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Sunny Vanderbeck ♦ Randy Eisenman ♦ Tyler Tysdal ♦ John Grafer ♦
Rugger Burke
Jon Gard
♦ Randall Hunt
♦ Danyelle Faulkner
♦ Colin McConnell
♦ Claire McInnis
The members of our investment team have long and successful track records as private equity investors, founders and CEOs of private and public companies, investment bankers, and corporate lawyers. We leverage our diverse skills, experiences and networks to identify, evaluate, and scale sustainably-run businesses. Our managing partners have known each other since the 1990s, and most members on our team have worked together for many years. From our history together, we have developed a robust partnership with shared values and a commitment to become the "buyer of choice" for sustainable businesses.
Sunny Vanderbeck
Managing Partner
Sunny Vanderbeck has a track record of high achievement in all of his endeavors, including as an entrepreneur, CEO, investor, board member, and military leader. Prior to co-founding Satori Capital, Mr. Vanderbeck co-founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of Data Return, a leading provider of managed services and utility computing. As CEO for eleven years, Mr. Vanderbeck led the company through all phases of growth and transformation. The company sustained 40% quarter-over-quarter growth and reached $50 million in revenue after only three years.
With such rapid growth, an impressive customer base, and an innovative and capital-efficient business model, the company attracted strategic investments from Compaq, Level 3, and Microsoft. After a successful IPO, the company achieved a market capitalization in excess of $3 billion, and Mr. Vanderbeck was one of the youngest CEOs ever to lead a NASDAQ company. In recognition of Data Return's industry leadership, Microsoft named Data Return Global Hosting Partner of the Year, while Mr. Vanderbeck received numerous individual honors including being named "Top 25 Technology Executives" and Entrepreneur of the Year finalist by Ernst and Young. In addition, Mr. Vanderbeck is a sought-after speaker at financial and sustainability conferences.
Prior to co-founding Data Return, Mr. Vanderbeck served as a Team Leader at Microsoft, where he focused on supporting Microsoft's largest clients and partners. Through his experience at Microsoft, Mr. Vanderbeck identified a compelling market opportunity that served as the springboard for the launch of Data Return.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Mr. Vanderbeck served as a Section Leader of the 2nd Ranger Battalion (U.S. Special Operations Command). Through this experience, Mr. Vanderbeck learned how to succeed under challenging circumstances while leading others to new levels of performance.
Leveraging his expertise in strategy, operations, and capital allocation, Mr. Vanderbeck is actively engaged with several private businesses as an investor, advisor, and board member. Additionally, Mr. Vanderbeck is a member of Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) where he serves as the North American Co-Chair of the organization's Corporate Social Responsibility Network. In this role, his charter is to develop awareness and support for more sustainable business models among YPO companies.
Watch Sunny speak on conscious capitalism at TEDxAustin 2011.
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Randy Eisenman
Managing Partner
Randy Eisenman operates at the intersection of his passions of investing, entrepreneurship, and sustainability. He is a founding partner of Satori Capital, a private equity firm that invests in profitable, growing, sustainable businesses. The firm partners with management teams to accelerate the growth of companies that are "built to last" and meet a set of criteria that the firm describes as sustainability. These sustainable businesses operate with a commitment to the success of all stakeholders; are driven by strong values and a mission or purpose; and evaluate decisions with a long-term horizon in mind.
Prior to co-founding Satori Capital, Mr. Eisenman spent ten years at Q Investments, a multi-billion dollar private investment firm founded by two former investment advisors to the Bass Family. Mr. Eisenman launched the firm's private equity business and served as a Partner for seven years. He was the youngest to be named Partner in the history of the firm at age 25.
While at Q Investments, Mr. Eisenman founded Handango to capitalize on the emerging mobile content market. Stepping into an operating role as President and Chief Executive Officer, he drove the company's strategy and built a world-class team, positioning Handango as the global leader in the smartphone content market. Handango won numerous awards including being named to the Inc. 500; being named one of the "Best Companies to Work for in America"; and named to the Top 101 Classic Web Sites by PC Magazine. Mr. Eisenman was named as Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of The Year for 2004.
Prior to joining Q Investments, Mr. Eisenman worked as a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs & Co. in the Principal Investments Area, which manages the firm's private equity funds and investments. During his tenure at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Eisenman focused on venture capital, growth equity, and leveraged buyouts in a variety of industries. In earlier positions, he worked as a financial analyst at Bear Stearns, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, and at HBK Investments, one of the world's largest hedge funds.
Today, Mr. Eisenman is involved in a variety of organizations that leverage his skills and passions. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Stagen, a management consulting firm that specializes in building sustainable mid-market companies. He is a member of Investors' Circle, a community of for-profit social entrepreneurs and investors. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Conscious Capitalism, Inc., and a member of Social Venture Network, two nonprofits committed to building a just and sustainable world through business.
