Conference Presenters
Nicholas Gregory, ChWE, CEBA, ChCCA, ChFWA — Founder, Managing Partner and CEO of The Wealth Engineering Family Of Companies
Having founded The Wealth Engineering Institute back in 1996, Mr. Gregory and his colleagues have utilized the Institute’s WealthEngineeringTM Platform and a plethora of other resources to engineer the core entities that make up the Wealth Engineering Family of Companies as an ecosystem for families and their businesses and their advisors. In addition to The Wealth Engineering Institute, this consortium of entities includes The Charitable Capital Design Center, The Wealth Engineering Hub, The Family Business Hub and EBenefits Hub. The vast array of services of our Family of Companies are harmonized to surround the ever-changing needs of managers of wealth and their clients. Nick and his colleagues have also founded Give Back Nation, a non-profit organization, which functions as a national community foundation to create even bigger waves of giving across the nation. Mr. Gregory holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Ball State University with minors in Economics and Finance. Mr. Gregory is a member of the Financial Planners Association, The Partnership for Philanthropic Planning, The Charitable Capital Advisory Council and is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Give Back Nation.
Howard W. Neiswender, J.D., LL.M., CFP®, TEP, CEPA — Shareholder of Dentons Sirote
Howard provides comprehensive legal services for individuals and businesses throughout the United States and internationally, using creative and innovative tax strategies and a multi-faceted coordination process between business and personal planning. Howard combines the areas of income tax planning, estate planning, charitable planning, business planning, asset protection planning, insurance planning, legacy planning and retirement planning to achieve the goals of his clients. He has been recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Trusts and Estates and Tax Law. Howard is also a Certified Financial Planner and Certified Exit Planning Advisor. Howard has served as both an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alabama School of Law in its LL.M. in Taxation Program and as an Instructor with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He has a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree in Taxation from New York University School of Law.
Jeff Ahola — CEO of Ahola HR Solutions and Payroll
Jeff holds the primary responsibility for charting the strategic direction of the company his parents founded over 50 years ago, while fulfilling its mission to help other family businesses succeed. Under Jeff’s leadership, the company has secured its marketplace position as a top provider of family-focused payroll and human capital management systems. Jeff has a keen interest in family enterprises, a passion going back in the early 1980s when he attended family business study groups, led by the late Dr. Léon A. Danco, considered the founder of this field. Jeff himself led retreats for the former National Center for Family Business. More recently, he participated in the award-winning, internationally accredited executive MBA program for Families in Business at Kennesaw State University. He has also earned the Family Business Advisor Certification from the Galliard Family Business Advisor Institute. In addition Jeff has collaborated with CRAIN’S Cleveland Business to create a Family Business Forum, webinar series, and a newsletter called Family Company. He holds professional affiliations with the Family Firm Institute, Family Enterprise USA, and Attorneys for Family-Held Enterprises. Jeff holds a bachelor’s in Marketing and Computer Information Systems from The Ohio State University and an MBA in Finance from Pepperdine University.
Robert Merl — National Business Resource Network Director at BDO USA
Rob leads the Business Resource Network practice of the BDO Alliance USA which provides consulting and business services to the Clients of BDO USA and its 260+ alliance firms across the country. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Economics Ursinus College and an MBA from the University of Maryland.
Brad West — Chief Operating Officer at Alternative Investment Exchange (AIX)
As COO of AIX, Brad arbitrates possibility and change across the alternative investments arena. His role is to help firms and advisors see the benefits of authentic data and process connectivity, understand why it matters and realize their true potential for growth. The reward is helping every AIX partner become stronger, and more vital by creating a connected ecosystem for alternatives, for the first time in history. With stints as Chief Information Officer at FS Investments and President and CEO of BankersEdge, he has made a career of leveraging technology to re-engineer and restructure businesses to enable commercial product strategies, streamline operations, and drive scale and profitability.
