Our People

Our senior staff have owned, operated, built, and sold their own businesses, in some cases many, many times.  We have been CEOs of public and private companies, we have founded startups, we have bought distressed companies, chances are, if you’re facing it, we’ve seen it.  We’re different from many advisory firms because we have actual real world operational experience, and not just in big business – in small business too.  We understand the unique challenges and opportunities you see every day, and we believe we can help you get to the next level.

Chairman Emeritus

Phoenix, Arizona

Daniel L. Coury, Sr. is a well respected Arizona based businessman who has been chairman and CEO of both NASDAQ and OTC BB companies primarily in the technology sector. Mr. Coury has prominently served as a director on both private and public company boards and presently serves on the board of 4 companies. Mr. Coury’s board committee experience includes a term as the chairman of a compensation committee. Mr. Coury’s expertise is squarely centered on building shareholder value through clear concise communication to shareholders, investors, potential investors, and analysts through comprehensive investor relations programs coupled with operating companies that achieve high growth either organically or through acquisitions. Mr. Coury has successfully managed businesses across state lines as well as internationally and more recently has successfully negotiated acquisitions in the Far East, throughout the United States and Latin America. . These involved diverse industries such as; online marketing, telemarketing, real estate development, mortgage banking, cold storage & warehousing, transportation & logistics, mortuaries, cemeteries, aeronautical and automotive.

CEO

Richard Groeneweg’s specialization is in finance management, with 30 years experience in all fields of investment banking, Lending, capital formation, business management & mortgage banking. Private equity placements include the successful completion of a $25 million private placement for an e-learning company and many others. Mr. Groeneweg specializes in finding financial solutions in today’s tough economy.  Mr. Groeneweg has extensive experience with all types of securitizations including for loans backed by hard assets like airplanes and busses as well as financial paper such as credit cards, accounts receivable, residential and commercial mortgages.  Under Mr. Groeneweg’s direction Residential Resources, Inc. was formed to provide a vehicle for the formation of Asset Backed Securities. From its inception, RRI has issued nearly Three Billion Dollars of Asset Backed Securities, all of which have been AAA rated private placements. Mr. Groeneweg has done extensive work for Delaware’s Department of Insurance developing a program for the securitization of the assets under their supervision. Previously Mr. Groeneweg was the founder and CEO of Mid Valley Mortgage Corporation, which did retail and wholesale Mortgage Banking, with offices in Colorado and Texas. He also developed and implemented a secondary marketing program which the Federal Home Loan Bank Board in the Kansas Region, approved. Mr. Groeneweg has served as the President of the Colorado Mortgage Banking Association and many other associations.

Director

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Jeffrey J. Goeson is a Managing Director specializing in technology-based emerging and accelerating growth companies. In addition to his technology based experience, Mr. Goeson brings a "can do" attitude to maximizing the profitability of the business models of our clients through his extensive experience in various other facets of business management and sales.

As the Director of Information Technology and Director of Technology Assessment divisions for Belmont Acquisitions, Mr. Goeson and his team works very closely with the Valuation and Advisory Department in evaluating client information technologies, systems and databases.

Mr. Goeson brings over 30 years of experience in project management on domestic and international projects, complex database design and development, software design and development, complex security protocols including integration with the international CAP standard developed for MasterCard and other card associations, LEC billing algorithm and billing system design and development, Electronic Health Records (EHR) billing and records management systems and EDI design and development, various mobile and electronic payment processing and billing platforms and other new technologies. Mr. Goeson assists our clients in monetizing their technologies as well as providing Belmont with the “in house” valuation of the technologies. Mr. Goeson’s experience is invaluable for the entrepreneur whose technology needs to be monetized, patented, or copyrighted.

Director

Phoenix, Arizona

David L. Mau is a Director at Belmont Acquisitions.  David has over 9 years in the equities research business and draws upon his extensive work experience in the technology, software, consumer products, and other industries.  His background includes finance, business development, product marketing and sales positions in various industries for over 30 years.  With this diverse background in hand, David is well equipped to understand how public companies can grow their businesses and avoid the obstacles that might impede their progress.  Finding workable investment ideas is a passion for David as he strives to bring value to his client audience.

