Tordon Brothers Group

Bob Maroney works with clients to design and implement comprehensive, global solutions across a broad spectrum of the commercial and industrial segments. Specific asset classes include machinery and equipment, commercial and industrial real estate, inventories, and intellectual properties. Bob’s career includes senior management positions in the disposition and valuation of commercial and industrial assets and his unique perspective and experience has earned him an unparalleled trust within the lending and disposition communities. Prior to joining Gordon Brothers in 2005, Bob served as Chief Appraisal Officer at Bank of America, where he managed a national team of multi-disciplined valuation professionals with a specialized focus on C&I assets for asset-based lending purposes. Over the past 35 years, he has had oversight responsibility for the valuation and disposition of more than $200 billion of C&I assets. Bob is a senior member of the American Society of Appraisers, Machinery and Technical Specialties, and is a licensed and certified general real estate appraiser. Bob received his BBA in accounting from the University of Massachusetts.

Chris Carmosino is responsible for the leadership and oversight of Gordon Brothers’ Valuation practice. Prior to joining the company, Chris served as an Executive Vice President of Citizens Commercial Banking and President of its Citizens Business Capital unit. During his thirty-two year corporate banking career, he has previously held positions as the Managing Director and Head of Fleet Securities’ Syndicated Finance team, and Head of Bank of America’s national Asset-Based Lending syndications team. While at Citizens, Chris steered the ABL unit to broaden and deepen its offerings, and align closely with the commercial coverage teams. He has experience leading teams across a variety of sectors including industrial, distribution, retail, automotive, metals, business services, technology, healthcare and energy. He holds a BA in Economics from Colby College, and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. Chris was honored with the National Jewish Health Humanitarian Award and serves on the Board of Directors of the Commercial Finance Association.

Duncan Ainscough manages the Commercial & Industrial Division of Gordon Brothers in Europe. He has over 25 years’ experience in the disposition and valuation of Commercial and Industrial assets. Throughout Duncan’s career, he has held senior management and leadership roles with leading global surplus asset management and valuation firms.

He has deep knowledge and understanding of used equipment markets across the Globe and has experience in the valuation and sale of Industrial assets in over 30 countries across multiple sectors including: Oil & Gas, Pharmaceuticals, Semiconductor & Electronics, Automotive, Aerospace & Defence, Power Generation Renewable Energy, Mining & Construction, TV & Media, Plastics, Printing, Woodworking and Food & Beverage.

Prior to joining Gordon Brothers in 2018, Duncan served as Vice President of Global Business Development at Liquidity Services with responsibility for Principal Deal Structuring.

Eileen Adler is responsible for developing and executing strategies and programs across Gordon Brothers global offices in support of the firm’s strategic objectives. Eileen brings over twenty-five years of HR and consulting experience in various industries including technology and financial services. Prior to joining Gordon Brothers, Eileen was Global Chief Human Resources Officer, Senior Vice President at PeopleFluent, and has held leadership roles at ikaSystems (Visiant Health), Sun Life Financial, and Boston Scientific. She holds an MS in Learning and Organization Development, as well as a BS in Management from Lesley University. Eileen is also a 9-year rider of the annual Pan Mass Challenge 185-mile bicycle ride to benefit the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and serves on the Parent Advisory Council at Champlain College.

Evren Ozargun is Senior Managing Director, Head of Credit at Gordon Brothers. Evren leads a growing Credit team that plays an integral role in structuring, underwriting and monitoring the firm’s investments involving both debt and equity transactions globally.

He is a trusted advisor to senior leadership and the investment committee helping set and execute the strategic agenda for the firm’s capital offerings and its investment activities, operations and risk management.

Evren has over 20 years of experience in middle-market, asset-based and cash flow lending across a range of industries and asset classes. He has provided financing for mergers and acquisitions, corporate carve-outs, growth capital, turnarounds, restructurings and debtor-in-possession facilities.

Prior to joining Gordon Brothers, Evren was senior managing director and held several additional titles at Crystal Financial. Previously, he was director of audit and appraisal at Wells Fargo Retail Finance. Evren started his career at The Ozer Group before Gordon Brothers acquired the appraisal firm.

