Meet the dedicated and passionate people behind BizEquity
Our team literally
wrote the book on business valuation ("The Business Valuation Book").
BizEquity was created by the leading voice in business valuation; the
former leader of the largest accounting association in the world that
certifies business valuations; a legend in the venture capital
industry that helped create 5 different billion dollar companies; and
a well known software entrepreneur. Together we have invented and
patented a new way to help small businesses and their advisors
understand business value better, faster, and more cheaply.
Michael Carter
President & CEO
After years working for legendary tech investor Pete Musser, Mike
founded and is CEO of BizEquity. Mike has over 15 years in
enterprise software and technology services and has founded three
software companies. Mike was CMO of a publicly traded billion dollar
Internet company and has been called one of the top 100 people
globally in fintech.
Scott Gabehart
VP & Chief Valuation Officer
As a Certified Business Appraiser and Chief Valuation Officer for
BizEquity, Scott has overseen the development of the patented
valuation algorithm and related valuation report while ensuring that
our industry and market data are current and relevant. For the past
20 years, he has been interacting with small business owners
actively engaged in buying and selling companies of all types and
sizes (as a broker and appraiser) while teaching graduate level
private firm valuation and authoring books including "The Business
Valuation Book" from Amacom.
Deborah Hwang
Chief of Staff
Deborah is the Chief of Staff to the CEO at BizEquity. Deborah has
over 15 years in sales and marketing as the National Talent
Director, consulting in talent development. She worked alongside the
CEOs wearing multiple hats. She managed schedules, clients, teams.
She established critical partnerships, responsible for strategic
planning, revenue, personnel management, liaised between internal
and external departments for her clients, agents, events, and CEOs.
She is on the board of directors for a nonprofit organization and a
youth workforce program mentor.
James Barnes
Chief Technology Officer
James is the CTO, former VP of engineering, responsible for the
overall BizEquity platform and management of the tech team guiding
the platform from a technical perspective. He enjoys learning about
new technologies while thinking of solutions that align with the
goals of the business. James is a Drexel University alumni and avid
snowboarder.
John Hallinan
Senior Director of Sales
John has spent the last 8 years empowering Advisors everywhere to
work more proactively with their business owner clients. One of the
earliest BizEquity team members, he has helped to coach, mentor, and
develop sales strategies, best practices, and teammates. John has
enabled over 600 white label clients, as well as thousands of
Advisors to leverage the BizEquity platform. In his current role as
Senior Sales Director John continues to work closely with Regional
Directors and SDRs, as well as, grow new employees and revenue.
Brent Heflin
VP of Inside Sales
Brent joined BizEquity as a sales executive and proved helpful in
the development of the company's early go-to-market strategy,
drawing on his experience in FinTech. As Vice President of Sales,
Brent oversees and directs all internal sales operations to drive
revenue and growth. He has spent his career committed to helping
financial professionals achieve their goals.
Cal Parker
Revenue Operations Manager
Cal Parker is the Revenue Operations Manager for BizEquity. He is
experienced from his past roles in the marketing and sales
departments. Cal prioritizes the alignment of BizEquity’s
departments to increase revenue. Cal is native to the Philadelphia
region where he has spent the majority of his life in Newtown, PA.
He is a graduate from Elon University — Martha and Spencer Love
School of Business. In Cal’s time away from work, he engages in
athletic activities like golf. He also enjoys traveling to new
destinations across the country.
Marie Donovan
Director of Customer Success
As Director of the Client Success team, Marie is passionate about
coming up with strategic solutions to help clients to exceed their
business goals. Marie previously worked as a Sr. Analyst at an
EdTech company where she helped school districts use technology to
navigate the challenging Covid-19 environment. In her free time, she
can be found trying new restaurants in Philadelphia or cheering on
Penn State football and Philly sports teams.
