About the TA Tiger Team

The TA Tiger Team is a subset of the NYC Vistage Trusted Advisors Group. We are individuals who are committed to providing value to owners and leaders of small and mid-sized business. The TA Tiger Team is especially dedicated to the welfare of these companies within the world-wide Vistage community.

We provide expertise in areas that include sales and marketing, legal, finance, operations, insurance, health and wellness, information systems, management consulting, and coaching.

The TA Tiger Team’s mission is to provide “first responder” advice to Vistage members who are in need and who qualify for our help. This typically involves one to three separate conversations (on a pro bono basis) whereby we assess the issues and provide immediate advice to put stakeholders on a path to resolution. Thereafter, an organization may retain specific expertise as needed.

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Tiger Team Leads

Mark Taylor, Master Vistage Chair

Mark is a retired CEO who has founded several successful companies. One became the 58th fastest growing company in the state (sold in 2005). Another, a high-tech Internet startup raised $20 million. He brings a 35-year history as an accomplished corporate executive, leader, and CEO. Mark is a certified coach (from 5 institutions) specializing in helping CEOs. His mission is to positively impact the world by raising leadership effectiveness.

Mark runs eight Vistage Groups consisting of top-notch CEO’s and key executives in Manhattan. All Vistage group leaders referred to as “Vistage Chairs,” are selected because they possess a passion for helping others, high emotional intelligence (EQ), and vast business experience. Mark has the Master Chair designation which is only awarded to the most exemplary Vistage Chairs (ranked internationally). In fact, Mark has been ranked in the top 20 of all chairs every month in recent years. He is the recipient of the coveted STAR award for exceptional chairs.

Charles Bernard, Sales Training

Charles Bernard is the Founder and CEO of Criteria for Success, Inc., a sales growth and management consulting company located in the heart of Manhattan. He is an accomplished speaker that has trained thousands of CEOs, Sales Managers, and Salespeople on the art of business relationships, growing revenue, and overcoming challenges.

With over 20 years of experience in direct sales, sales management, recruiting, and training, Charles is a subject-matter expert with a knack for troubleshooting.

5 Problems Charles Solves:

  1. Sales organizations not having a system for selling
  2. The sales team not being aligned with the rest of the company
  3. Poor prospecting to generate quality leads
  4. Poor conversion/closing rate
  5. Not hitting revenue/profit targets

Gil Fishman, Insurance

Senior Risk Advisor at York International Agency. York is a privately owned (ESOP) insurance brokerage and risk management firm. We are in Harrison, NY, have 65 employees, top 100 insurance brokers in the US, revenue $25M, Assurex Global Partner and dedicated to bringing risk management Best practices to our diverse clientele.

Our continued growth is a direct result of a client-first culture throughout our 30+ year history. York’s insurance services include: property and casualty, benefits (medical, life and disability) and hi net worth individuals doing personal insurance.

Category expertise: real estate, staffing, professional firms (accounting and legal), nonprofits, importers/distributors, hospitality and private equity firms.

They employ a strategic process that helps businesses take a very different approach to the insurance buying process. Ultimately it creates more control and options for their clients.

Some examples are:

  • Workers Comp – process to manage claims effectively and offer alternative risk transfer mechanisms.
  • Liability – offering alternatives in the Captive space.
  • Property / Casualty – York’s workshop has been instrumental in negotiating better terms and pricing with underwriters.
  • Benefits – offering a technology platform, improving control and help lowering cost by 10+% as a result of their risk assessment process for the large group markets (50-1500 employees). The cost savings is accomplished without making any diminution of the current plan.
  • Personal lines – homeowners, umbrella and valuable articles. Have access to all top tier markets that bring efficiencies in cost and coverage.
  • Cyber Security – specialized department that’s capable of doing a diagnostic study and customizing a Cyber insurance program.