Evren has a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Entrepreneurial Studies from Babson College. As an outdoor enthusiast, he’s an avid skier, biker, rock climber and hiker. Evren supports various philanthropic organizations focused on social justice, the environment and wildlife. He is based in Boston.

Frank Morton has over 25 years of experience in restructuring and disposition projects within the retail and commercial & industrial sectors. Joining Gordon Brothers in 2005 following the acquisition of Ozer Group, LLC, where he served as Chief Merchant, Frank led several restructuring projects during his tenure at Gordon Brothers’ headquarters in the U.S., including K’s Merchandise Mart, Linens ‘N Things, Sportsman’s Warehouse, G.I. Joe’s and Decathlon. Frank was the founding principal of Gordon Brothers Japan, a joint venture between Gordon Brothers and the Development Bank of Japan, bringing asset-based lending to the Japanese market. In January 2012 he assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of Gordon Brothers in London, where he has worked with several large European retailers. Frank attended Philadelphia College of Textiles and Sciences and has an educational background in apparel, fabrics, textiles and retail management, and has served in various management capacities at major U.S. retailers throughout his career.

Karl Werner is President, International Commercial & Industrial at Gordon Brothers. Karl develops, drives and executes the investment and disposition strategies across our International Commercial & Industrial practice. He leads a highly motivated team to partner with companies, their investors, lenders and advisors to help them overcome operational challenges, transform their businesses and dispose of assets.

Karl has 30 years of experience as an innovative leader with a proven track record for accelerating organizational growth and optimizing global operations.

Prior to joining Gordon Brothers, Karl was President, International for Ritchie Bros., a global asset management and disposition company, where his customer-centric management of the global sales and operations teams generated more than $1 billion in annual sales. He previously served as the interim co-Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operations Support and Development Officer and other various roles during his 25 years with the firm.

Karl has broad experience across many international geographies and business sectors.

Ken Frieze is the Chief Executive Officer of Gordon Brothers and sets the strategic vision for the firm worldwide. Ken has over 25 years of leadership experience in restructuring, consulting, brand redevelopment, appraisal and asset disposition. For over 15 years he has served in executive positions at Gordon Brothers, including as President and leading the firm’s brand and appraisal practices. Prior to joining Gordon Brothers, Ken served as CEO of RetailExchange.com, a management consultant with Bain & Company and a turnaround consultant with The Recovery Group, now part of Deloitte CRG. Ken is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and is a former board member of Polaroid and The Sharper Image as well as served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Turnaround Management Association. He has authored numerous articles for The Secured Lender and the Journal of Corporate Renewal, where he also served on the editorial board. Ken is a former member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO). He holds a BA from Lehigh University and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to many other philanthropic activities, he currently serves as a co-founder of the Boston Corporate Finance Community’s Gathers to Give to benefit More Than Words and a member of the Board of Trustees of The Park School. Ken is also a former member of the Board of Trustees of American Jewish World Service.

As Chief Executive Officer, Kenji oversees all businesses of Gordon Brothers Japan, which focuses on three integrated business platforms. Kenji began his career at the Development Bank of Japan where he practiced loan structuring for over 10 years. Then he assumed a buy-side role and led many significant investment deals at Phoenix Capital, Goldman Sachs, and Kizuna Capital Partners where he served as Chief Investment Officer. Kenji has been successful in increasing corporate value through his real world experience and hands-on approach in various industries such as commercial, retail, service, and manufacturing. Kenji received a BA in economics from Keio University, and a MBA from the University of Southern California.

Kyle C. Shonak is Senior Managing Director, Head of Lending, North America at Gordon Brothers and a leader in the region’s growth and client engagement strategies. Kyle is responsible for leading opportunities to deploy short- and long-term capital to clients undergoing transformation beyond traditional asset-based lending solutions.

