2024 Annual Meeting - Speakers

Walker Deibel

Walker Deibel is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of Buy then Build: How Acquisition Entrepreneurs Outsmart the Startup Game. His work has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc, Fast Company, and the Harvard Business Review.

He holds an MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis where he was awarded the Declaration of Accomplishment in Entrepreneurship. He later returned to introduce “Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition” as an adjunct professor and has given keynote talks at both Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and MIT. He is a Certified M&A Advisor, Certified M&A Professional, M&A Master Intermediary, Certified Exit Planning Advisor, and former SEC licensed stockbroker. He was awarded the Platinum Award from M&A Source and Thought Leader of the Year by both The Alliance of M&A Advisors and Axial.com.

Ryan Ottosen

Since 2005, real estate has been Ryan's professional focus. As a broker with expertise in investment and property management, Ryan closed more than 150 REO properties between 2009-2012, managed hundreds of rental units, orchestrated 100+ investment projects from start to finish and has been a guest speaker at numerous California Association of REALTOR (C.A.R.) events.

Bob Porter

Robert Porter began his career in SBA Lending in 1989 after graduating from California State University, Sacramento - Finance. For the past 31+ years, Robert acted as a Vice President/Business Development Officer for four banks including Sacramento Commercial Bank (7 years), Bank of the West (9 years), and Comercia Bank (3 years), Plumas Bank (13 years), and during this period successfully negotiated and funded approximately $404,000,000 in SBA 7a, 504, and non-SBA commercial real estate loans to small businesses. Robert's experience extends beyond SBA lending.

Chris Rodewald

Chris Rodewald is a Vice President at US Bank’s SBA Division headquartered in San Diego, California.

Chris has been specializing in SBA financing for the last 21 years and has been with US Bank’s SBA Division for the past 15 years. He is consistently a top performer nationwide at US Bank and is a multi-time recipient of both their prestigious Legends of Possible and Pinnacle Awards for top performer in the nation. Chris has also received the coveted Financial Services Champion of The Year award directly from the United States Small Business Administration. He is an active Board Member at the North County SBDC a nonprofit that helps small businesses with financial literacy and in gaining access to capital. What makes Chris truly unique is his extensive entrepreneurial background. He is not just a banker he has been in our clients shoes as a business owner as well. He was a founder in many different start-up businesses from service, energy management, to manufacturing, and even medical device. He has a keen understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities our small business clients face. He has also bought and sold a business that he built up for 6 years so he has a truly unique ability to connect with both buyers and sellers in complex transactions to help facilitate desired results. Chris has been a CABB member since 2019.

Marie Askew

With a proven track record in SBA lending, Marie Askew brings over 15 years of experience, drive and enthusiasm to Live Oak Bank. Her creative thinking and proficient ability to identify SBA lending opportunities have helped Marie close over $170 million in transactions. By cultivating strong relationships with her clients and network, she has garnered a robust understanding of owner-occupied real estate, ground-up construction, mergers and acquisitions and commercial real estate. Through the course of her career, Marie has successfully navigated complex loans to a successful close and has been responsible for increasing SBA production in her home state of California. Marie's contribution and ambition for helping businesses grow and succeed earned her the top producer award in both 2008 and 2011, as well as recognition in the Circle of Excellence. 

Scott Cisneros

Scott Cisneros started in the banking industry in 1991. For the past 10 years, Scott has specialized in SBA financing, primarily focusing on Business Acquisitions. Scott has worked for many banks over the years, recently leaving Union Bank to go to City National Bank. Scott received his real estate license in 2019 to gain more knowledge on the industry.

Kelley Cheney

Kelley Cheney is Vice President and SBA Business Development Officer at Plumas Bancorp, a full-service community bank headquartered in Quincy CA with assets in excess of $1.0 Billion. During his 14.5-year tenure at Plumas, he has provided over $200 million in SBA funding for small businesses throughout CA, OR, WA, NV and AZ. Plumas bank has been a proud affiliate member of CABB since 2009, served on the CABB Board of Directors from 2020-2022, and was award Affiliate of the Year in 2022.

Anna Porter

With over 36 years of banking experience and 13 years of SBA Lending experience, Anna Porter helps clients with making their "Dreams Coming True" in helping with owning their own business, buying a building, startying a business, expanding their business, and more. As a #1 SBA lender, Anna Porter and Huntington National Bank is proud to help business owners with their SBA Lending needs.

Jordan Cohen

Daniel Lopez

Daniel Lopez, ESQ, is a distinguished legal professional and the visionary founder of Empire Business Law, a renowned law firm specializing in business law. With an unwavering commitment to excellence, Daniel has dedicated his career to empowering entrepreneurs and guiding them through the intricate legal landscape of the business world.

Noah Green

Noah Green is the owner and managing attorney at the The Green Firm, P.C., with offices in Irvine and Pasadena, CA. He specializes in representing small to mid-size businesses in court and his cases cover a wide variety of legal matters, ranging from breach of contract, partnership disputes, defense of wrongful termination and wage & hours cases, real estate law, and general business litigation. Noah graduated with honors from American University law school in Washington, D.C. in 2000 and lives in Ladera Ranch, CA with his wife and their two girls.
 

Thomas Georgianna

Attorney Thomas D. Georgianna is the Managing Attorney of the Civil Litigation and Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Division of Boyd Law. He practices in the area of general business litigation and commercial arbitration. Attorney Georgianna is a graduate of the Brooklyn Law School (J.D. 2001)

Trent Lee

Trent Lee is the leading business broker in the country, consistently recognized for having the most closed transactions annually over the past six years by the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA). His exceptional track record in facilitating business sales has established him as an industry leader. 
As a credentialed business appraiser and broker, Trent combines his expertise to accurately value businesses and secure optimal deals for his clients. He is also the author of the Amazon Best Seller "The 6 Figure Exit Plan," which offers strategies for successful business exits. 

