Larry Adam joined Raymond James in 2018 as Chief Investment Officer. With over thirty years of experience in the financial markets, Mr. Adam brings a wealth of knowledge and valuable insights on the markets and economy to advisors and clients. As CIO, Mr. Adam develops the firm’s CIO view, a cohesive and comprehensive macro outlook, using insights and perspectives from the firm’s strategists. Mr. Adam presents at numerous client events and is renowned for his ability to explain complex concepts to investors.
Mr. Adam provides advisors and clients with in-depth guidance regarding the markets, including weekly and monthly commentary and quarterly outlooks. In addition to serving as President of the Investment Strategy Committee, he also sits on the Global Wealth Solutions (GWS) Diversity & Inclusion Campus Recruitment Committee, the GWS Executive Council, and the Alternative and Structured Investments Product Approval Committee.
Prior to joining Raymond James, Mr. Adam held the dual roles of CIO of the Americas and Global Chief Investment Strategist for Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management. He received a B.B.A. with a concentration in finance from Loyola University Maryland in 1991 and received a master’s degree in business with a concentration in finance from Loyola University Maryland in 1993. Mr. Adam taught International Finance at the Sellinger School of Business and Management at Loyola University. He received the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1996, the Certified Investment Management® certification in 2001 and the Certified Financial Planner® designation in 2004. Mr. Adam is regularly featured on CNBC and Bloomberg and is frequently quoted in well-known publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Barron’s.
Diane is an Independent Board Director and has worked closely with private, private equity owned and family boards over the years, including Thrall Enterprises (Chair of the nominating and governance committee), Valco Industries, an ESOP Company (Chair, compensation committee)and Lodge Cast Iron (Chair, governance committee and compensation committee), She is recognized as a valued business partner known for her collaborative and coaching style. She has been instrumental in developing processes to improve board composition and initiate generational transitions to meet the future needs of the business and the family.
Diane has extensive corporate experience developing long term sustainable growth strategies for branded manufacturing companies in both consumer products and industrial goods. She is an expert in digital marketing, consumer insights and market driven innovation.
Diane’s board certifications include: Leadership Fellow with NACD (National Association of Corporate Directors), ESOP certification from the Private Company Directors Association as well as a founding member of EWOB (Extraordinary Women on Boards).
She is a CEO Coach, professional speaker, and has authored several publications on various topics including digital innovation, branding and leadership. Diane was recognized as one of the Directors to Watch 2025 (by the Private Company Directors Magazine) and she has been highlighted as 100 Exceptional Private Company Board Members 2025 (by BoardProspects).
Dr. Josh Baron is a Senior Lecturer of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and a part of the Strategy Unit. In the MBA program, he teaches in the Required Core Strategy course as well as elective courses on Ownership and Leading a Family Business. He also teaches in several executive education programs, including Owner/President Management, Family Office Wealth Management, and Families in Business. He was a Faculty Cochair for Family Office Wealth Management. He was formerly an Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, where he taught MBA courses on Family Business Management and Managing Conflict in Family Business.
Josh’s interests are in how to build businesses to last for the long-term, how to manage conflict, and how ownership affects company goals and strategies. He has a particular focus on family businesses. He has written extensively for Harvard Business Review and is co-author of their Family Business Handbook. He has also written for The Huffington Post, Trust & Estates Magazine, and Family Business Magazine, among others, and has been cited in The New York Times and Forbes. He is the author of a book about international relations, Great Power Peace and American Primacy: The Origins and Future of a New International Order.
Josh is a co-founder and Senior Advisor at BanyanGlobal, a leading advisor to family enterprises. For the last 15 years, he has worked closely with families who own operating companies, family foundations, and family offices together. He helps these families to define their purpose as owners and to establish the structures, strategies, and skills they need to accomplish their goals. Prior to Banyan, he worked at Bain & Company and the Bridgespan Group.
A graduate of The University of Pennsylvania, Josh received a BS in Economics from the Wharton School of Business and a BA in International Relations with Honors. He also holds a Masters with Distinction in International Relations from the University of Cambridge and a Masters and Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University.