Kyle has nearly 20 years’ experience managing complex growth and winddown transactions, partnering with management teams, private equity sponsors, strategic buyers and asset-based lenders to provide expertise and additional capital in special situations. Additionally, he has extensive experience offering clients customized solutions through effective structuring, underwriting, rehabilitation and asset monetization.

Prior to joining Gordon Brothers, Kyle was a managing director at Pathlight Capital where he managed all aspects of the firm’s commercial lending business and was a member of the investment committee. Previously, he was president of Salus Capital Partners and spearheaded the company’s winddown and portfolio restructuring. Before that, Kyle served as vice president of special assets for Textron Financial, where he was responsible for developing legal and business strategies in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Kyle earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, Turnaround Management Association and Secured Finance Network. Kyle is based in Boston.

Leslie Zmugg is General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary at Gordon Brothers. Leslie is responsible for leading the firm’s worldwide legal function and oversees all corporate compliance activities.

Leslie has more than 20 years’ experience leading global corporate legal strategy and operations.

Prior to joining Gordon Brothers, Leslie worked in various legal roles for Caterpillar Inc., most recently as general counsel and secretary for Caterpillar Financial, its captive financing arm. In this role, she managed the company’s global legal function with over 70 legal professionals worldwide. Leslie began her career in New York, where she focused on asset-based finance, bankruptcy and corporate restructuring.

Leslie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Binghamton University and her Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law. She is an active member of the planning committee for Tina’s Wish and a cross-border mentor in the Black Lawyers Matter program with the Stephen James Partnership. Leslie is based in Boston.

For more than 50 years, Michael Frieze has held executive positions at Gordon Brothers, currently serving as Chief Investment Officer & Chairman of the Board of Directors and previously holding the position of Chief Executive Officer for over 30 years. During his tenure, the firm expanded from a retail liquidator to a full-service provider of strategic business and capital solutions to healthy and distressed companies alike. Michael exemplifies Gordon Brothers’ commitment to community service by having served in top leadership positions on many community and corporate boards, including Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston and as Chair of the New England Region of the American Technion Society. Currently, he is a Trustee of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a Trustee of Children’s Hospital, Chairman Emeritus of Friends of Yemin Orde and a former board member of Brandeis University. Michael received a BA from Bowdoin College and an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.

Rick Edwards is responsible for the growth strategy while overseeing all retail client engagements and daily operations. Rick lends specific merchandising expertise, strategic planning and leadership to asset disposition deals. He is also responsible for the overall strategic vision and retail business development initiatives. Prior to becoming President in 2013, Rick served as Senior Managing Director where he was responsible for the development of evaluation techniques and inventory assessment measurements. Rick has played a significant role in structuring transactions for many of the firm’s retail clients such as Casual Corner, Shopko and Liz Claiborne. Rick has a strong background in finance and valuations and is responsible for the development of client solutions to maximize inventory returns, while protecting brands, distribution channels and customer relationships. Rick is a member of the Turnaround Management Association and received his BA in finance from Westfield State College.

As Chief Financial Officer, Rob Travis is responsible  for the overall management of global financial reporting, planning and analysis, treasury, and tax strategy and compliance. He brings over 25 years of experience in strategic planning, structuring, decision support, financial systems and accounting in financial services and technology related industries. Prior to joining Gordon Brothers, Rob served as Vice President, Corporate Accounting at Fidelity Investments where he oversaw the accounting, financial reporting and financial regulatory compliance function for the asset management and brokerage businesses. He has also held various positions in assurance and business advisory services at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Rob earned his BS in Accounting from Suffolk University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Steven Holstein is Senior Managing Director, Head of Business Development at Gordon Brothers responsible for building, driving and leading the firm’s global business development, which includes research, sales, marketing and technology.

Steve has over 30 years of experience in the financial technology, investing and insurance industries as a strategy, marketing, product and distribution leader.

Prior to joining Gordon Brothers, Steve served as enterprise chief marketing officer and head of retail at Folio Financial, where he successfully led customer acquisition, turnaround and technology upgrade programs. Steve previously held senior roles including chief marketing officer, division head and chief e-business officer at Covestor, now Interactive Brokers, Guardian Insurance and MassMutual Financial Group.