Mr. Eisenman is actively involved in Young Presidents Organization (YPO) where he serves as the North America Co-Chairman of the organization's Sustainable Business Network. Additionally, Mr. Eisenman serves on the TCU Entrepreneurial Program Advisory Board and the Board of Trustees of Cook Children's Hospital. He also serves on the Finance Committee of the Fort Worth Country Day School Board of Trustees.
Mr. Eisenman holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Texas, where he graduated with high honors from the Business Honors Program. He lives in Fort Worth, Texas.
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Tyler Tysdal
Managing Director
Tyler Tysdal has a unique skill set and background that has led him to succeed as an entrepreneur, chief executive officer, private equity and debt investor. Prior to joining Satori Capital, Mr. Tysdal served from 2007 - 2010 as the Managing Director of Mantucket Capital, a private investment company with over $1 billion under management. The private equity and debt portfolio included Actagro, Symbius Medical Water Supply & Storage, North Poudre Irrigation Company, and MC Art, LLC.
From 2002 to 2007, Mr. Tysdal was the Managing Partner of TIVIS Capital, a private equity and debt investment company, focused primarily on healthcare and entertainment companies. He is also the co-founder of Sports Shares, a fractional luxury suite club that operates in several major markets. Mr. Tysdal began his career in investment banking with Alex. Brown & Sons. He graduated from Georgetown University with a B.S.B.A. in Finance and earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He is an active member of the Colorado Chapter of Young Presidents Organization (YPO), is involved in the Entrepreneur's Organization, and was a recipient of the Denver Business Journal's 40 Under 40 award.
Mr. Tysdal's philanthropic passion is to bring monitoring and evaluation to the social sector through information technology. He has been on the board of the Colorado chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society as well as a committee in the U.S. to support and grow the United Nations Global Compact for multi-national companies to operate in a more socially-responsible manner regarding the environment, anti-corruption, labor, and human rights. Mr. Tysdal lives in Lone Tree, Colorado. His wife Natalie Tysdal is a news anchor in Colorado and they have three children.
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John Grafer
Principal
John Grafer is a principal at Satori Capital and also serves as its chief financial officer. Prior to joining Satori, Mr. Grafer was senior vice president of Giuliani Partners LLC, a consulting and investment firm founded by former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani. Mr. Grafer assisted with the initiation of a $300 million principal investment alliance with Bear Stearns Merchant Banking (now Irving Place Capital) and served as a full-time deal team member performing deal sourcing, valuation, and acquisition activities for portfolio companies. Mr. Grafer was also responsible for all financial aspects of the firm and its affiliates as well as for making recommendations to the Chairman regarding operations, corporate strategy, human resources, legal, and other issues.
Prior to joining Giuliani Partners in 2003, Mr. Grafer was a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at Credit Suisse First Boston, where he executed exclusive sale transactions in the middle market and provided buy-side mergers and acquisition advice to multinational organizations. From 1991-1999, Mr. Grafer was a member of the Proprietary Trading Group at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., where he hedged $5 billion of daily currency exposure, a founding member and chief financial officer of a startup wide-area networking company, and a senior auditor at Ernst & Young, where he earned his C.P.A.
Throughout his career, Mr. Grafer has periodically assisted Pathway Investments, LLC, a family office, with early stage investments in sustainable companies including Honest Tea, an organic beverage company that emphasizes sustainability in all aspects of its business. The Coca-Cola Company recently acquired all of Honest Tea's stock. Mr. Grafer is also a judge for the McCloskey Business Plan competition at the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business.
Mr. Grafer received an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a B.B.A. in accounting from the University of Notre Dame.
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Rugger Burke
General Counsel & Principal
Rugger Burke is a lawyer by training with an extensive background in business organization, transactions, and finance. He currently holds licenses in several states, including Texas and New York, and has been repeatedly named a “SuperLawyer” in the areas of business law and mergers & acquisitions by Texas Monthly.
In his more than 17 years of practice in the area of business and corporate law, he has worked with a diverse range of publicly-owned and privately-held clients in almost every business sector, from IT services companies to manufacturing to financial services. Additionally, he has provided legal and business counseling to numerous startup companies, guiding many from inception through sale. Further, Mr. Burke has served both as a Master in Chancery as well as a receiver, having been appointed by the courts to take possession of and operate various businesses in a number of proceedings. He has also served as a trained mediator and arbitrator and is licensed by FINRA (formerly the NASD) to serve as a public arbitrator in disputes relating to the securities industry.
Mr. Burke attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he earned both a B.S. in mathematics as well as a J.D. As part of his dedication to community service, Mr. Burke serves as the Chairman of the Board of the SPCA of Texas, Inc.
