BUSINESS VALUE ACCELERATION
It All Starts With Purpose
We believe every organization performs at its best when the management team understands its purpose, mission, vision, and how its core competencies uniquely meet a market pain or need. It is only after this alignment that profit-enhancing competitive strategies can lead to success. Every Emerge Dynamics partnership is executed with this approach at its core.
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Our VERITAS Values
Vision and Virtue
Excellence
Respect
Integrity
Trust
Accountability
Service
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Our Mission
We’re on a mission to improve the lives of business owners and their employees by increasing the market value and wealth transfer-ability of the private middle market around the world.
Our Vision
Our vision is of a world in which all businesses reach their fullest potential and become the best version of themselves.
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Businesses do this by:
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Creating an engaging environment where all employees live the company mission and vision to build their community by serving their customers in their own unique way.
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Understanding that all proper profits and returns on investment come only from improving customers’ lives by delivering products and services to them at better prices and/or higher quality than they could have had on their own.
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Understanding the assets invested in their business and how to deploy them to maximize returns.
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Embarking on a quest of value maximization by:
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maturing the organization (reducing company specific risk),
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implementing scale-able business processes,
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increasing team alignment, and
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building a methodical road map of organic or acquisition growth.
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Being ready, when the time comes for ownership transition, to do so in a way that maximizes wealth to the selling owner, rewards employees for their participation in creating that value, and allows a buyer to realize the full value that has been built within the organization.
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Business Value Acceleration
We call ourselves Business Value Growth Accelerators because we go well-beyond what traditional advisors or investors do. We dive into your business and guide you through formulating a strategic plan that help you emerge from your peers. We roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty. We work with you not only to find your emergent path, but to articulate and implement.
Global Impact
While each culture will have variations in legal structures and how marketing messages are received by target markets, we believe the core value drivers of business are universal and timeliness. We rely on local experts to navigate foreign market nuances while augmenting the core organization with value-driven support. When we view a profitable business primarily as a core building block of society that provides needed products and services to its community, our value growth processes are equally applicable in any country that offers a reasonable protection of property rights.
Our Team
David Cusimano, Principal
Phone: 504-206-3833 ext 707
Eric Wingerter, Partner
Phone: 504-206-3833 ext 708
David Cusimano has been working for over fifteen years with small and middle-market private companies in capacities ranging from entrepreneur to middle-market investment banker and M&A advisor. He has led numerous strategic planning, M&A valuation, financial analysis, and CFO engagements.
David's diverse career is tied together by the unifying theme of identifying opportunities where others see problems and wrapping strategies of success around them.
After beginning his career as an aeronautical engineer for Lockheed Martin, he made a transition to business by founding a flight training company and an air charter company. Since that time, he has worked as a partner or advisor with numerous businesses in the United States and internationally.
In addition to working with Emerge Dynamics, David facilitates the financial modules of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program, has taught economics courses at both Tulane University and Delgado Community College, a Mergers and Acquisitions course at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain. David holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Louisiana State University, an M.A. in Economics from University of Texas at Arlington, an M.B.A. with finance and international business concentrations from Tulane University, and the Certified Turnaround Analyst (CTA), Certified Merger and Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA), Certified Value Builder (CVBA), and the Certified Value Growth Advisor (CVGA) designations.
David resides in New Orleans with his wife and five children. He enjoys flying, diving, hiking, visiting and learning from foreign cultures, and being an advocate for those discovering how a calling to business can lead to a fulfilling vocation of improving our world.
David has built a strong team of advisors who have worked with hundreds of companies throughout the United States.
Visit David's blog or Personal Site.
Eric’s career includes over 30 years of deep experience across executive, administrative, and financial-accounting functions. He has a proven track record for developing talent while leading teams through times of high growth and transition. His disciplined yet collaborative approach utilizes business analytics to drive informed decisions and his functional skill sets include acquisitions, due diligence, crisis management, SEC compliance, and the ability to navigate competitive regulatory environments.
Eric’s career includes serving as CFO of Akorn, Inc. (a publicly-held pharmaceutical company), closing 22 acquisitions as Vice President of Corporate Development and Chief Accounting Officer of Newpark Resources, Inc., and guiding Pamlab, Inc. as its President and CEO. His tenure at Pamlab was highlighted by his steering of the company through its successful acquisition by Nestle Health Science.
Today Eric works as an advisor to select small businesses throughout the region, on high-level projects in the medical foods space, and as a senior advisor to Emerge Dynamics. He provides a seasoned wealth of experience from which he is able to augment the Emerge Dynamics team in unlocking value for its clients and investment opportunities.
Eric holds a B.A. in Accounting from Loyola University of New Orleans and holds the Certified Value Builder (CVBA) and the Certified Value Growth Advisor (CVGA) designations.