Jaclyn Poole

With 10+ years of experience in the industry, Jaclyn Poole, founder of MOD Assistants, leads a team of experienced virtual assistants with a specialty in supporting business brokers. From a family of entrepreneurs herself, supporting small business owners in their daily operations is a passion of Jaclyn’s and the number focus within her company.
 

George Wellmer

George Wellmer, the founder of Tupelo - the go to CRM for business brokers, has reshaped the world of M&A intermediaries with cutting-edge AI-driven CRM software. His work has empowered advisors to achieve new heights by facilitating more listings and entrepreneur exits. His work has been recognized at regional conferences and in SMB M&A publications. George champions user-friendly software designed specifically for M&A intermediaries.  
 

Tawnya Gilreath

Tawnya is as an M&A Advisor and Founder of LA Business Pros and a Broker Associate and Business Broker Mentor with EXP Commercial. She helps owners develop business exit strategies and navigate timely and successful business sales. Tawnya leverages her credentials as a Certified Merger & Acquisition Professional (CM&AP), Master Certified Business Intermediary (MCBI), and Certified Exit Planner (CExP) and her knowledge as an attorney, to help her clients achieve optimal results. 

Tawnya serves on the Board of Governors and is the Education Committee Chair for M&A Source, serves on the Board of Directors and is the Forms Committee Chair for the California Association of Business Brokers, and is a course author/contributor and course instructor for the California Association of Business Brokers, Georgia Association of Business Brokers, Michigan Business Broker Association, International Business Broker Association and M&A Source.
 

Blake Wells

Blake began his career representing Fortune 500 insurance companies in complex litigation matters and coverage disputes. He later used this litigation expertise acting as inside-outside counsel for large corporate clients, with a concentration on employment and business law, focusing clients towards compliance and, when necessary, dispute resolution. Today, Blake works as an associate attorney with The Small Business Law Firm, P.C., where he uses his experience to hedge against the myriad risks presenting in complex transactions, mergers, and acquisitions. Blake has worked with a number of CABB brokers to get deals to finish the line, keeping clients protected and brokers happy.

Mia Saling

Mia’s multi-dimensional background has enriched her advocacy for the companies and individuals she represents. As an entrepreneur and a leader holding senior-level management positions, Mia understands the intricacies of operational, financial, and brand management, bringing incomparable insight and direct, personal experience to her law practice. Mia’s experience as an adjunct professor and nationally-recognized public speaker enhances her ability to effectively explain complex legal issues to clients, stakeholders, and other parties. Mia has devoted her law practice to supporting small and medium-sized businesses, emphasizing business transactions, intellectual property law, litigation, early dispute resolution, and employment law. 

Kelli Holmes

Kelli Holmes is an expert in teaching entrepreneurs how to grow their business in BIG ways. She does this by showing how creating and leveraging meaningful business relationships can get business owners the results they are looking for. She is the CEO and Founder of TEAM Referral Network and its sister company TEAM Franchise Corp. TEAM started in 2002, has opened hundreds of chapters with thousands of members (both national and international), has multiple franchise markets throughout the U.S. and has “Virtual TEAM” chapters that meet online globally - making TEAM the perfect combination of face-to-face and online networking. She is the author of Cracking the Business Networking Code and is featured in the best-sellers “Revving Up for Success” and “Elevate” a TEAM collaborative book project.

Sally Rowshan

Sally Rowshan is the founder and President of Secured Trust Escrow. She discovered her passion for real estate and the settlement services industry as a first-year law student at Georgetown Law School, where she interned for a small underwritten title company in Alexandria, Virginia. With a clear professional goal and profound entrepreneurial spirit, Sally opened her first title company, New Era Title, soon after graduating law school. In less than a decade, New Era Title grew to one of the largest underwritten title companies, with offices around Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.

Sally’s area of expertise is holding escrows and business sale escrows. Throughout the years, she has handled complex holding escrows for attorneys, receivers, judges, and other fiduciaries who required a third-party fiduciary to draft escrow instructions and hold funds pursuant to the requirements of an underlying agreement. Additionally, Sally has been the escrow officer for numerous complex business sales, mergers and acquisitions, including franchise operations, gas stations, software and gaming companies, and other businesses.
 

Dale Willerton

Thom started and grew Peak Development to serve leading business brokerages with deal generation and marketing services. The Peak Formula delivers relationships with business owners who are ready to sell their businesses now or soon. Peak sourced $1Bil in deals for offices across the US. Peak was sold to a Midwest-based private equity firm: True North Equity Partners.

Thom has deep running business brokerage and M&A experience with 300 transactions ranging from $1 Million up to $55 Million with a typical range between $1 and $10 Million. Thom was a part of the True North/Sunbelt Midwest office transacting 100 deals annually from 2012 to 2019. 

Monty W. Walker is a Certified Public Accountant (“CPA”) and Chartered Global Management Account (“CGMA”) with a diversity of experience in the private closely-held business arena. Monty practices nationally. His advisory services to privately held business owners include support with Business Transactions, Business Structuring & Design, Business Tax Planning and Business Exit Planning. Monty’s flag ship and most sought after service from clients is his Business Transaction Advisory Services.  He works with Business Sellers, Business Buyers and their various advisors, such as Business Intermediaries, Accountants and Attorneys, to manage the unique financial, tax, planning and procedural matters associated with buying and selling a business.  Due to his background in the area of business transfers and business transitions he is often referred to by his clients and colleagues as a --- “Business Transaction CPA”.