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Jon Gard
Associate
Jon Gard is an associate at Satori Capital and is responsible for deal sourcing, due diligence, monitoring portfolio investments and other transaction-related issues. Prior to joining Satori, Mr. Gard was an associate at Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC, Chicago's largest buyout fund with more than $18 billion under management. During his two years at Madison Dearborn, Mr. Gard evaluated new investment opportunities and monitored portfolio operations within the building products, basic industrials, financial services and healthcare sectors.
Prior to joining Madison Dearborn, Mr. Gard was an analyst in the Global Healthcare Investment Banking group at Lehman Brothers in New York. While at Lehman, he focused on mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance transactions primarily for healthcare services companies.
Mr. Gard received an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.A. in Economics, magna cum laude, from Wabash College. Mr. Gard is involved with a variety of non-profit organizations, and he and his wife, Natalie, have two children.
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Randall Hunt
Associate
Randall Hunt is an associate at Satori Capital and is responsible for deal sourcing, due diligence, monitoring portfolio investments and other transaction-related issues. Prior to joining Satori, Mr. Hunt was an associate at Chicago Growth Partners, a middle-market private equity firm managing $1.2 billion. During his two years at Chicago Growth Partners, Mr. Hunt sourced and evaluated new investment opportunities and worked with portfolio company senior management on strategic growth initiatives.
Prior to joining Chicago Growth Partners in 2007, Mr. Hunt was an analyst at UBS Investment Bank in Chicago, where he provided merger and acquisition advisory services primarily to the telecom industry.
Mr. Hunt received an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and is a Summa Cum Laude honors graduate from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University where he received a B.S. in business administration with a focused study in finance.
Mr. Hunt has been actively involved on the boards of various non-profit organizations, including the Auxiliary Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital as well as the Private Equity Association of Chicago.
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Danyelle Faulkner
Analyst
Danyelle J. Faulkner is an analyst at Satori Capital. Ms. Faulkner assists the investment team with deal sourcing, due diligence, monitoring investments and other transaction-related issues. Prior to joining Satori, Ms. Faulkner worked at AXA Advisors, LLC.
Ms. Faulkner is a Summa Cum Laude honors graduate from The Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University. She received her B.B.A. in financial consulting and focused additional study concentrations on entrepreneurship and advertising.
Ms. Faulkner received a full academic scholarship to SMU and achieved high honors during her studies there. She was recognized as the Outstanding Financial Consulting Major, Outstanding Entrepreneurship Student, and one of “SMU's most intellectually gifted undergraduates” with her nomination and induction into the Robert Stewart Hyer Society. She also received the highest national recognition a student in business can achieve as a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and was continuously ranked in the top 5% of SMU students on the Honor Roll With High Distinctions.
Ms. Faulkner was a member of the National Honor Societies Phi Theta Kappa and Omega of Texas, was a participant in the Cox B.B.A. Honors Program, and was nominated to join the International Scholar Laureate Program Delegation on Business.
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Colin McConnell
Head of Investor Relations
Colin McConnell is head of Investor Relations and special assistant to the managing partners at Satori Capital. Mr. McConnell works closely with the team on all investor correspondence and assists the managing partners in a number of capacities including fund marketing. His position within the firm allows him to leverage his knowledge of the financial markets with his ability to develop impactful communications in an effort to expand Satori's brand within the investment community.
Prior to joining Satori, Mr. McConnell worked as an associate at Victory Partners, a middle market investment-banking firm focused on sell-side advisory. At Victory, Mr. McConnell assisted with multiple transactions in a number of industries including consumer products, oilfield services, technology, and manufacturing. Among his responsibilities at the firm, he specialized in deal marketing and statistical analysis, and also led a firm-wide outreach program.
Mr. McConnell has assisted a number of other privately held businesses in industries ranging from interactive marketing to mechanical engineering. He holds an M.B.A. from the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University, a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin where he was a member of the Texas Cowboys, and is FINRA Series 7 and 63 licensed.
While earning his M.B.A., Mr. McConnell was named to a team of four students who represented TCU in the Robert H. Smith M&A Case Competition at the University of Maryland in 2008. In 2009, his classmates awarded him with the distinction as “student most likely to create a return for his investors.” In addition to his academic focus at TCU, he worked closely with the Admissions Office on recruiting and he continues to do so today.
Mr. McConnell is involved on the boards of various non-profit organizations in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, where he is an advocate for maintaining the traditions of the city's rich heritage.
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Claire McInnis
Controller
Claire McInnis is controller at Satori Capital and is responsible for accounting, financial reporting, fund administration, tax and cash management for Satori and all of its investments.