When he is not teaching, researching, or advising, Josh and his wife Beth most enjoy spending time with their twins Eloise and Charlie, who in their endearing ways provide endless opportunities for developing fresh insights into family dynamics.
Lynn Clarke is a three-time CEO, a Board Chair and an Independent Board Director. She has extensive experience in board governance, having served on more than a dozen family and PE boards. In addition, Lynn is a Strategic Advisor & Mentor to Family Board Chairs for Vitamix and a Coca-Cola distributor. She also works with early-stage companies to help them get to the profit stage and exit.
Currently Lynn serves as the Lead Independent Director for Vollrath Manufacturing, the Nominating and Governance Chair of Basic American Foods, as an Independent Director for Kalsec Global Flavorings and, as of 2025, Just Born Confectionary, the PEEPS company.
Lynn’s industry experience spans CPG, beverage, food, food service, e-commerce, retail, manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics. As an executive at PepsiCo, Lynn gained functional expertise in corporate strategy, operations, manufacturing, brand strategy, marketing and sales. She was named The Private Company Director of the Year by the National Association of Corporate Directors in 2022. Lynn also serves as one of three independent judges for Deloitte’s Best Managed Private Company program and frequently speaks and writes on effective family business governance. She is a member of YPO Greenwich Gold and served as a chapter board member.
Michael is the Chair of our Private Client Services Department where he leads our group of over 30 lawyers and allied professionals. As a Partner in the firm’s Private Client Services Department, Michael regularly counsels clients on the far-reaching financial implications of estate planning, estate and trust administration, probate litigation, and business succession planning. Yet he is also a trained counselor with insight into the family dynamics these matters can effect. Known for his empathy and good humor, he helps clients take prudent action in the face of indecision, hopefully resolving contested issues before litigation. He is also a member of wiggin(x).
Michael’s estate planning practice includes assisting individuals and families in tax-efficient and practical estate and gift planning, including the preparation of wills, revocable living trusts, insurance trusts, and entities to own special family assets such as vacation homes and collections.
He guides fiduciaries and beneficiaries through estate settlement and trust administration matters. His estate and trust administration practice often dovetails with his probate litigation experience, where he advises clients in will and trust construction cases, contested accountings, fiduciary removal proceedings, payment of unpaid claims, and conservatorship and guardianship matters.
Michael also assists business owners with succession planning, by presenting to family groups on business/estate planning matters and by preparing business entities, shareholders’ agreements, buy-sell agreements, and grantor-retained annuity trusts. He often facilitates the sale or purchase of business assets.
Michael has recently:
Michael is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and is a frequent speaker on trust and estate strategies at bar association and continuing education events. He is a member of the Probate and Estates Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association and a former Co-chair of the Probate and Estates Section of the Fairfield County Bar Association and the President of the Fairfield Chapter of the Exit Planning Exchange (CT XPX).
Michael received his J.D. magna cum laude from the Quinnipiac University School of Law, where he served as Executive Managing Editor of the Quinnipiac Probate Law Journal. At graduation, he was the recipient of the Academic Excellence Award, Superior Classroom Performance Award, and CATIC Foundation Award. He received numerous academic excellence awards during law school.
Michael received his B.A. in political science from the University of Richmond. He holds a M.Ed. focusing on college student personnel from the University of Maryland. A former Division I college baseball player, Michael coaches in the Fairfield American Little League and continues to play baseball and golf when possible. Michael lives in Fairfield, Connecticut with his wife Melissa and three children.
Karel Czanderna is an independent board director for public and private companies. She collaborates with other board members to protect and grow shareholder value, ensure governance structure promotes strategic alignment, organizational capabilities, and emphasizes enterprise risk, fiduciary duties, ethics, and compliance. She leads with vision and thrives in industries being disrupted by global threats and digital technology transitions like artificial intelligence (AI). Her natural curiosity and intellectual rigor unite with the voice of the customer to drive innovation and growth. She inspires business leaders and teams to successfully create value.
