New Phase Advisory Services Managing Partner, Gary Varney, is a seasoned senior financial executive with over 25 years of business experience in small and mid-size firms with a heavy concentration in high growth start-ups and early stage enterprises.
Prior to creating his own consulting practice, Mr. Varney spent five years as the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Leading Edge Logistics, an international third party logistics firm based in Broomall, Pennsylvania and helped double the size of the company through organic growth as well as acquisitions. Prior to joining Leading Edge Logistics, Mr. Varney worked as VP of Finance in the private aviation sector creating one of the premiere private jet management firms in the industry, JetDirect Aviation, based in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. Private equity backed JetDirect started in 2005 and grew through M&A activity to be a $600 million revenue company by mid-2007. Prior to joining JetDirect, Mr. Varney spent six years as Controller of private equity backed Alliance One Incorporated, a nationwide provider of accounts receivable management services based in Exton, Pennsylvania. Mr. Varney participated in the growth of Alliance One through numerous acquisitions from its inception in 1999 to create a $130 million revenue company by 2005. From 1990 to 1999, he was Controller of Artesian Water Company, a $25 million publicly traded water utility based in Newark, Delaware. Prior to Artesian Water Company, Mr. Varney worked for two years as Assistant Controller for a $30 million Wilmington, Delaware based highway and bridge construction company.
Mr. Varney is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Management Accountant (inactive licenses as of 2024), and earned his B.S. in accounting from the University of Delaware.
Continue reading →Geoff Warrell is a hands-on senior level executive with over 25 years of extensive financial, administrative, business valuations for sale and purchase of portfolio businesses and IRS filings, operational and internal accounting experience in diverse industries. Geoff exhibits proven abilities and skills to enhance operations, impact business growth and maximize profits through financial management, cost reductions, internal controls, and productivity and efficiency improvements. He possesses strong qualifications in general management, operational & financial accounting, cash management, business planning & forecasting, budget control, staff development and leadership. Geoff has participated in all facets of the merger and acquisition process including valuing acquisition candidates, negotiating and successfully bringing dozens of transactions to fruition ranging in value from $500,000 to $100 million. Over his career, Mr. Warrell has been integral in sourcing and negotiating capital raises in excess of $650 million of equity, mezzanine and senior growth and acquisition capital. Geoff has designed many financial reporting structures and general ledgers for many distinct businesses in a variety of industries. Over the years, Geoff has introduced a variety of cost reduction initiatives which saved millions of dollars for the portfolio companies he has managed. He has also effectively negotiated broad collective bargaining agreements to realize significant salary and benefit reductions for his companies. Geoff has advanced knowledge of computers and financial software applications. Over the years, Mr. Warrell has served on the Board of Directors for a variety of companies. Geoff received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from The Ohio State University.
Continue reading →Tony Perez is a seasoned senior financial executive with over 30 years of business experience in small and multinational mid-size firms with a heavy finance concentration in the areas of accounting, auditing, financial analysis and management, process improvement, and business systems integration with particular expertise in start ups in Latin and Central America. Mr. Perez spent six years as the Corporate Controller for Leading Edge Logistics, an international third party logistics firm based in Broomall, Pennsylvania and helped double the size of the company through organic growth as well as acquisitions including expansion into Mexico and the Caribbean. Prior to joining Leading Edge Logistics Mr. Perez worked for Seton Company, based in Norristown, Pennsylvania, a multinational leather company serving the auto industry worldwide. During his six years Mr. Perez developed and implemented an international audit function, serving as its first Manager of Internal Audit as well as a shared services organization in Costa Rica serving as its Interim General Manager offering diverse accounting services in multicultural environments. Prior to joining Seton, Mr. Perez worked as VP of Finance for Harriett’s Oil Services, a small family owned company based in Medford, New Jersey specializing in the heating and air-conditioning business. From 1981 to 1999, Mr. Perez worked for FMC Corporation a $4 Billion multinational agricultural chemical company based in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. These were the formative years as Mr. Perez was involved with all aspects of Accounting, Business and Financial Analysis, Budgeting and Strategic Planning, Communications, Automated Systems Development, Process Improvement and Management and Staff Development. Mr. Perez earned a BA in Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a MBA in Finance from St. Joseph’s University. He is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Continue reading →Jim McCaughan is a seasoned senior financial executive with over 40 years of business experience in various financial and operating positions for both large entities and private equity start up organizations.