Christopher CJ Hogan
Sales Development Representative Manager
C.J. was born and raised in Rochester, NY. He graduated from Loyola
University Maryland in 2018 with a degree
in Bachelor of Business Administration with a focus in finance.
Before starting at BizEquity he worked at SEI Investments in the
advisor network and more recently worked for Captive Capital
Corporation providing commercial financing solutions. He has an
obsession with cars both classic and modern and also enjoys golfing,
long boarding and traveling in his free time.
Daniel Wilson
Sales Director
Dan is a 2016 graduate of Susquehanna University with a degree in
Accounting & Information Systems. Prior to joining BizEquity, he
worked in public accounting in New York City, and more recently, as
a financial analyst at SEI. In his downtime, Dan enjoys golf,
travel, and quality time with his family and friends.
Edward Kim
Full-Stack Software Engineer
After graduating from Northwestern University, Ed joined the
BizEquity team as a Full Stack Software Engineer. An incorrigible
lover of games, puzzles, and mathematics, Ed hopes to put his
analytical skills and insatiable curiosity to work, providing
efficient and pragmatic solutions for his team.
Leah Kurtz
Sales Development Representative
Leah is a 2019 graduate of Penn State University, where she majored
in Media Studies in the Donald P. Bellisario College of
Communications. Prior to BizEquity, she worked in sales for
Watermark Retirement Communities in Philadelphia. Outside of work,
she enjoys going to the beach in Avalon, NJ and spending time with
friends and family.
Kevin Saad
Customer Success Manager
Kevin was born and raised in Chicago, IL and graduated from Saint
Joseph’s University in 2015. Prior to joining BizEquity, Kevin spent
time in the sports business and IT sectors with the Philadelphia
Union and Sungard AS. In his free time, Kevin avidly follows soccer,
plays golf, and enjoys exploring the sights and food scene of
Philadelphia.
Samantha Rose
Marketing Manager
Sami is the marketing manager supporting the marketing department at
BizEquity. She has successful experience in creating marketing
campaigns, brand awareness/promotion, and strong skills with respect
to organization, teamwork, and project management. She enjoys
leveraging the power of social media to achieve organizational
objectives. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her two new
puppies!
Traci Crenshaw
Accounting Specialist
Traci comes to BizEquity from American City Business Journals where
she worked in both accounting and product sales. She’s a graduate
and avid fan of Clemson University.
Kate Stoff
Business Controller
Kate has been in accounting for about 15 years. Kate grew up in New
England. She now resides in Charlotte, NC with her husband,
3-year-old son, and dog. Team collaboration, communication, and
transparency are a few of her workplace values. Kate enjoys baking,
gardening, traveling with family, and getting outside to kick the
soccer ball whenever there is a chance.
Joseph Rutkowski
Sales Development Representative
Joe is a 2020 graduate of Temple University, majoring in
Communication Studies at the Lew Klein College of Media and
Communication. Prior to joining BizEquity, Joe worked for NFL Films
cataloging highlights for the 2021 season. In his free time, Joe
enjoys sports, golfing, and hanging out with friends and family.
Bridget Dixon
Sales Development Representative
Bridget is a 2019 graduate of the University of Central Florida who
loves people. She comes from a family of small-business owners and
is driven to help companies succeed. During her free time Bridget
likes to be with friends & family, volunteer with schools or nursing
facilities, and take dance classes!
Jake Stanton
Sales Development Representative
Jake is a 2017 graduate from West Virginia University. Prior to
BizEquity, Jake worked for CoStar Group as a Senior Client
Relationship Consultant dealing with commercial real estate brokers
and advisors. Outside of work, Jake likes to cheer on the
Mountaineers, golf, and hang out with friends.
Connor Vick
Sales Development Representative
Connor is a 2019 graduate of the State University of New York
College at Cortland where she majored in Political Science. Prior to
BizEquity she worked in Inside Sales at Curbell Plastics in
Rochester, NY. In her free time, Connor loves to cook, stay active,
travel, and spend free time with friends and family.