David began his career with a BS in Electrical Engineering from University of California, Davis.

Medical Analyst

Ms. Van Allen leads our Medical Due Diligence team. Her job is to analyze potential acquisitions, both for Belmont related companies, and our clients based on her Medical Certifications and hands on experience, including but not limited to: General Medical Clinic Practice, Home Health Care facility management, and Assisted Living Center operations and management.

Managing Director - Private Client Group

Virginia (“Gigi”) Simsiman is the director of Belmont’s Private Relationship Group. Ms. Simsiman is an international entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist with relationships that span the globe. As a motivational speaker and personality Ms. Simsiman has individually worked with over 17,000 of the world’s most successful people who work at and/or manage such well known enterprises as Target & Federated department stores, Allianz National Life and American Express and others. Through her successful coaching company “The Final Breakthrough” she has mentored clients by utilizing the Kolbe System®, DISC, and the Color Code as well as built a strong network of successful entrepreneurs and philanthropists. Through these relationships Ms. Simsiman has successfully raised nearly $1 billion dollars in capital for private entrepreneurs in Real Estate, Media, oil & gas, gold, sugar, scrap metal and other commodities, and innovative start up businesses or secondary round  financings  as well as various “not for profit” philanthropic endeavors. Co-Author of the book ”The Power of Mentorship for the Woman Entrepreneur”. Virginia Simsiman is part of the Alumni Association of California State University Hayward and donates much of her free time to philanthropy.

Managing Director

Dallas, Texas

George “Burl” Outlaw has over 30 years of high level marketing & entrepreneurial experience. Since Belmont's focus is to enhance your “top” line as well as your bottom line, Mr. Outlaw is uniquely qualified to do both. At 25, Mr. Outlaw founded his first company, GolfAmericard, which provided golf amenities at over 700 golf courses nationwide. Building on those relationships Mr. Outlaw joined G. Loomis where he spearheaded their gold shaft products business creating a well-known brand with triple-digit growth. He signed over 47 PGA players to use Loomis shafts while on tour  and signed agreements with the biggest golf equipment companies; PING, Titlist, Cobra, Taylor Made and Adams Golf to name a few. Within this sports marketing space he has represented Steve Jones (the 1996 U.S. Open Champion), as well as other professional golfers. He then merged his company with International Sports Marketing of Indianapolis, Indiana, which interest he later sold. Next he funded an Indy Racing League (IRL) team for four years and a NASCAR Winston Cup team for two years.  In addition to his marketing successes Mr. Outlaw has raised over $100 million dollars for small cap companies, advised on the initial public offering of numerous companies including Cycle Country Accessories (American Stock Exchange symbol: ATC) and has extensive dealings in affinity marketing.

Managing Director

Phoenix, Arizona

Mr. Angelo Tullo brings more than fifty years of business leadership experience across a broad range of industries, including technology businesses such as YP.com, Simple.net, and Transend; biotechnology companies including Cryoport and BIOVIE, through his 30+-year work with Richard J. Berman; wholesale distribution businesses including HVAC and Service Supply; fuel distribution, convenience store, and gas station operations including Tullo Oil and Brookhaven Fuel; oil drilling operations including Harvest; finance and factoring companies including Titus Capital and American Business Funding; insurance businesses including Rainbow and Settler’s; advertising companies including Big Rhino and Eleven; real estate investment and development businesses including American Dream; and multi-unit retail and restaurant operations including Friendly’s and Arby’s.

Throughout his career, Mr. Tullo has been involved in the formation, operation, acquisition, restructuring, financing, and growth of numerous businesses, including both successful operating companies and turnaround situations. His experience spans operating companies, public-company transactions, investor relations, capital formation, business restructuring, and management team development.

Because of his broad, multi-disciplinary background, Mr. Tullo has spent the last nineteen years leading new business development efforts, assisting clients with business structure, operating strategy, capital formation, and funding preparation. His experience allows him to evaluate companies from both an operational and financing perspective, with a particular focus on helping management teams build stronger, more fundable businesses.