Karel currently serves on the board for Cibo Vita, a founder-led privately-held company in the better-for-you food industry, and has served on boards for BlueLinx Holdings (NYSE:BXC), a $4B publicly-traded building & industrial products distributor, and privately-held $2B Weber-Stephen Products (grills) until the 2021 IPO (NYSE:WEBR). She was also a board member for privately-held Balcan Innovations (flexible packaging & films), and Rather Outdoors (fishing products) where she Chaired or was a member of the Audit committee. Karel has contributed to 2 transformational and 6 strategic acquisitions, cybersecurity breach resolutions, C-Suite coaching & successions, and enhancing environmental/sustainability results as a director since 2018. As CEO of Flexsteel Industries, Inc., (NASDAQ:FLXS) a $500M top-six U.S. furniture manufacturer for residential, office, hospitality, vehicle and healthcare markets, and director on the board she partnered with the Chair to realize strategy and enhance board performance. Karel received formal governance training at the Director’s Consortium sponsored by Stanford University and the University of Chicago.
She is an exceptional business leader whose professional career has included serving as Chief Executive Officer of Flexsteel, and Group President, Owens Corning Building Materials where she doubled profitability of a $3.3B global portfolio. As Vice President of Whirlpool’s $1.8B Global KitchenAid and Jenn-Air businesses, she executed the largest simultaneous all-kitchen-products launch in history and was instrumental in the successful integration of Maytag. As VP and GM of Eastman Kodak, she acquired and integrated a $100M publicly-traded inkjet competitor to increase revenue 400%. Karel earned a BS in Physics from Clarkson University and a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Cornell University. She also attended the Harvard Business School Executive Management Program, was profiled in the Diversity Journal among “Women Worth Watching” and as a “2020 Director to Watch” by Directors and Boards. She is a Trustee at Clarkson University.
Will is involved in all aspects of the firm’s investment activities and oversees investor relations. He is a member of the KLH Investment Committee and serves on the board of directors for a number of KLH portfolio companies. Will graduated from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and a minor in Aerospace Engineering.
Tony Fagella is a Managing Director and Private Wealth Advisor at Raymond James where he provides investment solutions and financial advice to corporate executives, business owners and family offices.
Prior to joining Raymond James in 2016, Tony was a Managing Director and Client Advisor at Deutsche Bank. Tony began his career at Lehman Brothers in 1988 as an equities trader working with many of the firms largest clients. In 1990 he shifted to Equity Capital Markets where he advised and executed corporate buyback programs for the firm’s investment banking clients before joining the Private Client Group in 1994.
Tony has earned the Private Wealth Advisor designation from Raymond James. This designation reflects his experience in managing the financial concerns of families, individuals and organizations of significant wealth, and his mastery of methods and resources necessary to support their expansive financial interests.
Tony supports and has served on several local, nonprofit boards and foundations. Most recently he served as a board member and treasurer of the YMCA of Greenwich, where he helped lead a debt restructuring resulting in a new era of fiscal responsibility and programming. In 2014 Tony was honored with the YMCA Achievement Award for Outstanding Service.
Tony received both his BBA and MBA from Iona University in New York.
Adam currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Pella Corporation. He joined his family company’s board in 2010 and was elected Chairman in 2015, taking over for his father, and serving as the company’s 4th Family Chairman in its 100-year history. From October 2015 until May 2016, Adam also served as interim President and CEO of Pella Corp.
In addition to his role with Pella Corporation, Adam is President and Chief Investment Officer of Mettle Ventures, LLC, an angel and venture capital investment firm he founded; Executive Chairman of La Plata Capital, a small-business lending platform he also founded; and as a Director of Tauck, Inc., a private family-owned company focused on luxury hospitality. Adam also serves on his family office’s Financial Capital Committee, and is involved with several charitable and for-profit community development initiatives in his hometown of Pella, Iowa.
Adam earned a BA in economics from Colorado College with distinction, and an MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern University.