Prior to joining Satori, Mrs. McInnis was a Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). She spent six years in the Dallas audit group serving public and private clients in the industrial and consumer products, manufacturing, retail, and construction industries. Mrs. McInnis managed teams through financial statement filings, served as the key contact on technical issues with company executives and evaluated internal controls for her clients. She also spent three years in PwC's Transaction Services - Capital Markets Group in Zurich, Switzerland, where she provided direct accounting and advisory services to global clients, primarily in the auto, pharmaceutical, and telecommunications industries and prepared clients for securities offerings and carve-out transactions.
Prior to joining PwC, Mrs. McInnis spent two years as a financial analyst at Handango, a global leader in the smartphone content market.
Mrs. McInnis received her B.B.A. and masters in public accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a C.P.A. in Texas.
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Jonathan Greenblatt ♦
Craig Lentzsch ♦
Cheryl Rosner ♦
Paul Schlosberg ♦
Christiana Wyly
Satori Operating Partners are former senior executives of leading sustainable companies. Their proven operating skills, deep industry expertise and vast network provide tremendous value to our portfolio companies and firm. These exceptionally talented individuals are intimately involved in sourcing potential opportunities, assisting with due diligence, and advising portfolio companies on strategy and operations.
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Jonathan Greenblatt - Operating Partner, Consumer Products
Jonathan Greenblatt is an experienced corporate executive and social entrepreneur, a member of the faculty at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA where he designed and leads a class on social entrepreneurship, and an acknowledged thought leader on ethical branding.
Mr. Greenblatt formerly served as CEO of GOOD Worldwide where he oversaw its growth from a small publishing company into a diversified media company and lifestyle brand. Prior to his appointment to GOOD, Mr. Greenblatt co-founded Ethos Brands, the business that launched Ethos Water, the premium bottled water that helps children around the world get clean water. In 2005, Starbucks Coffee Company acquired Ethos Water, making it one of only a handful of non-coffee businesses the company has purchased in its 30-plus year history. Mr. Greenblatt served as vice president of consumer products, scaling Ethos through more than 6,000 Starbucks stores across the US. Mr. Greenblatt also served on the board of directors of the Starbucks Foundation and developed Ethos' global investment strategy that has invested millions of dollars to bring clean water to communities in need around the world.
Before starting Ethos Water, Mr. Greenblatt served as a senior executive at REALTOR.com (now Move.com) where he worked in product and management roles, most recently as vice president and general manager of the consumer products division of the company. A former government official specializing in international economics, Mr. Greenblatt recently served on the Technology and Innovation Team of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition effort. He also served as an aide in the Clinton White House and US Department of Commerce. Mr. Greenblatt earned an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.A. cum laude from Tufts University. He lives with his wife, Marjan, and their three sons in Los Angeles, Calif.
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Craig Lentzsch - Operating Partner, Transportation, Distribution & Retail
Craig R. Lentzsch is a senior corporate executive with significant experience in the transportation sector. He has held chief executive officer, president, executive vice president, vice chairman, and board of directors positions for Coach America Holdings, Inc., Greyhound Lines, Inc., Dynamex, Inc., the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission, and the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver.
Mr. Lentzsch served until 2007 as president and chief executive officer of Coach America Holdings, Inc., a former portfolio company of Kohlberg & Company, LLC. With 30 business units located in all major cities in the southern half of the United States, Coach is the premier provider of ground transportation and travel services in its markets. During his tenure, the company's revenues increased from $200 million to more than $400 million.
Prior to Coach America, Mr. Lentzsch served on two different occasions at Greyhound Lines, Inc. Greyhound, publicly traded during Mr. Lentzsch's tenure, is the only nationwide provider of intercity bus transportation services. Mr. Lentzsch first served as vice chairman and executive vice president of Greyhound from 1987 to 1989, when he and his partners acquired Greyhound in a leveraged buyout. When Mr. Lentzsch returned to the company in 1994, he served as president and chief executive officer until 2003. After completing a consensual restructuring in 1995, Mr. Lentzsch executed a turnaround plan that increased passenger volume and profits 50% and 20%, respectively, for each of six years.
Prior to re-joining Greyhound, Mr. Lentzsch served from 1992 to 1994 as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Phoenix-based Motor Coach Industries International, Inc., the largest manufacturer of intercity coaches and transit buses in North America.
In 1980, Mr. Lentzsch co-founded BusLease, Inc., which became the largest lessor of buses in the United States. He previously served on the compensation and audit committees of publicly traded Hastings Entertainment, a multi-media retailer in small and medium-sized markets in the western United States. Mr. Lentzsch also served as chief financial officer and board member for Storehouse, Inc., an Atlanta-based, privately-held, retail chain selling contemporary furniture, and he co-founded Enginetech, Inc., an importer and distributor of automobile engine parts for the United States aftermarket.