Mr. Tullo also worked closely with Richard J. Berman, Belmont’s founder, with whom he had a business relationship spanning more than thirty years. Together, they were involved in transactions associated with more than 300 companies entering the public markets. Through that experience, Mr. Tullo developed substantial familiarity with the operational, financial, and regulatory demands placed on public companies, including coordination with auditors, public disclosure requirements, and preparation of public filings.

Mr. Tullo believes that public companies create long-term shareholder value when they combine disciplined operations, predictable revenue growth, sustainable earnings, and clear communication with the market. His career reflects a strong focus on operational execution, business turnaround, and investor accountability.

One example of this experience was YP.com. When Mr. Tullo became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer on February 10, 2000, the company was in significant distress. It had been delisted, was losing cash, and its lender had accelerated the company’s credit line. Working with Jeffrey Goeson and Gregory Crane, Mr. Tullo helped stabilize the company, restore profitability, and rebuild the business. The company turned profitable in the first month following the transition and continued improving from that point forward. During the following years, YP.com achieved substantial growth, ultimately reaching the NASDAQ market. Over that period, the company’s stock price increased from approximately $0.0004 per share to approximately $6.00 per share, creating significant shareholder value.

Like the other members of Belmont’s management team, Mr. Tullo places a strong emphasis on integrity, investor protection, and accountability. Investors who have participated in opportunities through Mr. Tullo’s efforts have not lost principal, and many have continued to invest with him over a period of decades.

Mr. Tullo is particularly proud of his handling of the investor matter involving American Business Funding, a factoring company in which he was a partner. In 1999, Mr. Tullo discovered that approximately $7.5 million had been misappropriated from the company. Upon discovery, he notified the Arizona Attorney General and personally met with investors to inform them of the fraud. To protect investors and prevent further harm, Mr. Tullo initiated legal action at his own expense, which resulted in the appointment of a receiver and later an examiner after his former partners entered bankruptcy.

Although Mr. Tullo did not receive any of the misappropriated funds, he repaid the affected investors in full. After the matter was transferred to federal prosecutors, members of management, including Mr. Tullo, were indicted. Mr. Tullo resolved the matter through a plea to conspiracy and paid a $5,000 fine. There were no investor losses after Mr. Tullo’s repayment, and many of the investors from that matter continue to invest with him today.

Mr. Tullo has no current government-imposed restrictions and has had no further incidents during the twenty-six years since the American Business Funding matter.

Founder

NYC, New York

We deeply mourn the recent passing of one of our key founders, Richard J. Berman, JD, MBA.

Richard Berman’s business career spanned over 35 years of venture capital, senior management, and merger & acquisitions experience. In the past five years, Berman has served as a director and/or officer of over a dozen public and private companies. Immediately preceding his death, he was a director of four public NASDAQ companies - Cryoport Inc., Comsovereign Holding Corp., BioVie Inc., Context Therapeutics. Over the last decade he has served onthe board of five companies that have reached over one billion in market capitalization - Cryoport, Advaxis, EXIDE, Internet Commerce Corporation, and Ontrak (Catasys).

Previously, Berman worked at Goldman Sachs; was Senior Vice President of Bankers TrustCompany, where he started the M&A and Leveraged Buyout Departments. Subsequently, he created the largest battery company in the world in the 1980s by merging Prestolite, General Battery, and Exide to form Exide Technologies (XIDE); helped create SoHo, NYC by developing five buildings. He advised on over $4 billion M&A transactions, completing over 300 deals.

Berman was the past director of the Stern School of Business of NYU where he obtained his B.S. and M.B.A. degrees. He also had U.S. and foreign law degrees from Boston College and the Hague Academy of International Law, respectively.

Berman was a director of four public NASDAQ companies:

BIOVIE INC. - BioVie is a phase 3 company developing innovative drug therapies for liver disease. The company started its P2b/3 clinical trial In October 2020. The company raised over $38 million and up listed to NASDAQ. The company acquired NeurMedix (in 2021) which has advanced clinical treatments for Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s.