Lucas Siegel — CEO of Harbor Life Brokerage
Lucas is a technology, marketing and internet entrepreneur. As CEO and Founder of Harbor Life Settlements and Harbor Life Brokerage he and his team have developed the world’s most advanced life settlement auction site. Since it’s launch in early 2020, Harbor Life Online Exchange has listed over $100 million in policies and is quickly becoming the industry standard. Since a young age, Lucas was captivated by finance and passionate about disrupting traditional verticals. Lucas holds a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration of the University of Colorado Boulder - Leeds School of Business.
Andrew Hamill, CLU, ChFC, CLTC, LTCP — Head Of Distribution at Breeze
With a passion for protecting American families and making the process of getting disability income, critical illness and other much needed coverage faster and easier, Andrew proudly leads the distribution expansion and strategy at Breeze. Andrew has deep industry knowledge, a wealth of experience and is passionate about the mission. Prior to joining Breeze, Andrew lead the brokerage distribution and strategy for Legal & General America. He previously held various distribution leadership roles at BSMG, leading their Institutional Markets growth strategy. He was also with the Genworth Financial’s Life Brokerage Division as Senior Vice President, Producer Group Channel Leader. Andrew currently serves as a Board Member of the NAILBA Charitable Foundation with previous roles on the Board of the Society of Financial Services Professionals. Andrew attended Penn State University and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Economics with a minor in Business Administration.
Raffaele Mautone — Founder and CEO of AaDya Security
Raffaele's strategic thinking and effective leadership have been instrumental and paramount in his career as an IT, sales and operations professional. His extensive experience in the IT and security industry serves as the platform of AaDya. Raffaele's consistent record of leading teams through successful acquisitions; strategic planning and implementation and deploying large, multi-tiered complex programs has served companies such as Duo, FireEye, McAfee and Dell. He also has experience in implementing marketing and sales strategies, positioning companies for future growth, and deploying applications and business process improvements to assist with bookings, leads and new go-to-market programs. Raffaele holds a BS from Eastern Michigan University.
Terrance P. Power, CFP®, QPA®, CRPS® — CEO of The Platinum 401k
Terry has been in the retirement plan industry for over 36 years. He is responsible for overseeing the operation of the firm as well as the overall marketing and communication strategy. Terry has been involved in the installation of over 3,000 retirement plans during his career and is widely regarded as an expert in the field. He has an extensive background in the multiple employer retirement plan field, having over 25 years of experience in this highly specialized area. Terry is a frequent speaker at industry events and is often quoted in financial publications. Professional Designations Earned: Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) - Certified Retirement Plans Specialist® (CRPS®) - Qualified Plan Administrator® (QPA®) - Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) - Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) - Certified Plan Fiduciary Advisor (CPFA®)
Joe Ujobai — CEO of Alternative Investment Exchange
As a seasoned change agent, Joe has made a career of leading successful market entry strategies, business development and product innovation in the financial technology sector. At AIX, Joe’s role is to help clients envision and achieve exponential business growth enabled by technology implementation. AIX was a natural fit for Joe, driven by his penchant for new technology and his impatience for the status quo. Outside of AIX, Joe's passion for art, culture and education culminates in his involvement with the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, where he serves as chairman, and at Drexel University, where he is a member of the board of trustees. At home, he’s a dog dad to Henry, who loves participating in AIX strategy sessions.
Jeff Bae, JD, CVA — Managing Director of Valuation Services
Jeff provides valuation consulting services for business owners, attorneys, accountants, and other professional services providers, for gift and estate tax reporting, income tax reporting, reorganizations, buy/sell agreements, marital dissolution, litigation support, IRC §409A (deferred compensation), financial reporting (i.e., ASC 805/350 and SFAS 123R), ESOPs, and financing purposes. Jeff began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in their National Tax Office. As an international tax associate, he advised multinational companies on the tax implications of their international operations as well as coordinating U.S. tax laws with foreign tax laws to develop optimal tax strategies. Jeff’s main expertise is in the valuation of ownership interests in operating businesses and closely-held, private entities that own real properties, marketable securities, and other income-producing assets. He is an active member of national and local professional organizations and frequently travels to Florida to manage VSI’s Miami office. Jeff has been involved in over 6,000 valuation engagements.