Josh’s career encompasses a wide variety of experience, including operating roles in privately held companies as well as advisory experience in both venture and middle market segments. He provides clients expert advice on marketing, go-to-market, sales, operations and business development strategies. He has deep experience in industries such as consumer products, construction, industrial, professional sports organizations, distribution, and manufacturing. Josh is actively involved in Paramax’s business development and go-to-market initiatives
Prior to joining Paramax, Josh has nearly 25 years of executive experience in Finance, Corporate Partnerships, and Business Development. Josh is the co-founding general partner of Forma Capital and general partner in The Cashmere Fund. In his previous executive role at New Era Cap Company, Josh managed over 70 professional, collegiate, and corporate partnerships and over $150M+ in annual revenue. He led contract negotiations for new business, corporate sponsorships, partnerships, and ambassador deals across New Era’s North American business. Before joining New Era, Josh was the Director of Corporate Partnerships & Sales at Pegula Sports and Entertainment, and Assistant Vice President, Commercial Relationship Manager at HSBC Bank.
Education
Bachelor of Arts, Economics and English Writing
Licensures
Registered Investment Banking Representative
FINRA Series 63, 79, 82, and Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) licenses
Professional Associations
Nardin Academy Athletics – Board Member
Sponsor United – Advisory Board
The Cashmere Fund – General Partner
Forma Capital – General Partner
The Buffalo Club – Past Board Member
GVB Consulting – Owner
Community Involvement
The Country Club of Buffalo – Finance Committee Member
716 Foundation Board Member
Co-Founder of WNY Feeds the Front Lines
Ken Grider is a managing director with Raymond James Investment Banking, serving as the head of the Business Development Group. In this role, he manages the investment bank’s relationships with legal and accounting firms; venture, mezzanine and lower market private equity funds; and Raymond James’ more than 8,100 financial advisors.
Prior to joining Raymond James, Ken was a partner with Equitable Capital Management. Ken also spent 13 years working with a boutique corporate finance consulting firm (Tunstall Consulting), ultimately serving as the firm’s senior managing director.
Ken received his undergraduate degree in economics from Emory University and his MBA from Wake Forest University. He serves on the board of the ACG Tampa Bay Chapter, is the chairman of the Florida Venture Forum and is a board trustee of the Tampa Museum of Art.
He is an experienced Executive who partners with CEOs of both large and small businesses. John holds an MBA from the University of Hartford and has accumulated years of hands-on experience through his involvement in his own family-owned business, as well as several other family-owned businesses throughout the U.S. He has also collaborated closely with family business centers and trade organizations further deepening his understanding of the unique dynamics and governance challenges within family enterprises
Prior to joining Raymond James, Ken was a partner with Equitable Capital Management. Ken also spent 13 years working with a boutique corporate finance consulting firm (Tunstall Consulting), ultimately serving as the firm’s senior managing director.
Ken received his undergraduate degree in economics from Emory University and his MBA from Wake Forest University. He serves on the board of the ACG Tampa Bay Chapter, is the chairman of the Florida Venture Forum and is a board trustee of the Tampa Museum of Art.
Anne Huntington Sharma is a transformative and empathetic business leader responsible for driving growth at Huntington Learning Center, as well as a lifelong champion of creativity and the arts. As the President, CEO and Board Member of Huntington Learning Center, the nation’s leading tutoring and test prep provider, she oversees business strategy and growth initiatives for the nearly 50-year-old family business.
Anne is involved in the arts as a collector, producer, philanthropist, curator, and founder of AMH Industries, a creative agency for contemporary art and culture. She is an associate producer on the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary, ‘The Price of Everything’ and an associate producer on the documentary ‘The Art of Making It.’ To date, Anne has curated more than 30 exhibits across the country and raised over $30 million dollars for various philanthropic causes.
Anne has been a lifelong champion of creativity as a collector, producer, philanthropist, curator, and founder of AMH Industries, a creative agency for contemporary art and culture. She is an associate producer on the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary, ‘The Price of Everything’ and an associate producer on the documentary ‘The Art of Making It’. To date, Anne has curated more than 30 exhibits across the country and raised over $30 million dollars for various philanthropic causes.