CRYOPORT, INC. - (NASDAQ: CRYX) - The company is the leader in the cryogenics, logistics, and storage market in the pharmaceutical industry. Sales have grown from less than $1 million in 2014 to $222 million last year. This company is partnered with FedEx, UPS, and DHL and will generate sales of roughly $275 million-plus this year and over $500 million in 2 years. Cryoport has cash of over $550 million and an EBITDA of about 10% of revenues in 2022. Cryoport is one of the fastest growing companies in the United States with a market cap of $2 billion.

CONTEXT THERAPEUTICS - The company has two products in phase 2 for breast and gynecological dependent cancers. The treatment involved a small molecule and immunology Richard is Chairman and Context recently completed an IPO and raised $60 million.

COMSOVEREIGN HOLDING CORP. - With projected 2022 sales of over $50 million, the company went public through a reverse merger with a successful drone company. The company is a leader in the drone, military, and 5G telecommunications field and is expanding rapidly. In Jan/Feb 2021 COMS raised $40 million and uplisted to NASDAQ. The company will concentrate its future efforts on the 5G field, where it is developing a substantial backlog.

Richard was also involved in several other companies which are either public, private, or trading on foreign exchanges including: Frontier Investment Corp, a $200 million SPAC completed in 2021 by JPMorgan; Genius Group, a world-leading entrepreneur ed-tech company from Singapore; Nova Minerals Ltd, a gold and lithium company based in Australia with a market cap of $125 million; and Traqiq, Inc, a last mile and fintech company projecting a year end run rate of $20 million. The majority of its operations are based in India.

In addition to advising companies that are going public in drone, dental, and medical device business, Berman was also active in robotics (Cheetah) as indicated below:

CHEETAH ROBOTIC PARKING SYSTEMS INC. - A unique and patented robotic parking system that is being adopted in several markets. The company was launched in 2020, where Berman was the director of this private company.

Four former corporate engagements:

ONTRAK INC. (NASDAQ) - From 2005-2019

Leads the Healthcare industry in improving health and reducing claims costs for people with chronic disorders such as substance use disorder, anxiety, and depression. Sales have soared from half-million per quarter to run a rate of over $80 million for 2021. Berman was the director of this company from 2015-2019.

NATIONAL INVESTMENT MANAGER, INC. - From 2005-2012

Chairman of this leading pension management company with $12 billion under administration. EASYLINK SERVICES INTERNATIONAL, INC. - Provider of B2B solutions for businesses to connect with their trading communities - revenues fiscal year 2012 of $180 million and EBITA approaching $50 million. Berman was previously Chairman and CEO who helped the company raise over $30 million. The company was sold in July 2012 for $310 million to Open Text.

REAL ESTATE - From 1980 - 2014

Acquired nine commercial/office real estate buildings valued at roughly $100million. Sold the last four in 2014.

BANKERS TRUST COMPANY - From 1975 – 1982

Senior Vice President, Bankers Trust Company, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions Leverage Buyout departments. Completed over 300 acquisitions for various domestic and foreign clients; built the department to the #1 position in the commercial banking field; started the LBO department. In 1979 initiated and financed KKR’s first LBO, Houdaille Industries Inc. Houdaille, became the first public company to go private through leveraged buyout.

NORTON SIMON, INC. - From 1970 - 1974

Director of mergers & acquisitions. Involved in over $1 billion acquisitions and divestitures, including Max Factor, Canada Dry, McCall’s, Tanqueray, Hunt Foods, and Johnnie Walker.

Education:

Special Certificate, Hague Academy of International Law

J.D. Boston College Law School

M.B.A in Finance, New York University (Stern)

B.S. New York University (Stern)

Nominated Director of the Year in 2012

Other:

Contributing Author: Handbook Mergers, Acquisitions, Prentice Hall

Black Belt, Karate 3rd degree

Life member of Sandwich Glass Museum