Strategic Acquisitions Group, LLC

Strategic Acquisitions Group (SAG) is a private investment company focused on acquiring and managing real estate and acquiring and growing exceptional operating businesses.

Chief Financial Officer

Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at the University of Tennessee

The Startup Coach program (formerly the Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, or EIR, program) features a diverse team of industry experts to offer tailored guidance that precisely addresses each startup’s unique challenges. Startup Coaches interact with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners, offering strategic advising, introductions and accountability.
“As the Anderson Center grows, we’re thrilled to be able to provide specialized coaching and support to our entrepreneurs through our talented team of Startup Coaches,” said Breanna Hale, ACEI executive director. “We now have nine experts in business creation, all with different backgrounds and skill sets that will benefit our startups in various stages and industries. They are an incredible resource to our UT entrepreneurs, and a phenomenal asset to our team.”
Startup Coaches can help with a variety of entrepreneurial scenarios, from discussing ideas to developing business strategies or assessing the readiness of a product to go to market.

ACEI Startup Coach

E-Jay Thermo, Inc.

E-Jay Thermo Inc. supports the aluminum industry with unique consumable products which support and improve the handling of molten aluminum during the entire life cycle including primary smelting, recycling, and manufacturing using aluminum. From our facility in Lenoir City, TN we ship throughout North America and overseas, supporting companies both large and small.

www.ejaythermo.com

Operating Partner

Dalen Products

For more than 40 years, Dalen Products has provided gardeners with solutions to better enjoy their yards and gardens. We focus on sustainable, USA-manufactured products and have uncompromising standards of quality and performance.

Director of Finance

Avkem

I held several key leadership roles at Avkem, a private equity owned, global manufacturing and industrial organization specializing in chemicals and foundry-related products. I was instrumental in achieving unprecedented YOY growth by restructuring operations and aligning processes, teams, and financial management strategies with company goals. This comprehensive approach and an unwavering commitment to new business discovery allowed us to identify potential revenue streams, diversify product offerings, and systematically enhance distribution pathways to extend market reach in global environments. Through a deep understanding of industry drivers, I spearheaded several full spectrum initiatives that dramatically improved profit margin and leveraged resource reallocation, cost-reduction frameworks, and Lean Six Sigma methodologies to outperform internal KPI goals while outmaneuvering the competition. I was fortunate to work with an amazing team of talented, highly skilled individuals and I relentlessly worked to equip leaders with the tools necessary for success in an effort to establish a cohesive culture grounded in common goals.

By directing the organization towards a value-added model, I was able to cultivate solid relationships with industry-leading clients while simultaneously securing viable margins with excellent contract retention rates. I also facilitated an M&A project that purchased a Michigan-based company and effectively integrated production processes into our operations, resulting in double-digit margin gains for a large component of our product portfolio. Throughout my time at Basic Resources/Avkem, I was able to achieve sustained expansion with historic levels of growth, which advantageously positioned Basic Resources to sell to Avkem. After leading the transition to Avkem, the equity buyout subsequently provided stakeholders with an excellent ROI.

Basic Resources, Inc.

Basic Resources, Inc. supports the metals industry with superior quality and unmatched service and has developed an outstanding reputation in the industry by building long-term partnerships with clients, suppliers, employees, and the surrounding community. During this time period, I spearheaded numerous initiatives that expanded brand presence within the market, generated significant revenue growth, and strengthened performance across a wide range of KPIs.

President and CEO

ARC Automotive, Inc.

My role at ARC was multifaceted and centered around managing financial reporting, cap-ex strategies, and cost reduction initiatives designed to improve profitability. I was integrally involved in managing critical aspects of an M&A project and developing reporting, creating projections, and showcasing financial performance data to support the transition process. I also cultivated an outstanding accounting team with offices in Mexico, China, and the United States while establishing best practices to ensure standardization and adherence to best practices. During my experience at ARC, I was involved in managing a mission-critical ERP migration project that produced enterprise-wide gains in reporting quality and provided a more granular understanding of cost, scrap, labor, and other key metrics.

Controller

ImagePoint

At ImagePoint, I managed financial-related processes spanning general ledger accounting, monthly closing, and year-end reporting as well as designing in-depth financial analysis tools for multiple business units. This data played an integral role in continuous improvement and strategic planning efforts, resulting in improved insight into company-wide financial performance.

Financial Analyst

As a Business Executive with over 20 years of experience, I have a career history of managing operations both large and small and proven expertise in aligning processes and teams to position organizations for both growth and sustainability. Throughout my career, I have held CEO, COO, and CFO roles that have given me the opportunity to develop tactical business expansion plans and create goal-driven strategies that produced unprecedented gains in gross revenue as well as cash flow.

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