In 2008, Mr. Lentzsch was elected to the board of Dynamex, Inc., a publicly traded provider of same-day delivery and logistics services, where he chaired the audit committee and served on the special committee that negotiated the sale of the company in 2010. From 2006 to 2009 he served by Congressional appointment on the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission. Mr. Lentzsch is on the board of directors of the Intermodal Transportation Institute at the University of Denver, where he teaches transportation systems and transportation finance at the masters level. He has completed five years as the chair of the board of trustees for The Winston School in Dallas, Texas. The Winston School serves children with learning differences in the first through the twelfth grades. Mr. Lentzsch served as an officer in the United States Air Force.
Mr. Lentzsch is an honors graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology with a B.S. in applied mathematics and of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School with an M.B.A. concentrating in finance and marketing (top 5%).
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Cheryl Rosner - Operating Partner, Retail & Technology
Cheryl Rosner most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of TicketsNow, the world's largest independent online marketplace for premium event tickets. Prior to joining TicketsNow, Ms. Rosner was instrumental in leading both Expedia Corporate Travel and Hotels.com to unprecedented success. While serving as president of Expedia Corporate Travel from 2005 to 2006, Ms. Rosner directed the group to consistent profitability including the successful launch of two new international divisions in Canada and Germany. Prior to Expedia, Ms. Rosner worked at Hotels.com from 1999 to 2005 in a number of executive capacities prior to becoming president of the company. Ms. Rosner's key accomplishments at Hotels.com include: the successful IPO in 2000, the launch of the company's consumer website in 2002 (leading it to become the 6th most-visited travel site 60 days after launch), creation and development of the company's brand strategy, and award-winning advertising campaigns. In 2004, Ms. Rosner was named one of the "25 Most Influential People in Travel" by Business Travel News.
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Paul Schlosberg - Operating Partner
Paul Schlosberg is Chairman of INCA Group LLC, a private holding company that specializes in facilitating merger and acquisition transactions, developing and executing turnaround and strategic management strategies, and creating and capitalizing corporate entities and public-private partnerships.
Mr. Schlosberg has more than 30 years of experience in strategic business development, financial management, and organization structuring. He enjoyed over 10 years as a member of The NASDAQ Stock Market Listing Qualifications Committee in Washington, D.C. Additionally, he continues to serve actively on public, private, and charitable boards of directors. He holds the associated Audit, Compensation, and Corporate Governance positions on those committees.
In 1982, Mr. Schlosberg joined Bear, Stearns & Co. as an Associate Director and Account Executive, during which time he established a strong portfolio of domestic and international clients. He was subsequently recruited by First Southwest Company to advance and direct the Private Client Services and Asset Management Divisions. At First Southwest, Mr. Schlosberg was recognized for his ability to restructure, scrutinize, and fine-tune balance sheets, income statements, and corporate operations. In 1997, Mr. Schlosberg was asked to serve as President and Chief Operating Officer of First Southwest Company and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of First Southwest Asset Management, Inc., which concluded in his departure from the firms in mid-2003.
Mr. Schlosberg earned an M.B.A. from Southern Methodist University and a B.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin. He completed Corporate Board of Directors Executive Education Courses for four consecutive years at Harvard University where he covered Audit, Compensation, and Governance issues facing boards today. He also holds additional professional licenses and designations including a number of FINRA Securities licenses. His is also is a Real Estate Broker in the State of Texas and a Certified Financial Planner.
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Christiana Wyly - Venture Partner, Consumer Products
Christiana Wyly is an environmental advocate who serves as an evangelist for a sustainable future. Christiana's unique perspective as a twenty-something businesswoman has landed her on the cover of Kiplinger's and inside The New York Times, C Magazine, The Dallas Morning News, and The Herald Tribune among others. In addition to contributing regularly to the HuffingtonPost.com's “Green” column, Christiana is a frequent lecturer. Her recent speaking engagements include the Green Inaugural Ball, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Conscious Capitalism Conference, Hollywood Goes Green in Los Angeles, and the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali.
She was a founding partner of Zaadz.com, an online network for people who want to change the world, which was sold to Gaiam, inc. in 2007. Her passion for social technology, global change, and empowering young entrepreneurs globally keep her on the cutting edge of new media and emerging ideas.
Christiana inspired her father, Sam Wyly's, environmental education, leading him to found one of the largest clean-energy companies in the country, Green Mountain Energy. This experience showed her how business can be a powerful force for change. Christiana remains actively involved in the company, and she and her father are in the process of coauthoring a book about its creation, its ongoing mission, and success.