For her service, Anne has been recognized by SmartCEO, Apollo Magazine, and Moves Magazine. She has also been honored as a Woman of Wonder by Franchise Dictionary Magazine, named to the NJBIZ Education Top 50 list, as well as the NJBIZ 40 under 40. Most recently, Anne was named one of NJBIZ’s Best 50 Women in Business and was awarded the Silver distinction for the American Business Awards, Maverick category. Anne received her BA from Colgate University.
A proponent of empathy-driven leadership, which she employs daily both internally and with Huntington’s hundreds of franchise partners, Anne listens first, knowing that consensus and collaboration drive results.
Sean Hutchinson is a partner in the international value growth consulting firm Ready for Next, which was founded to help owners in the USA and Canada increase the enterprise value of their businesses, achieve transition-readiness, and ultimately harvest that value to fund their “third act.”
RFN’s Value Accelerator is a process-driven, structured approach to increasing earnings, reducing risk and positioning the business as best-in-class. RFN’s clients are privately held middle-market business owners in a broad spectrum of industries. Ready for Next’s success is powered by one of the best qualified and most seasoned teams of advisors in the profession, all of whom are former business owners or C-level executives.
Sean has been a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) since November 2008 (one of the first 100 to be certified), a CEPA course faculty member since 2014, has been honored by the Exit Planning Institute as Exit Planner of the Year & Leader of the Year, and was inducted into EPI’s CEPA Hall of Fame in 2024. He is recognized as one of the profession’s top thought leaders.
He is also a 3rd generation heir to his family’s 69-year-old manufacturing business, a first-hand, very personal, and humbling experience that keeps him grounded in the realities of value growth and ownership transition.
In addition to holding the CEPA credential, Sean is a Certified Merger and Acquisition Advisor (CMAA) and has served on the Boards of five private companies, including 13 years for a 90% ESOP-owned enterprise. He graduated in 1992 with a Master of Arts degree from Miami University of Ohio.
Greg was a senior executive and CEO for more than 30 years. His experience saw him dramatically expand sourcing and supplier network, lead a successful business divestiture, redesign a production model to expand capacity, double sales to $65 million, oversee 950,000 square feet in facilities, and introduce processes like a one-page strategic plan, cashflow modeling, integrated pipeline, and sales forecasting.
Ed Mills brings more than 20 years of Washington D.C. experience to his role as a managing director and Washington policy analyst. Joining Raymond James in 2017, Mills concentrates on the impact of Washington on Wall Street, with a specific focus on elections, trade, Wall Street reform, housing finance policy, taxation policy, and tech regulation. He is frequently consulted by policymakers and stakeholders, and his work has been featured extensively in media outlets, including Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, the BBC, Fox Business, and CNBC.
Prior to joining Raymond James, Mills spent more than seven years as an analyst and head of the Washington Policy Group at FBR & Co and nearly a decade on Capitol Hill. He worked in both the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, serving as a professional staff member for the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, a financial services policy advisor for Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney of New York, and a senior banking and finance policy advisor for the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. He holds a B.A. in political science from Boston College.
Steven S. Rolfe M.D. is Managing Principal of RolfeAdvisory LLC. As an advisor and confidante to CEO’s, family enterprise owners, and entrepreneurs , Steve works to create solutions to complex leadership challenges, including family and management conflict, strategic and interpersonal impasse and leadership transitions. Steve addresses the most personal and interpersonal aspects of family and business life, helping to develop adaptive, aligned, high performance leaders, families, and organizations.
Serving as a Principal of the Boswell Group LLC since 2004, Steve advises CEO’s, corporate directors and other senior business leaders on psychological and interpersonal aspects of management and leadership. He has worked with investment professionals; equity, derivative and bond traders; entrepreneurs; venture capitalists; corporate attorneys and leaders of nonprofit institutions. His clientele represents a wide range of fields, including finance, real estate, law, entertainment, medicine, engineering and pharmaceuticals. Having dedicated his career to understanding human behavior, motivation and conflict management, his expertise enables him to help clients reflect on their priorities and behaviors, leading to improved productivity and effectiveness. He has advised executives at all levels of organizations to develop the psychological acumen necessary to lead, strategize, and negotiate on behalf of their company successfully. To his clients, he is a trusted confidante, initiating practical actionable conversations on the dynamics and challenges of leadership and other critical aspects of corporate life.
