior to his appointment. He also served as a financial advisor in Chapter 11 cases, served as Chief Liquidating Officer for a health insurance software company, and underwrote portfolios of commercial mortgages secured by hospitality assets located across the country for several private equity funds.
Additionally, Ewan is an active investor, managing development land, office, multifamily, and SFR assets, and recently divested a successful operating company after nine years of ownership. Ewan's unique blend of legal, financial, and operational acumen consistently drives successful outcomes in tumultuous environments. His strategic vision is fortified by decades of hands-on experience in complex asset stewardship and investment.