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Patricia Aburdene ♦
Rusty Butler ♦
Matt Christensen ♦
Joe Colonnetta ♦
Jed Emerson
Jody Grant ♦
John Mackey ♦
Terry Mollner ♦
Paul H. Ray ♦
David B. Wolfe
Satori's Advisory Board represents a cross section of leaders from private equity, commercial banking, academia, publishing, and the broader sustainable business community. These talented advisors support Satori in a variety of ways, including identifying potential portfolio companies, assisting in the evaluation of those companies and helping to unlock value in those companies once Satori has invested in them.
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Patricia Aburdene - Author, "Megatrends" books
Patricia Aburdene is one of the world's leading social forecasters. For 25 years she has been tracking how change impacts business. Through her books, talks and workshops, Ms. Aburdene has helped thousands of organizations and millions of people make the most of social change and transformation.
Co-author of the number one New York Times bestseller Megatrends 2000, Ms. Aburdene's newest book is Megatrends 2010: The Rise of Conscious Capitalism, a blueprint of the social, economic and spiritual trends transforming free enterprise. As the tag line promises, the book describes seven new trends that will transform how you "Live, Work and Invest."
Ms. Aburdene has lectured throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America, Australia and the Pacific Rim. Clients include Adecco, the Professional Coach and Mentor Association, the Management Institute of New Zealand and the Consciousness in Business conference in Santa Fe, N. Mex.
Ms. Aburdene's lifelong career in business journalism began at Forbes in 1978. As a Policy Fellow at Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Mass., from 1993 to 1996, she explored emerging leadership models.
Ms. Aburdene holds a B.A. in philosophy from Newton College of the Sacred Heart (now Boston College), an M.S. in library science from Catholic University and three honorary doctorates. In 1990, she was awarded the Medal of Italy for her interpretation of global trends. Ms. Aburdene lives in Telluride, Colo. and Cambridge, Mass.
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Rusty Butler - Former CFO, Bass family investment arm
Rusty Butler brings over three decades of financial management experience. He served as chief financial officer of Handango. Prior to joining Handango, Mr. Butler served as vice president and chief administrative officer of the Fort Worth-based Bass family's primary investment entity where he was responsible for all financial, accounting, and administrative activities. Previously, Butler served as an audit and tax partner at KPMG for 16 years, where he managed IPOs for many of his clients. ^ Top
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Matt Christensen - Executive Director, EUROSIF (European Sustainable Investment Forum)
Matt Christensen has served as Executive Director of Eurosif since 2002. Eurosif is the premier European think-tank and industry association for sustainable investment with more than 80 Member Affiliates that together represent assets totalling over €1 trillion. Recent activities of Eurosif include its EU Market Study, High Net Worth Individual Sustainability Report, and successful submissions to the EU asking for improved transparency on ESG (environmental/social/governance) issues by companies and funds. Mr. Christensen is a Member of the European Commission Coordination Committee to explore the future of sustainability policy in the EU.
In his personal capacity, Mr. Christensen has recently advised the World Bank, French State Pension Reserve Fund and family offices on their sustainable investment strategies. Mr. Christensen is a frequent speaker at international events on sustainable finance matters regularly meets with financial services institutions as well as the EU, UN and OECD to discuss sustainable strategy approaches and public policy initiatives.
Mr. Christensen was formerly a European Director at The Motley Fool, a leading publisher of information on personal finance and investing. Prior to that, he advised FTSE 100 clients as a strategy consultant with Braxton Associates/Deloitte Consulting. He is a Non-Executive Director to several European investment funds and holds masters degrees from the Wharton School (M.B.A.) and University of Pennsylvania (M.A. - international political economy). In addition to English as his native language, Mr. Christensen is comfortable in Spanish and French.
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Joe Colonnetta - Managing Partner, HM Capital
Joe Colonnetta is a partner at HM Capital Partners, a Dallas-based private equity firm with $12 billion invested across the media, energy, consumer and industrial sectors throughout North and South America and Europe. Mr. Colonnetta's responsibilities include managing the firm's investments by serving as the Lead Director or overseeing the senior management of energy and consumer portfolio companies to ensure the successful execution of the business plan, staging for a range of exit opportunities and managing the final exit. He serves as Chairman of the Board of BlackBrush Energy and Texstar Field Services. He also serves on the Board of Regency Energy and Swift & Company.
Prior to joining HM Capital Partners, Mr. Colonnetta founded and was the chief executive officer of Resource Management Partners (RMP), a management partner to institutional and private equity firms in dealing with their portfolio companies. His responsibilities included serving as interim Vice Chairman, CEO, COO or CFO to help redirect and reposition portfolio companies. Prior to RMP, he was the chief financing officer of TRC, Inc., a $1 billion restaurant and food company. A graduate of the University of Houston in finance, Mr. Colonnetta speaks on corporate performance, turnaround management and corporate governance at Harvard Business School, UCLA's Anderson School, American Institute of Bankruptcy, Turnaround Management Association, YEO and CEO forums. He is also an active member of the National Association of Corporate Directors. After living throughout the U.S. and Mexico on multiple assignments, Mr. Colonnetta and his family settled in Dallas in 1996.