His work with multigenerational families involves collaborating with wealth managers, attorneys and other stakeholders and focusing on family dynamics to ensure families address their psychological and personal well being in the context of meeting their financial objectives. The goal of this consulting work is to effectively address family conflict that often arises as families attempt to productively manage shared assets for the benefit of themselves, their stakeholders, and future generations.
In his work with owners and ownership teams of family enterprises his focus is on developing leaders, enhancing collaboration, and resolving family and business conflict in the context of generational, strategic, and /or ownership transitions. Helping the owner and/or ownership team think through their options as they contemplate transitioning the business to the next generationor selling the business is often a major aspect of this work. Coaching next generation leaders is often an essential component of working within these complex family systems.
As a physician who lives in the business world, Steve has combined a unique set of experiences; medicine, child and adult psychiatry and psychoanalytic training, senior administrative positions in a corporate health care environment, family business advising, clinical work with executives at all levels of a corporation, and individual and team coaching with an international focus. Steve has experience facilitating groups of CEOs, many of who are owners of family businesses. The longest running (5 years) of these groups, is CEOs in the business to business media space.
This group discusses best practices, personal aspects of leadership, as well as strategy and challenges of ownership transition and exit. These are businesses that have undergone dramatic transformation with profound changes in business models, from trade journals to digital marketing companies and companies involved with monetizing data and creating meaningful events for their customers.
In recent years he has developed an interest and expertise in working with entrepreneurs, leaders and leadership teams affected by a personal life crisis, physical or mental illness, or death of one of the members.
Steve is an Executive Coach in the McNulty Leadership Program at Wharton. In this capacity he coaches first and second year MBA students. His focus is working with students from family enterprises who have challenges as next generation leaders and are often wrestling with the question of whether or not to return to their legacy family business post MBA.
Steve is a Fellow in the Family Firm Institute where he earned his Advanced Certificate in Family Business Advising. He is Chair of the American Psychoanalytic Association’s Committee on Corporate and Organizational Consultation and a past member of the Board of Trustees of the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia. He has been a Senior Associate for the Kets de Vries Institute based in Paris and London. His global consulting experience includes coaching for the World Economic Forum’s Global Leadership Fellows Program. He has been a group executive coach for NGO’s with INSEAD’s Global Leadership Center.
Having received his BA in Comparative Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, he studied medicine and psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine and child psychiatry at McLean Hospital. His child psychiatry training and subsequent career as a child psychiatrist prepared him to work intensively in family systems. He completed psychoanalytic training at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia. He is a member of the Family Firm Institute, the Purposeful Planning Institute, the American Psychoanalytic Association, Attorneys for Family Held Enterprises, the Philadelphia Estate Planning Council, and XPX Philadelphia.
His April 2016 article in Chief Executive Magazine (extended article on chiefexecutive.net) “A Healthy Approach to CEO Illness” addresses the board’s role in a CEO’s health crisis.His article with Herbert Fineburg, Esq. “Take a multidisciplinary approach to exit and succession planning” was published in Family Business Magazine in March/April 2017.
Paul Shoukry is CEO of Raymond James Financial, Inc., a leading diversified financial services company providing private client group, capital markets, asset management, banking and other services to individuals, corporations and municipalities. He previously served as president from 2024 2025 in anticipation of taking over the CEO role and served as the firm’s CFO from 2020 to 2024.
After starting his career as a commercial banker, Paul consulted for the financial services industry and then joined Raymond James in 2010. He obtained a coveted Assistant to the Chairman position under then Chairman and CEO Tom James before becoming Head of Investor Relations, Treasurer and Senior Vice President of Finance.