Most recently Jim was the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of De Lage Landen, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rabobank, headquartered in the Netherlands. As the CFO of the U.S. operations for De Lage Landen, Jim was responsible for the oversight of its $11 Billion portfolio, financial reporting, tax compliance, risk management, treasury activities and project management. Prior to De Lage Landen, Jim was part of the start-up group that created Campus Crest Communities (NYSE – CCG) based in Charlotte, NC. Campus Crest Communities is an off campus student housing organization that distinguishes itself by finding and developing unique properties, internally provides all construction activities and manages the student properties. Jim’s career started in public accounting working at Coopers & Lybrand where he was a senior/in charge accountant. He then worked at Ford Motor Company performing internal audits and working on special projects for the Finance team. Jim then had the opportunity to be involved in a start-up company, National Railway Utilization Corporation (NASDAQ – NRUC) based in Greenville, SC as the Corporate Controller. His responsibilities included the preparation of the S-1 for the initial public offering along with all SEC required reporting. For 20 years Jim worked at Rollins Leasing Corp (NYSE-RLC) where he served in a variety of financial executive positions including Corporate Controller, Vice President Controller/Treasurer and ultimately Chief Financial Officer and head of all Administrative functions. During his tenure at Rollins he oversaw over 24 acquisitions, major system improvements including a successful ERP implementation and ultimately the sale of Rollins Leasing Corp to Penske Truck Leasing.
For one year Jim was provided the opportunity by Roger Penske to lead a team to integrate Rollins Leasing Corp and Penske Truck Leasing into one operating entity. Overall responsibilities included the consolidation of all management teams, real estate (723 facilities), operations, IT and accounting systems. In 2001 Jim joined a small venture capital firm (CD Ventures) as a partner. Overall responsibilities included transaction management, due diligence, integration, bank relations and financial management. Jim attended Villanova University and earned his B.S. in Business Administration and also attended St. Joseph’s University and earned his M.B.A. in Accounting and Finance.
Continue reading →Mario Rivello, managing partner of Lever Management Group, has nearly 20 years of experience in senior operational and engineering management roles working with a vast range of small, mid-sized, and large companies. Mario has provided strategic development services and advised companies on operational efficiency, cost control, growth strategy, and succession planning. His experience spans across several industries ranging from manufacturing to construction to high-tech. He has worked directly with company shareholders and executive management in an operational capacity to improve, restructure, and/or turn around a number of businesses and has counseled various companies on matters related to capital structure, marketing, product development, and exit strategy. Mario has held several management positions in diversified businesses for the DuPont Company and recently served as an executive at a mid-sized company specializing in manufacturing and building pre-engineered cancer treatment facilities across the world. In roles related to production, manufacturing, construction, and program management, he has led teams of engineers, finance personnel, construction managers, and technical experts to complete over 100 programs valued at over $50 million. He is also Six Sigma certified and has successfully completed over a dozen Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing assignments related to operational uptime, asset reliability, production output, inventory control, and energy management. Mario also serves as a Director and Trustee on several Boards throughout the Greater Philadelphia region in areas related to economic development, education, and charitable contributions. He holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University and has completed graduate work in finance, economics, operations management, and engineering management.
Continue reading →Bob Williams is a seasoned senior financial executive with over 30 years of business experience in small and mid-size CPA firms and private industry with a heavy concentration in strategic planning. Bob spent over fifteen years as the Chief Financial Officer for a national agricultural company based in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania where he integrated complex tax planning, banking and legal relationships, along with other disciplines in order to provide optimal results of all these disciplines. In addition, Bob played key roles in acquisition and growth analysis. His career started in public accounting with a Baltimore, Maryland based regional firm. Bob has also served on various nonprofit board of directors. Bob earned his B.S. in accounting from West Chester University.
Continue reading →Joe Julian is a hands-on senior level executive with over 25 years of accounting and finance experience primarily in the construction industry. Joe has participated in all aspects of a construction business operating his own business, Brandywine Valley Construction, from 2010 through 2015 specializing in home renovation, maintenance and landscaping services. Prior to being in business for himself, Joe worked in his family’s construction business, James Julian, Inc., from 1990 through 2009 starting as a staff accountant and working his way up to Controller. Joe has two years of experience working in the mushroom industry. Mr. Julian received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Widener University.
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