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Jed Emerson - Internationally Recognized Thought Leader in Sustainability
Jed Emerson has extensive experience leading, staffing, and advising funds, firms, social ventures, and foundations pursuing financial performance with social and environmental impact. He is an internationally recognized thought leader in sustainability and sustainable finance, impact investing, social entrepreneurship, and strategic philanthropy. As an academic, he has had faculty appointments at Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford Business Schools.
Mr. Emerson has written extensively about blended value, performance metrics, and capital investment strategies seeking multiple returns. He has presented his work at numerous conferences and events both nationally and internationally - including the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland; the Caisse de Depots in Paris, France; the London Business School, Oxford University, Harvard University, Yale University, University of North Carolina, Northwestern University, and UCLA.
Emerson has played founder roles with some of the nation's leading venture philanthropy, community venture capital, and social enterprises. He has served as Managing Director for Integrated Performance with Uhuru Capital Management, Senior Fellow with Generation Investment Management Foundation, and Project Manager with the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation.
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Jody Grant - Founder & Chairman, Texas Capital Bank; CFO, EDS
Mr. Grant is the outgoing chairman and CEO of Texas Capital Bancshares, a $4.3 billion bank holding company that he founded in 1998. Mr. Grant will assume the role of chairman emeritus and remain a member of the board of directors of Texas Capital.
Except for his role as EVP, CFO, and member of the Board of Directors of EDS Corporation from 1990 to 1998, (where he co-led the company's successful spin-off from its parent General Motors), Mr. Grant has spent the preponderance of his career in commercial banking. He was formerly chairman and CEO of Texas American Bancshares, at the time one of the largest bank holding companies in Texas. While senior vice president and economist of Texas Commerce Bank Houston, he led the effort that formed Texas Commerce Bancshares, which is now part of J.P. Morgan Chase Bank. He was the architect of the bank's expansion strategy and a key member of the team that made the company's first 35 acquisitions. A native of San Antonio, Tex., Grant began his banking career at Citibank in New York City. He is the author of two acclaimed books on the banking industry.
Mr. Grant has an undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University where he was an All-American swimmer, and he received his doctorate and masters degrees from the University of Texas.
In 2001, Mr. Grant received the American Banker "Community Banker of the Year" award. He is a current member of World Presidents Organization and Chief Executive Organization, and a former international president of Young Presidents Organization. He currently serves on the boards of Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation, MD Anderson, Communities Foundation of Texas, Dallas Citizens Council, KERA and Dallas County Community College Foundation.
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John Mackey - Founder & CEO, Whole Foods Market
John Mackey is co-founder and chief executive officer of Whole Foods Market, Inc., based in Austin, Tex. He is widely credited with helping fuel the rise of organic and natural food in the United States.
Mr. Mackey found his passion for organic foods in an unusual manner. In his early 20s, he joined a vegetarian cooperative even though he wasn't vegetarian. He thought living in a co-op would be a great way to meet women. And he was right. He met his girlfriend and eventual business partner Renee Lawson, and he also experienced what he called a "food awakening." In 1978, that epiphany led him and Lawson to open a natural foods grocery store called Safer Way, a counterculture alternative to conventional grocery chain Safeway. Mr. Mackey didn't have an M.B.A., but he claims to have gotten the perfect education for launching a retail store by studying philosophy. Safer Way struggled during its first two years, and he and Lawson eventually teamed up with two competitors to form Whole Foods Market, Inc.
Mr. Mackey attributes the success of Whole Foods to his application of libertarian philosophies and free-market principles. He says he runs the company "with a conscience." Whole Foods is considered the first major grocery chain to adopt humane treatment standards for animals. Mr. Mackey says he gets "a sense of deep meaning and purpose" by helping others improve their quality of life with natural food.
Prior to launching Safer Way, Mr. Mackey tried his hand at being a college student. He attended two universities, but dropped out six times. Still, he says he notched 130 credit hours in electives, mostly in religion and philosophy.
Today, Mr. Mackey lives on a 720-acre ranch west of Austin with his wife, Deborah. They practice yoga and meditation. Mr. Mackey has two books in the works: "The Whole Story," which talks about the company's birth and his business philosophies, and "The FLOW Papers," a collection of essays about a nonprofit organization he co-founded in 2003.
Mr. Mackey loves to read, debate politics, and engage fans and critics on his blog.