Steven Nicokiris, CPA

Vistage member for 5 years+ Steven, CPA and Managing Director with CBIZ MHM, LLC, a firm ranked among the top 10 accounting providers in the country. Steve and his firm provide hands-on practical business solutions to client’s challenges that goes above and beyond client expectations.

Vistage Networks Steven Belongs To

  • Deal Network
  • Entrepreneurs and Small Business
  • Family Business
  • Global Business
  • Golf
  • Logistics, Distribution and Transportation
  • Manufacturing
  • Travel, Food and Wine
  • Wholesale and Retail

Amy B. Goldsmith, IP/Cyber Law

Successful, profitable businesses share certain characteristics: immediately recognizable brands, desirable products or services, and a strategic plan which minimizes legal risks. As co-chair of the Intellectual Property Group at Tarter Krinsky & Drogin, Amy B. Goldsmith partners with clients to provide practical legal advice and connections to grow their businesses.

A strategic advisor, she guides clients in all stages of their development from idea conception and protection, to funding, manufacturing and enforcement. She designs privacy policies, terms of use, end-user license agreements and SAAS agreements that make sense for each business and helps clients navigate the complexities of privacy and cybersecurity.

She will advise you whether your trademark is available in the United States and globally, if patents should be a part of your strategy, and if your design team’s new product shares too many features of the competition’s copyrighted bestseller. She will design contracts that make sense. Amy will also guide you through the clearance process, whether the subject matter is books, movies or live action. If a dispute is on the horizon, she will be by your side until a fair resolution is reached.

Amy protects the global interests of national and international clients in a wide variety of industries, including fashion, cosmetics, pet products, publishing, medical devices, restaurants and food, exercise equipment, web-based business applications and telecommunications platforms, and consumer and designer goods.

Amy has served as a Vice President of the New York Women’s Bar Association and has co-managed their continuing legal education programs for several years. She is on the Board of Directors of Savvy Ladies, a non-profit whose mission is to educate women to be financially savvy. Amy also was a speaker at and served on the Advisory Board for TedxTimesSquare.

I participate in these Vistage Networks:

  • Coronavirus
  • Deal
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Entrepreneurs and Small Business
  • Global Business
  • Healthcare
  • Manufacturing
  • Marketing and Media
  • Nonprofit
  • Professional Services
  • Purpose-Driven Business
  • Technology
  • Wholesale and Retail
  • Women in Leadership

Joe Beccalori, Digital Marketing

Joe Beccalori is a twenty-two-year digital marketing veteran and industry thought leader. After working for fifteen years in enterprise web programming, design, and marketing services he founded Interact Marketing in November 2007 and is currently the company CEO, visionary, and public speaker. He is also a contributing author on Forbes, Huffington Post, and Relevance.com. In December of 2017, Interact’s parent company also acquired Slingshot SEO.

Headquartered in New York, Interact utilizes a broad spectrum of online marketing strategies to establish high awareness, web traffic and conversion rates for over 200 clients worldwide since inception. Interact has evolved into a full-service digital agency with over twenty-three team members including certified specialists in design, programming, search, social media , reputation management, and marketing technology and is the fastest growing agency in New York’s Hudson Valley region with 472% organic revenue growth in less than five years (2010-2015).

David Brazda, Outsourced Accounting

AccountingDepartment.com solves for:

  • Absence of processes & procedures
  • Lack of accounting automation & technology
  • Inaccurate/late financial reporting
  • Internal staff lack skill & expertise

Service Team:
140+ Full-Time, W-2 professionals (all U.S. based):

  • Highly trained & technology-certified staff
  • Dedicated Accounting Specialist & Controller team
  • Implements custom-documented workflow
  • Produces timely, accurate monthly financials

Vistage Networks:

  • Deal Network
  • Entrepreneurs and Small Business Network
  • Family Business Network
  • Financial Services Network
  • Healthcare Network
  • Manufacturing Network
  • Professional Services Network
  • Technology Network
  • Marketing and Media Network

William Byers, Real Estate Law

William Byers, Jr. is a member of Rosenberg & Estis, P.C., a law firm specializing in commercial real estate. Mr. Byers is the Co-Chair of the Leasing Department and works on a myriad of transactional matters including negotiating, drafting and advising on the leasing of office, retail, restaurant, garage and ground, partnerships and joint ventures, sales and acquisitions and easements.

