Gemini Valuation Services, LLC is comprised of a select group of individuals, with decades of finance, investment and operational experience.

Grant S. Sugimoto, President of Gemini Valuation Services

Mr. Sugimoto brings over fifteen years of merger and acquisition and valuation expertise to Gemini Partners. Previously, Mr. Sugimoto served as Senior Vice President at Houlihan Lokey Howard and Zukin Capital where he coordinated and executed all aspects of a variety of M&A transactions. In addition, he was responsible for managing large public fairness opinions and providing strategic financial alternatives studies to clients. Prior to that, he was a Senior Research Consultant at Financial Economic Consulting, where he performed financial and statistical research in connection with a wide variety of consulting and valuation projects. Mr. Sugimoto has also served as an independent consultant providing advisory services for a large real estate project in Bakersfield, CA. Mr. Sugimoto holds an M.B.A. from the Anderson Graduate School of Management, UCLA.

Bryan J. Kirchwehm, Director of Gemini Valuation Services

Mr. Kirchwehm brings over fifteen years of valuation and financial advisory expertise to Gemini Partners. Previously, Mr. Kirchwehm served as Founder and Principal of Pacific Valuation Consultants and Pacific Healthcare Consultants, where he provided financial advisory services to clients nationwide, including fairness and solvency opinions, litigation support, ESOP and estate tax valuations, buy-side and sell-side advisory representation, as well as various other valuation services. Prior to that, Mr. Kirchwehm was a member of HPEN, Inc., a management consulting firm, where he established HPEN Financial Advisory Services, a full-service valuation services firm. Mr. Kirchwehm was previously a member of Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin, Pacific Corporate Group, a business valuation and pension fund advisory firm, The Kaufman Group, a healthcare consulting and valuation services firm and Oppenheimer & Co., a national investment banking firm. Mr. Kirchwehm holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Arizona, and holds a California Real Estate Broker and Business Broker’s license.

James C. Dykstra, Director of Business Development

Mr. Dykstra brings more than 20 years of successful business development and management experience to Gemini Partners. Most recently, Mr. Dykstra served as President of DoveBid Valuation Services, Inc providing major banks and financial institutions, private equity groups and corporations valuations for financial reporting, secured lending, tax and planning purposes. Prior to working at DoveBid Valuation Services, Mr. Dykstra co-founded HeadCounsel, a virtual law firm that allowed general counsel and boutique law firms to create project specific teams improving quality and lowering cost. Mr. Dykstra was instrumental in the development and launch of the cars.com online advertising service to 100 plus newspapers, working as a consultant to Classified Ventures, a Tribune, Times-Mirror and Washington Post joint venture. Mr. Dykstra also worked at General Motors in various sales, marketing and management capacities for the Cadillac and GMAC divisions. Mr. Dykstra holds a B.A. from Stanford University. Download vcard

Matthew Johnson, Principal

Mr. Johnson brings to the Gemini Partners team over fifteen years of investment banking and executive operational experience. Mr. Johnson worked previously in investment banking for Prudential Securities and Credit Suisse First Boston in New York. He has financed and strategically advised a number of small and middle market companies, including a healthcare software firm where he also served as CFO. Mr. Johnson is a Board Member of Media Partners Publishing, Inc. and Vicariant, Inc. both funded through Gemini Partners. Mr. Johnson holds an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) candidate. Download vcard

Nathan Johnson, Principal

Mr. Johnson brings to Gemini Partners over fifteen years of investment banking, international finance, and turnaround operational experience. Most recently, Mr. Johnson served as an executive with a number of companies funded by JP Morgan Partners working specifically on financial and operational turnarounds. In addition, Mr. Johnson worked at General Motors Corporation in their New York Treasury Office serving roles in corporate finance, M&A and international finance. Mr. Johnson is a Board Member of several companies funded through Gemini Partners. Mr. Johnson holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business and an M.A. in International Business from the Lauder Institute, University of Pennsylvania and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) candidate. Download vcard

Tad Neeley, Principal

Mr. Neeley brings to Gemini Partners over fifteen years of transaction and operations experience in the telecommunication industry. Most recently, Mr. Neeley was a Managing Director at RHK, where he advised leading telecomm service providers and technology vendors on strategic business issues related to deploying and operating emerging broadband access technologies. Mr. Neeley has led the international business development for a Bechtel company building wireless data networks and has led two wireless application start-ups, for which he raised over $30 million in combined funding. Mr. Neeley began his career at Booz, Allen & Hamilton. Mr. Neeley holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business, and an M.A. in International Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. Download vcard

John Garofolo, Principal

Mr. Garofolo brings to the Gemini Partners team over fifteen years of business development, operations execution and international management consulting experience in both North and South America. Mr. Garofolo worked for over ten years at Ernst & Young's consulting practice and IBM Global Services, and brings deep expertise in corporate & entrepreneurial strategy and planning, business strategy development, marketplace strategy development, process & systems implementation, and organizational change for a variety of industries. He holds an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Download vcard