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Terry Mollner - Operating Partner, Financial Services
Terry Mollner is one of the pioneers of socially responsible investing as a new asset class in the professional investment community. He is a founder and member of the board of the Calvert Family of Socially Responsible Investment Funds, the largest such family of funds with over $7 billion under management. Dr. Mollner is also the Founder and President of Trusteeship Institute, Inc., a think tank and consulting firm in economic and social development. In existence since 1973, its current focus is on the development of "common good corporations." These are business corporations where the highest priority is the common good of humanity and nature.
Dr. Mollner was a key driver in the sale of Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. He helped prevent the company from being bought by Nestle and eventually facilitated the company being bought by Unilever, his minority partner in the earlier negotiations. Unilever, a very socially responsible multinational, agreed to keep the board of directors in perpetuity by contract and all the social agreements agreed to in the previous negotiations. He now sits on that board, which has primary responsibility for the social mission and brand integrity of Ben & Jerry's.
Dr. Mollner is the author of several books and numerous articles.
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Paul H. Ray - Leading author, sociologist
Paul H. Ray is a renowned author, consultant and sociologist. Much of his work has focused on Cultural Creatives, a term coined by Dr. Ray to describe people whose values embrace a curiosity and concern for the world, its ecosystem, and its peoples; an awareness of and activism for peace and social justice; and an openness to self-actualization through spirituality, psychotherapy, and holistic practices.
Dr. Ray is a founding partner of Integral Partnerships, LLC, designed to help those organizations whose constituencies or customers are Cultural Creatives to be more successful, by aligning their internal activities and values with the values and needs of their constituencies or customers. Dr. Ray has surveyed and classified well over 100,000 Americans in the past thirteen years, showing how the subcultures of values permeate all aspects of American life. During the time of the research reported in the book, he was Executive Vice President of American LIVES, Inc., a market research and opinion polling firm specializing in surveys and focus groups based on the Lifestyles, Interests, Values, Expectations and Symbols of Americans. The research projects that led to discovery of the Cultural Creatives include studies of the effects of values on consumer choices and preferences of Americans in housing, cars, food, recreation, vacation travel, finances, health, political causes (e.g., environment), media use, and altruism; and he also leads studies of innovation by consumers and business. He still consults with American LIVES on research.
Over the past 30 years, Dr. Ray has headed research on more than 100 major research and consulting projects, and written reports on them all. Major sponsors and clients include Del Webb Corporation; Energy, Mines and Resources, Government of Canada; Environmental Protection Agency; Fetzer Institute; Gaiam, Inc.; General Motors; Hewlett-Packard; Institute of Noetic Sciences; Kaufman and Broad; Nissan North America; NYNEX; Pacific Homes Retirement Communities; Pulte Homebuilding; Rayco; Readers Digest; SRI International; Sundance; The City of Detroit; The City of Newport Beach; The City of Palm Springs; The Fieldstone Company; The National Science Foundation; The Nevele Hotel; The New York Times; The Province of Ontario; The State of Michigan; Urban Land Institute; US Tennis Association.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Ray was chief of policy research on energy conservation, Department of Energy, Mines and Resources of the Government of Canada. He was previously Associate Professor of Urban Planning and a Faculty Associate of the Institute for Social Research, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Dr. Ray received a B.A. cum laude in anthropology from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Michigan.
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David B. Wolfe - Author, "Firms Of Endearment"
David B. Wolfe is an internationally recognized expert in consumer behavior, with a focus on the New Customer Majority — adults over 40 who now outnumber younger adults 128 million to 85 million and account for over two-thirds of consumer spending.
Mr. Wolfe has authored more than 100 essays and articles, many of which have appeared in well-known trade and professional publications. He is widely known for turning new insights from brain research about how people take in information, form perceptions, think and make decisions into actionable marketing concepts.
His newest book, Firms of Endearment: How World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose, discusses how winning businesses can be built in the new age of transcendence. In this book, he presents a compelling case supported by plenty of data that shows that each stakeholder in an organization tends to thrive best when all stakeholders thrive. That is, no stakeholder group is more important than any other. "It is disciplined dedication to the well-being of all stakeholders that separates firms of endearment from their competition." Mr. Wolfe shows how stakeholder relationship management (SRM) can achieve and then sustain superior business performance that, in turn, will create a decisive competitive advantage. Mr. Wolfe advocates that SRM business models will increasingly be seen "as the most efficacious way to achieve sustained superior business performance in years to come".
Mr. Wolfe is a frequent keynote speaker at business and professional conferences and conducts private workshops tailored to client needs and circumstances. Mr. Wolfe's clients include American Express, Alexander Life Insurance, AARP, Coca-Cola, Del Webb, Ford Motor Company, Kimberly-Clarke, Marriott, MetLife, PacifiCare, PruCare, Schwann's Foods, and Textron.
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