Since 1975, Rosenberg & Estis has been helping shape NYC’s skyline. With over 80 attorneys, Rosenberg & Estis is NYC’s largest law firm focused solely on real estate and prides itself in providing both legal and business perspectives in assisting its clients. The main areas of practice for Rosenberg & Estis are administrative/rent regulations, construction, co-op/condo, litigation, opportunity zones, property tax (certiorari), reorganizations and bankruptcy, state and federal appeals, tax incentives and affordable housing, transactions, zoning and land use.

Representative Transactions:
Representation of the Durst Organization in connection with its the negotiation of its joint venture with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey with regard to One World Trade Center, and the representation of the joint venture in connection with the completion and ongoing leasing and operations of One World Trade Center.

Representation of various property owners in connection with easement agreements with the City of New York, the MTA and Hudson Yards Corporation.

Representation of various landlords and tenants in leasing agreements including complex corporate campus leases and anchor tenant leases containing various sophisticated rent structures, extension and expansion options, and springing requirements for landlords to purchase additional property to accommodate future tenant expansions.

Representation of sellers, purchasers and borrowers in various sales and purchase agreements and loans.

Vistage Networks:

  • Real Estate
  • Coronavirus
  • Golf

Brian F. Califano, Outsourced CFO

AcceleratingCFO is a fractional CFO firm that provides accounting and financial consulting for companies that can’t justify hiring a CFO on a full-time basis. Co-founded by Brian Califano, our services include financial modeling, assistance in capital raising (debt and equity), financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting and mergers and acquisition activities.

After spending over twenty years working for such companies as Viacom, The McGraw-Hill Companies and the National Hockey League, Brian is now focused on what he is passionate about – partnering with entrepreneurs and small business owners to meet and exceed the goals of their business. With his wealth of experience in all aspects of accounting and finance functions, Brian is a dynamic and versatile finance advisor, with extensive experience in auditing, SEC reporting, regulatory compliance, accounts payable and receivable, mergers & acquisitions, corporate accounting, financial closing activities, Sarbanes-Oxley, treasury functions and implementing SAP, Hyperion and Oracle financial applications. He is a detail-oriented communicator, who possesses the ability to explain complex financial concepts to financially inexperienced individuals. He is a highly qualified performer who secures lasting success with a solid commitment to excellence. He is a certified public accountant licensed in New York State. He has a BBA in Accounting from Hofstra University and an MBA in Finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Specialties: Accounting & business consulting, executive reporting, certified public accountant, MBA, mergers & acquisitions, IPO process, S-1 filings, systems integration, financial reporting, Sarbanes-Oxley, accounting technical research, entrepreneurs, small & mid-sized companies, SAP, Oracle, Hyperion, Sports industry, Entertainment industry, Publishing industry, Education, Chief Financial Officer

Jason B. Klimpl, Employment Law

Jason is an attorney and partner at Tannenbaum Helpern and advises clients on a broad range of employment law matters, such as: wage and hour compliance, equal opportunity actions and policies, employment agreements and restrictive covenants, healthcare reform implementation, independent contractor and consulting issues, reductions in force, technology and privacy concerns, and human resources and compliance counseling.

Jason also serves as general counsel to the New York Staffing Association.

Vistage Networks:

  • Legislation and Government Policy
  • Professional Services
  • Talent Strategies
  • Coronavirus

Tom Conlon, Creative Services

Tom Conlon is founder of the award-winning creative services, branding, and design studio, North Street, with offices in New York City and Providence, RI. As company lead, Tom oversees an interdisciplinary team of visual designers, strategists, content creators, and engineers focused on serving the financial, B2B professional services, and corporate sectors.

