Advisory Professionals

John D. Menke

President, CEO

John D. Menke is the founder and president of Menke & Associates, Inc. and of Menke Capital Corp. He has been involved in designing and administering ESOPs for over 30 years. Prior to founding Menke & Associates, Inc. in 1974, Mr. Menke was a Senior Tax Attorney with the Law Offices of Louis O. Kelso (1972-1974), General Counsel to Boothe Computer Investment Corporation (1971-1972), a venture capital firm, and from 1968 to 1971 was an associate with the law firm of Kelso, Cotton, Seligman & Ray. Mr. Menke has written over 20 articles regarding ESOPs, leveraged buyouts, and estate planning techniques, as well as a leading book on ESOPs. Mr. Menke also co-drafted the original ESOP legislation which helped to spawn employee ownership in this country. Mr. Menke received his B.A. degree from the University of Texas and his LL.B. degree from Yale Law School.

Richard B. Rose

Managing Director - Investment Banking

Richard B. Rose joined Menke & Associates in 1982 and is responsible for over 400 ESOPs designed and installed by the firm. From 1971 to 1978, Mr. Rose was a vice president and manager of the Corporate Finance Department of a regionally-based New York Stock Exchange member firm. During this period he served on four corporate Boards of Directors. From 1979 to 1982, Mr. Rose founded and operated three private companies. Mr. Rose received his B.A. degree in 1967 from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. degree in finance from Columbia University.

Bruce C. Armstrong

Senior Vice President

Bruce C. Armstrong has over 25 years of experience in designing ESOPs for clients of Menke & Associates, Inc. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Armstrong worked for six years with Crocker National Bank (San Francisco and Los Angeles) as a commercial lender and work-out loan specialist, product development manager, and loan profitability analyst. A significant amount of his lending experience involved ESOP transactions. Mr. Armstrong graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. degree in Economics in 1975. He received an M.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1979.

Sherman O. Coultas

Managing Director - Investment Banking

Sherman O. Coultas has over 20 years of experience in ESOPs for Menke & Associates, Inc. clients. Before joining the firm in 1985, Mr. Coultas worked for eight years arranging mergers and acquisitions for private corporations. Mr. Coultas was President of a regional ice cream manufacturer and retail chain; Chief of Staff to the Undersecretary, HEW, during the Ford Administration; House Counsel for an international cosmetic company; and General Manager of a computer software firm. Mr. Coultas holds a B.S. degree in Psychology and Philosophy, a B.S. degree in French, and an LL.B. degree from San Jose State University, Georgetown University and Lincoln University, respectively.

Phillip DeDominicis

Managing Director - Investment Banking

Prior to joining Menke & Associates, Mr. DeDominicis spent three years as Director of Investment Banking for the Mergers & Acquisitions Group of Citigroup in New York, focusing on change of control advisory assignments to middle-market companies. Prior to that, Mr. DeDominicis spent ten years as Director of Investment Banking for the Mergers, Acquisitions & Private Finance Group of Morgan Stanley. Mr. DeDominicis received his degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware in l985, and his MBA degree in Finance and Accounting from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA in l989.

Richard M. Acheson

President, BSI (Los Angeles Office)

Richard M. Acheson is both an attorney and a CPA licensed in California. Prior to joining BSI as a principal in 1976, he was a revenue agent with the Internal Revenue Service and a tax manager with Arthur Young & Company. Mr. Acheson majored in accounting at Arizona State University and received his law degree from Loyola School of Law in Los Angeles. He is a member of the California, Federal and American Bar Association and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Acheson is a founder and a continuing member of the ESOP Association and the National Center for Employee Ownership. He has been involved in ESOPs both as a consultant and recordkeeper for over 30 years, and he writes and speaks on the subject frequently.

Mark Bowers

Managing Director - Investment Banking, BSI (Los Angeles Office)

Mark Bowers is a Senior Employee Benefits Consultant and Director of Compliance with BSI Consultants, a Menke company headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. Prior to joining BSI Consultants, Mr. Bowers worked with several large law firms specializing in corporate law and in mergers and acquisitions. For the past five years, Mr. Bowers has specialized in ESOP and 401(k) consulting for both public and privately held middle-market companies. Mr. Bowers received his J.D. degree from the University of Texas in l972.