Robert Claypool, Advisor
Sherif Ebrahim, Senior Advisor
Sherif serves as a senior advisor to Emerge Dynamics. He is an internationally recognized expert of Corporate Strategy, Strategic Innovation and Multi-Organizational Innovation. He currently serves on the committees of several investment funds, serves as Executive Director of the Tulane University Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and is a professor of Strategy & Innovation at Tulane University. He also serves on the faculty of The Catholic University of America, and has served on the faculties of other universities, governance and executive development programs. He has served on several National Health Care Policy Task Forces and Committees, advised many CEOs, governing boards, entrepreneurs and organizations on developing successful strategies to achieve sustainable growth, and has served as CEO of several large corporations including a senior executive management position in a Fortune 100 company.
Sherif is a board-certified health care executive, a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, an NAPH Managed Care Public Policy & Finance Fellow from New York University and a Health Systems Management Fellow from Tulane University.
Sherif has been nationally recognized for his work in healthcare and strategic leadership by two U.S. Presidents, by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, twice by a Fortune 100 Company. He has also been appointed to professional leadership positions by a Parish President, two Louisiana Governors, and has been named a White House Champion of Change for Innovation by the President of the United States.
Alex Barnes, Business Analyst
Phone: 504-206-3833 ext 710
Robert is an advisor to Emerge Dynamics. Robert grew up in a household supported by a “mom and pop” business which inspired his appreciation for entrepreneurship. At an early age, he learned the importance of great customer service, and has turned these early lessons into a passion that is exuded in every business he works with.
His focus on sustainable business processes highlights the importance of the customer experience. This holds true whether the customer is the public, or an internal department.
Robert has evolved into an expert on systems processes and documentation and has developed multiple proprietary tools to enhance business efficiency which have been deployed across industries such as energy offshore, aviation, and web development.
In addition to his advisory work, Robert has also invested in and helped to create concepts such as Day Flier, Co-Funded, and Gulf Coast Aviation.
Robert holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University.
John Peter Laborde III, CPA
Senior Business Analyst
Phone: 504-206-3833 ext 709
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John Peter currently serves as a senior business analyst at Emerge Dynamics and has built financial and business analysis models for numerous M&A valuation and financial analysis engagements.
His educational background consists of three degrees from Tulane University: a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Management in 2012, a Masters in Accounting in 2013, and a Masters of Management in Energy in 2014 where he focused on energy trading and risk management. After his education but prior to beginning his career, John Peter passed all four sections of the CPA exam.
John Peter acts also works as a financial consultant to Laborde Marine, LLC, a small privately-operated oil and gas service company located in New Orleans, LA. He developed finance experience during 2015 while working at Tightline Capital, LLC, which is an energy-centric long/short equities hedge fund located in New Orleans, LA.
John Peter’s areas of expertise include: financial accounting, financial modeling, valuation, and the financial markets.
Alex is a business analyst at Emerge Dynamics and has built financial and business analysis models for numerous M&A valuation, financial analysis, and corporate finance engagements.
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Alex's business advisory experience began with the ELSEWorks Entrepreneurial Initiative. His other experience is in public and private equity investment research through work and study with the Lewis Wilson Fund and the ELSEWorks Investment Fund.
Alex earned his Bachelors in Business Administration and an M.B.A. with concentrations in Finance from Millsaps College. While studying at Millsaps, Alex graduated Cum Laude, was named to 4 Dean’s Lists, became a member of the Financial Management Association International National Honor Society, and received the ELSEWorks Outstanding Business Analyst Award.
Alex has a passion and drive to understand the inner financial workings of institutions and is a 2018 Level 2 CFA candidate to further his knowledge and commitment.
Alex follows his sports teams regularly, but has an unwavering passion for soccer and spends his free time refining his golf game.
Lynne Pesce,
Accounting Manager
Phone: 504-206-3833 ext 703
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Lynne is an Accounting Manager at Emerge Dynamics, where she oversees financial transactions and reporting within the business, as well as updating financial models for clients. Outside of Emerge Dynamics, she works for Correct Profit, an accrual based accounting and bookkeeping firm, dedicated to timely and accurate financials to help clients understand and grow their businesses.
Lynne earned her Bachelor’s degree from The Catholic University of America, where she graduated as a University Honors Scholar. She spent time working in the development field of the non-profit sector, and then in the financial services industry as an Operations Manager. While taking time off from full-time work to be home with her five children, she enjoyed freelance writing and serving on the board of several non-profit organizations. She completed her Accounting Certification Program through ECornell, and is a Certified ProAdvisor in Quickbooks Online.
Work-life balance is one of Lynne’s greatest priorities and she hopes that her work helps clients to spend more time doing what they love. Lynne enjoys time with her family, adventurous road trips, and a hot cup of coffee every morning. She one day hopes to be fluent in Spanish.