As a creative strategy and execution partner, North Street is skilled and experienced in designing visual identity systems, brand messaging platforms, campaigns, websites, and marketing materials.

Tom is qualified to advise on:
– Branding
– Brand positioning
– Copywriting
– Design
– Creative best practices
– ADA accessibility
– Website design and optimization
– EOS / Traction

Prior to founding North Street in 2010, Tom was a designer, developer, and writer/editor for such content publishers as Wired, Men’s Journal, Maxim, AOL, and Popular Science.

 

Alan Spierer

The practice I founded 35 years ago advises on over two billion dollars of client assets comprised of over 125 families and 70 corporate clients. They include public, private and not-for-profit organizations. In addition to being an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF), I have created long term relationships, helping families and business understand their financial world and create comprehensive plans. Our UBS Institutional Consulting team has pioneered innovative strategies uniquely designed to support trusted advisors to the C Suite.

In addition, we create value for clients by providing a synergistic partnership with ERISA attorneys, 401(k) auditing firms, financial advisors, and investment bankers.

In 2016 I had the honor of being selected Chair of the Retirement Advisor Council’s Government Affairs Committee. I’m currently a member of the National Association of Plan Advisors Government Affairs Committee, President of the NY Chapter of the Worldwide Employee Benefits Network (WEB), and on the WEB National Board of Directors as Co-Communications Chair. Most recently I was asked to join a Vistage Trusted Advisors Group, an executive coaching organization for Chief Executive Officers and their leadership teams.

Dave Lorenzo

Since 1989 Dave Lorenzo has helped B2B focused professionals increase client lifetime value, shorten the sales cycle and build high-impact sales teams. Dave Lorenzo is the Godfather of Growth. If you want to build a professional firm, close deals faster, and make more money from your existing clients, Dave is the guy you need to know.

Three things make Dave different:

1. A focus on solutions that last for the life of your business. Dave will analyze your client relationships and develop systems that deliver value for decades.

2. Dedication to B2B professionals. You cannot sell B2B services like you sell soap or cars. Dave’s entire career has been dedicated to helping people like you grow high-ticket sales.

3. Connections. During his 30-year career, Dave has developed a community of professionals and he is a catalyst for opportunity discovery, referrals, and organic growth. Ask him to connect you with your next big client.

Shirley B. Mowery, Code & Zoning Consulting, Permit Expediting

Senior Vice President at Milrose Consultants, a nationwide Code and Zoning consulting and permit expediting firm, representing real estate agents, owners, developers, architects and engineers.

With decades of experience navigating the complex municipal compliance path, and all the varies agencies that require permits and approvals, Milrose ensures that the designs being proposed by the professionals are in accordance with all local codes. We try to mitigate any potential roadblocks making the process smoother for our clients, helping them maintain construction schedules and accelerating occupancy.

John Simons, M&A

John Simons founded Corporate Fuel in 2005, after having spent 22 years as a commercial banker and advisor to small and mid-size businesses and the families that own them. John was formerly an Executive Vice President for Bank of America (formerly Fleet National Bank) in the Regional Commercial Services Group, responsible for small business, middle market and corporate banking in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and the Hudson Valley area.

He was also Market Executive for FleetBoston Financial’s activities in New York City. Prior to joining Fleet, John was a Senior Vice President with Chase Manhattan Bank. He began his career with Chemical Bank in 1983.

John is the Chairman of The United Hospital Fund, a former Trustee of amfAR, The American Foundation for Aids Research, and a former Trustee of the Brooklyn Academy of Music. John was also Chairman of the Lincoln Center Business Council and a member of Lincoln Center Corporate Fund. John was appointed by Mayor Bloomberg in 2003 to be a member of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. John has a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College.