Paul graduated magna cum laude with Bachelor and Master degrees of Accountancy and was a Leonard Leadership Scholar at The University of Georgia. He earned an MBA with honors from Columbia University.
Paul and his wife Amy endowed and named the Leadership Speaker Series at the Terry College of Business at The University of Georgia. He also received the Alumni of Distinction award from the University of Georgia Graduate School.
He is passionate about childhood education and serves on the board of trustees for the need-based, inner-city school Academy Prep Center of Tampa and served as an advisory board member for the Florida school choice program Step Up for Students. Paul and Amy served as the co-chairs for the 2024 American Heart Association’s Tampa Bay Heart Ball. They are members of the United Way Tocqueville Society and were honored with the Fred S. Ridley Grand Oak community award. Paul also serves on the board of directors for ReliaQuest, a leading cybersecurity firm headquartered in Tampa.
Ray Titus, founder and CEO of United Franchise Group, the global leader for entrepreneurs, has elevated franchising from a career to a calling for 40 years. His philosophies on growth, positive attitude, and family influence the core values that have driven success within the brands he has developed from conception to international expansion.
Since the beginning of his career, Ray’s enterprising spirit was cultivated by a franchising legend, his father, Roy Titus, founder of Minuteman Press. Their shared appreciation for innovation and resourcefulness, fueled by Ray’s determination, laid the groundwork for what has become an established and respected community within the world’s franchising industry.
Ray founded the very first Signarama® store in 1986, and the brand now spans globally. Today, along with Signarama®, United Franchise Group is home to an affiliated family of brands and consultants including Fully Promoted®, Black Optix Tint®, Transworld Business Advisors®, Exit Factor™, Accurate Franchising Inc.™, Franchise Real Estate™, the Vast Coworking Group™ division comprised of Venture X®, Office Evolution® and Intelligent Office®, and Big Flavor Brands™ foodservice division with The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill® and Graze Craze®. UFG affiliated brands include over 1,800 franchises in more than 80 countries, with consultants that have developed over 600 brands into franchise business models globally.
Ray and his wife Andrea have lived in Palm Beach County for over 35 years and have built a UFG team in which his family is highly involved. All three of his sons, as well as his three nephews and two daughters-in-law, have chosen careers within the organization making United Franchise Group a family-owned business that is truly like a family.
Ray attended St. John Fisher College and Florida Southern College on basketball scholarships and continues to apply the enthusiasm and sportsmanship he gained from that experience to his perspective on leadership and teamwork, which has led to many humbling awards and industry recognition.
In 2007, Signarama became the first-ever franchise to be recognized with the prestigious “E” Award, the highest recognition for a United States entity for its significant contributions to the expansion of U.S. exports which he received in the Oval Office from President George
W. Bush. Then in 2018, Ray was honored again for his leadership when United Franchise Group also received the coveted “E” Award.
Ray has been recognized by Ernst & Young as Florida Entrepreneur of the Year, the Counselor International Person of the Year, the American Free Enterprise Medal from Palm Beach Atlantic University, ASI’s Power 50 list of the industry’s most influential people, the Sun-Sentinel Excalibur Award and for four consecutive years, Ray was named in Stitches magazine’s “Power 75” list of most influential people. He is also one of the founders of the Florida Franchisor Association.
Ray not only participated in the World Leaders Conference but also delivered the address in 2015. He has published several books including “Laws of Inevitability”, “Ray’s Week”, “Put a Little JJ in Your Life”, “You’re Not Listening to Me”, “Do You Have IT?”, and most recently “The Ownership Economy.”
Over 15 years ago, Ray established the United Franchise Group Foundation, the company’s charitable fund, now known as UFG Cares. His commitment to both the local and global franchising communities is exemplified by his involvement with The Titus Center for Franchising at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He and his family made significant contributions to help establish the center in partnership with the university.
The Titus family also established an endowed scholarship at the university’s Rinker School of Business for selected students pursuing careers in franchising and are large supporters of Family Church in West Palm Beach. Additionally, UFG and Ray’s companies have invested in the business and entrepreneurship school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.