Steve holds a Master of Business Administration from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Clark University. He is active with several non-profits, including MassChallenge and Women Unlimited, and has more than 20 years riding the Pan Mass Challenge for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Steve is based in Boston.

Thomas Pedulla is President, Real Estate at Gordon Brothers and leads the development and execution of the firm’s expanding real estate practice. Tom manages a team of experts specializing in real estate debt and equity investments and services that include portfolio reviews, site selection, new store development, lease restructuring, sales and guaranteed outcomes.

Tom has over 30 years’ experience in debt and equity real estate investments in the U.S. and Canada, and his areas of expertise include lending, investment strategies, portfolio management, acquisitions, asset management and dispositions for land, retail, office, multifamily and industrial property types.

Prior to joining Gordon Brothers, Tom was senior managing director and head of global property investments at Sun Life Financial where he managed a $20 billion portfolio of real estate equity and direct mortgages and developed the firm’s investment strategy. He previously held various roles of increasing responsibility in property investments during his tenure at Sun Life Financial.

Tom earned his Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration from Cornell University and his Master of Business Administration from Babson College. He is a Counselor of Real Estate, a licensed Massachusetts real estate broker and a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, the NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association, Mortgage Bankers Association, the Real Estate Investment Advisory Council and the New York Institute of Credit’s Real Estate Committee. Tom is based in Boston.

Tim Stewart is Head of Asia Pacific at Gordon Brothers and leads the firm’s strategy and operations across Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Tim has 25 years’ experience in asset-based and structured financing, and leading turnarounds and financial and operational restructures.

Prior to joining Gordon Brothers, Tim was managing director, strategic disposals and head of restructuring, Asia Pacific for the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), where he managed distressed and underperforming assets across the region. Previously, Tim lead the bank’s structured asset finance business in Australasia and served as chief risk officer for the Australia branch. Prior to joining RBS, Tim worked as a senior manager, mergers and acquisitions tax advisory for KPMG in London.

Tim earned his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Hull and his Master of Laws, International Business Law from the University of Manchester. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and an advisory board member of Turnaround Management Association Australia, where he previously served as chairman and president of the board of directors. Tim is based in Sydney.

Tobias Nanda is responsible for developing, driving and executing Gordon Brothers’ global brand investment strategy through both acquisition and lending. He has nearly 20 years of experience working in private equity, where he has focused on sourcing, leading and managing investments in the consumer sector. Throughout his career, he has worked actively with board members and management teams to develop and implement growth strategies to deliver attractive results to all stakeholders.

Prior to leading brand investment strategies at Gordon Brothers, he was a Co-Founder and Partner of Trimountain Partners. Before that, he was a Managing Director at Palladin Consumer Retail Partners, a Vice President of GB Merchant Partners at Gordon Brothers and a private equity associate at MedEquity Partners. Tobias began his career as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch in 1999.

He currently serves on the board of directors of Universal Lacrosse, an omni-channel distributor of lacrosse equipment and apparel and the board of directors of RED Driving School, the leading driving education provider in the U.K. He is a former director of KT Health, a sports medicine and enthusiast brand; InMotion Entertainment, an airport electronics retailer; Harry’s of London, a luxury men’s footwear retailer; and Arnotts, a landmark Irish department store group.

Tobias holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College.

Ulos is responsible for the management of the wholesale business with daily interaction with clients and customers. He first became associated with Gordon Brothers in 2001 and joined as a full-time employee in 2002, bringing 26 years of management experience. Ulos held a variety of senior-level positions at Dollar General Corporation (a national 16,000-store chain); he was Divisional Vice President at Service Merchandise Corporation, where he supervised the teams responsible for its electronics, housewares, and appliances divisions; and he held several positions with increasing responsibility at the McCrory Stores Corporation and TG&Y Stores.

Ulos is a member of both the regional and national Turnaround Management Association, and is currently President of the Tennessee chapter. He is also a member of the Association for Corporate Growth. He received his BS in Business Administration from Jackson State University in Jackson, MS.