Ray’s achievements demonstrate his dedication to advancing the principles of franchising and his passion for entrepreneurship. He has created a community within the franchising industry that values family, personal growth, and fellowship. His outreach influences on a global scale as he continues to create opportunities for entrepreneurs to gain not only financial independence but also establish their legacy for future generations to come.
Tom Walrond has been working with Raymond James since 1998, helping their financial advisors create great experiences for their clients.
The client-centered philosophy and culture of independence at Raymond James attracted him to the firm. Tom joined as a Branch Manager to help establish and build their Philadelphia, PA branch. As Branch Manager, he both supported our advisors in their day-to-day experiences with clients while talking with prospective advisors about the opportunity to join Raymond James.
In 2006, Tom’s role expanded to Complex Manager for the North Atlantic Complex and then to the North Atlantic Regional Director in 2012. In 2014, he moved with his wife and kids to St. Petersburg, FL, to become the Chief Operating Officer of Raymond James & Associates.
In 2018, Tom became the Division Director of the Eastern Division of Raymond James & Associates, overseeing their complexes and branches in Florida and the Northeast.
Tom is now the President of Raymond James & Associates, Private Client Group, and his primary focus is on fostering a culture that simplifies business operations for advisors and empowers them to make client-centric decisions. In addition to advocating across the firm’s product and service areas, Tom also leads and oversees the regulatory functions and reporting responsibilities for the RJ&A broker/dealer.
Working with his own advisors every day, Tom see first-hand what this culture of independence – even within the employee side of our business – does for their satisfaction and success with the firm. And as he is still a producing financial advisor today, Tom also sees what that freedom does for the well-being of our clients. He truly enjoys meeting with prospective advisors considering Raymond James and showing them a balance of culture and capabilities that can help them create even better, more valuable experiences for their clients.
Joe Weaver is a Florida native and has worked in the financial services industry for over 30 years. He currently serves as the chairman and president of Raymond James Trust Company, N.A., a nationally chartered trust bank and wholly-owned subsidiary of Raymond James Financial. Raymond James Trust currently serves as trustee, co-trustee, agent for trustee, custodian or executor for approximately 2000 individuals and families within the United States with fiduciary assets under management in excess of ten billion dollars.
In addition, Joe is a board member for both Raymond James Trust, NA. and Raymond James Trust New Hampshire and represents Raymond James on the SIFMA Trust and Estate Roundtable. He is a member of the Trust and Wealth Management Committee of the Florida Bankers Association and past board member of the Council for Educational Change. At the beginning of 2024 he was likewise appointed to the American Heart Association Heart Walk Executive Cabinet on behalf of Raymond James Financial.
Before joining Raymond James in 2011, Weaver spent the majority of his earlier career at Bank of America/U.S. Trust serving in a variety of leadership roles within the private banking and wealth management divisions.
He attended Texas Christian University on a swimming scholarship where he received a bachelor’s degree in finance. He also graduated from the Securities Industry Institute, Executive Education Leadership Development program at the Wharton School of Business and holds a CFP® certification along with Series 6, 7 and 63 securities licenses.
Lindsey is the Managing Partner of Bluewater. In addition to serving as Principal on many client engagements, Lindsey’s passion for people and organizational development is shown in her development and delivery of leadership programs, workshops, group training, and one-to-one coaching. Lindsey draws from her professional experience, as well as her degree from Central Michigan University in Interpersonal Communication and Public Communication, with a minor in Marketing.
Joining the Bluewater team in the fall of 2014, Lindsey was immediately embraced by Bluewater’s clients as a truly caring advisor and coach who can bring out the best in people, often helping professionals develop their interpersonal skills and confidence to the same high level as their technical competence. Lindsey’s adaptability is hard to match and is admired by many. From training a group of 80+ United States Army Colonels in emotional intelligence to delivering a Dynamic Communications keynote to 300 hospitality conference attendees on the big stage, down to one-to-one coaching, Lindsey engages people, bringing folks naturally to a state of trust and eagerness to engage, to learn and to develop.
0
1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.